Arrowverse 2021 Crossover With Superman & Batwoman Cancelled

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Arrowverse 2021 Crossover With Superman & Batwoman Cancelled

The Arrowverse 2021 crossover event between the new Batwoman and the series Superman & Lois is canceled by The CW due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The upcoming Arrowverse crossover event on The CW between Batwoman and Superman & Lois has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event would have seen Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) meeting the new Batwoman, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) for the first time. The Batwoman and Superman crossover was announced last spring, and was at the time expected to feature Hoechlin's Man of Steel teaming up with Ruby Rose's Kate Kane, but Rose has since exited the Gotham-set series.

Batwoman season 2 will premiere on January 17 and follows Ryan Wilder, a young woman who discovers the Batsuit after Kate Kane's disappearance and becomes the new protector of Gotham. Superman & Lois premieres on February 23 and follows Clark Kent and his wife Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch) as they balance their work with the struggles of raising their two sons. Following last year's massive crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, The CW was going to use the Superman and Batwoman crossover event to do a smaller scale story that highlighted the two newest series to the network. Yet the team-up between the Bat of Gotham and the Last Son of Krypton will have to wait.

In a report published by TVLine, the upcoming crossover between Batwoman and Superman and Lois has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The report also says that any plans to crossover with Supergirl before the show ends have also been scrapped. Regarding the status, Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries said:

“We’re not really able to cross over because physically, we can’t cross crews due to the fear of exposure to COVID. So if Supergirl weren’t ending this year, I would say there would be more of a possibility. But I’m afraid that at least this year, we’re not going to be able to tap into that dynamic.”

This is just one of many changes The CW has had to adapt to because of COVID-19. Numerous shows had to cut their previous seasons short last year when productions shutdown, including Batwoman. The Flash season 7 had to temporarily stop production due to a positive coronavirus test on set.

The lack of an Arrowverse 2021 crossover is a big loss to both series. Fans will lose out on Superman's first encounter with a new bat vigilante in Gotham. Ryan Wilder has yet to meet any of the wider Arrowverse heroes, so this would have been her first real connection to the bigger universe. The inability of Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) to appear on Batwoman will also leave an unanswered question for many fans. The friendship between Kara and Kate was a highlight for many, with some wondering how Kara would take the news of her friend's disappearance. Viewers will also sadly not know how Kara interacts with Ryan Wilder, and how she feels about someone taking over for her friend. This appears to be a plot thread that will be left open. Yet depending on how Supergirl ends, if Kara makes it out alive there is always next season.

Similar to Avengers: Endgame at Marvel, Crisis on Infinite Earths was a massive crossover event for the Arrowverse, whose future plans were halted and changed due to the coronavirus. With the news of series like Black Lightning and Supergirl ending, and a new show about Wonder Girl getting a green light at The CW when Batwoman and Superman & Lois are able to crossover the Arrowverse will be a very different place. While fans may have to wait for a crossover, the heroes' solo adventures will return soon and hopefully leave them excited for more.

Batwoman season 2 premieres January 17 on The CW. Superman & Lois premieres February 21 on The CW.