{"id":32448,"date":"2016-06-08T11:22:22","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T23:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=32448"},"modified":"2016-06-08T11:22:22","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T23:22:22","slug":"big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-on-continuities-and-universes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2016\/06\/08\/big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-on-continuities-and-universes\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Worlds On Small Screens — Rebecca Fisher on Continuities and Universes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, a commenter, Tim, asked Rebecca a question—on her Time Bandits’<\/a> post— about Superman, Supergirl, Arrow and the Marvel universe. Time Bandits.<\/p>\n

Her answer was so awesome that I thought it deserved its own place at the top of the “…on Anything, Really” masthead, so here it is for you today, Tim’s question, slightly abridged, and Rebecca’s reply:<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Tim:<\/strong> \u00a0I just watched the first season of \u201cSupergirl\u201d, my first steps into superhero fiction. I had hoped to, after I\u2019d finished it, start watching some or other Superman TV series\/movie. (I actually assumed that \u201cSupergirl\u201d was some kind of spin-off based on a Superman series, only it wasn\u2019t, and I got stuck.) To make matters even more complicated, one episode was a cross-over featuring the Flash \u2013 which put the Arrowverse into the equation \u2013 and now I really have no idea at all where to start, with all the Superman & Arrow series\/movies there are.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since I assume you have watched one or two or more of those (both the entire Superman franchise and the Arrowverse), I was wondering if I could ask you for some advice on what series\/movie(s) I should start with. That way, I could slowly get more familiar with the worlds and \u2018verses\u2019 and find my own way in it. But for now, some help would be highly appreciated. To be clear here: At this point, I\u2019m not really interested in all the comics and such out there. If you decide to help me, you only have to tell me about movies, live-action and animated TV series.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Rebecca<\/a>

Rebecca Fisher<\/p><\/div>\n

Rebecca:<\/strong> A useful term know when you,re dealing with adaptations of comic books is the word “continuities”<\/strong>.\u00a0There are dozens of film\/television takes on comic book characters, but not all of them are connected<\/i> \u2013 for instance, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck have both played the character of Batman\/Bruce Wayne, but the stories in which they play that character are completely unconnected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, we would say that Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cDark Knight Trilogy\u201d and Zack Snyder\u2019s \u201cBatman Versus Superman\u201d belong in different continuities<\/i> (or \u201cuniverses\u201d), even though they share the same characters and general premise. On the other hand, the more recent \u201cMan of Steel\u201d and \u201cBatman Versus Superman\u201d ARE in the same continuity, as one is a direct continuation of the other, with the same actors playing the same roles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adaptations of DC comic books have many different continuities, though the biggest ones are listed here:<\/span><\/p>\n

1)<\/span><\/p>\n

The one you\u2019re probably most interested in is what\u2019s known as the Flarrowverse continuity (a portmanteau name for \u201cArrow\u201d and \u201cThe Flash\u201d). Airing on the CW Network, it originally started with \u201cArrow\u201d in 2012. The second season of \u201cArrow\u201d introduced Barry Allen to the show as a guest-star in anticipation for his own spin-off \u201cThe Flash\u201d, which started in 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are occasionally cross-overs between the two shows, with characters from \u201cArrow\u201d visiting \u201cThe Flash\u201d and visa-versa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two more spin-offs have recently been added to this continuity. \u201cLegends of Tomorrow\u201d (which features characters from both \u201cArrow\u201d AND \u201cThe Flash\u201d) started in 2016 and an animated webseries called \u201cVixen\u201d was released in 2015. They star different characters, but all those characters exist in the same universe (or continuity) and occasionally guest-star in each other\u2019s shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, for complicated legal reasons, characters such as Superman and Batman cannot appear in the Flarrowverse \u2013 they can only be alluded to, but never fully shown. This is because Warner Brothers is currently building a film continuity that\u2019s entirely separate from the \u201cuniverse\u201d that exists in the television shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

(It\u2019s actually led to some mild tension between the film and show makers \u2013 for instance, \u201cArrow\u201d was starting to build up their own version of the Suicide Squad, and was then forced to dispose of them once the Warner Brothers film started production.)<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings us to \u201cSupergirl\u201d. It aired in 2015 on the CBS channel and originally was NOT part of the Flarrowverse continuity \u2013 it was simply a show about Supergirl which was completely unconnected to anything else. Of course, that changed when Barry Allen\/the Flash appeared in a guest starring role. Although it didn\u2019t start out that way, \u201cSupergirl\u201d has retroactively<\/i> been added to the Flarrowverse continuity \u2013 and because the second season of \u201cSupergirl\u201d will air on the CW instead of CBS, it\u2019s likely that more crossovers will occur in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

(A similar thing also happened with the show \u201cConstantine\u201d. This was another originally unconnected show based on a DC comics book character, and when it was cancelled in 2014, the \u201cArrow\u201d writers brought the character \u2013 as played by the same actor \u2013 in for a guest-starring role on \u201cArrow\u201d. As with \u201cSupergirl\u201d, his show was retroactively<\/i> added to the continuity).<\/span><\/p>\n

Whew, this is really complicated. Are you still with me? \";)\"<\/span><\/p>\n

So in order to follow THIS particular continuity, I would suggest starting with season one of \u201cArrow\u201d. It was the earliest instalment in the Flarrowverse, and from it stems all the other spin-offs (\u201cThe Flash\u201d, \u201cLegends of Tomorrow\u201d), bonus web series (\u201cBlood Rush\u201d and \u201cVixen\u201d) and retroactively-added shows (\u201cConstantine\u201d and \u201cSupergirl.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a comprehensive list of all the aired episodes in the correct viewing order:http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/list\/ls074499769\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a02.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next of all, we\u2019ve got what\u2019s known as the DC Animated Universe (or DCAU). This continuity is comprised of several cartoons and animated TV-movies, and though it\u2019s suitable for children, there\u2019s plenty for adults to enjoy as well. As it goes on, the themes and content become much more mature, and by the time you reach \u201cJustice League\u201d the storylines are quite complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

It started in 1992 with \u201cBatman: The Animated Series\u201d and was followed with \u201cSuperman: The Animated Series\u201d in 1996. Although (if memory serves) there were a couple of crossovers between these two shows, it wasn\u2019t until \u201cJustice League\u201d aired in 2001 that the two characters were permanently brought together, along with characters such as The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl in order to form the titular Justice League.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he universe expanded further with \u201cJustice League Unlimited\u201d (which added more DC characters to the show) and spin-offs such as \u201cBatman Beyond\u201d (1999), \u201cStatic Shock\u201d (2000) and \u201cThe Zeta Project\u201d (2001).<\/p>\n

Because they all belong to the same continuity, they can technically be watched in any order without TOO much confusion, though it doesn\u2019t hurt to watch in the order they were aired: Batman \u2013 Superman \u2013 Batman Beyond \u2013 Static Shock \u2013 The Zeta Project \u2013 Justice League \u2013 Justice League Unlimited.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also a handful of TV movies that also belong to this continuity: \u201cMask of the Phantasm\u201d, \u201cMr Freeze: Subzero\u201d, \u201cReturn of the Joker\u201d and \u201cMystery of the Batwoman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s the current DC film franchise that\u2019s being built up much the same way as the Marvel franchise. It started with \u201cMan of Steel\u201d and continued with \u201cBatman Versus Superman\u201d, and is soon to be joined by \u201cSuicide Squad\u201d and films starring Wonder Woman, Aquaman and The Flash (which \u2013 because of the new continuity \u2013 have nothing to do with either the Flarrowverse or the DCAU).<\/span><\/p>\n

Some fans disparagingly refer to this continuity as the \u201cMurderverse\u201d because they\u2019re unimpressed with Zach Snyder\u2019s dark vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

(And of course, there are probably dozens more films and TV shows featuring DC characters which belong to completely separate continuities: Tim Burton\u2019s original Batman movies, or the long-running \u201cSmallville\u201d TV show for example).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I hope this helps you out! It was an extremely<\/i> lengthy reply, but I love this sort of thing \u2013 and the concept of “continuities” and “universes” gets surprisingly complex!<\/div>\n

—<\/p>\n

I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did, dear readers. — Helen \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, a commenter, Tim, asked Rebecca a question—on her Time Bandits’ post— about Superman, Supergirl, Arrow and the Marvel universe. Time Bandits. Her answer was so awesome that I thought it deserved its own place at the top of the “…on Anything, Really” masthead, so here it is for you today, Tim’s question, slightly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-worlds-on-small-screens-with-rebecca-fisher"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32448"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32453,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32448\/revisions\/32453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}