Here's Who's Playing Spectre In Arrowverse's Crisis On Infinite Earths Crossover
The CW's next big Arrowverse crossover has cast yet another iconic DC character.
Canadian actor Stephen Lobo has been cast as Jim Corrigan, the human host of the divine "Spirit of Vengeance" known as the Spectre in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths event. The character played a key role in the comics crossover of the same name. (via IGN)
Corrigan joins a cast that has recently ballooned with DC actors past and present. Since Crisis on Infinite Earths deals with a grave threat posed to the entire DC multiverse by the Anti-Monitor, the CW has ramped up the fan service by reaching back into the DC television's past to bring back versions of characters which will be interacting with the denizens of the Arrowverse for the first time.
Confirmed to be appearing so far are: Smallville's version of Clark Kent/Superman (Tom Welling); that universe's Lois Lane (Erica Durance); Huntress from the short-lived 2002 series Birds of Prey (Ashley Scott); Jonah Hex from Legends of Tomorrow (Jonathon Schaech); an alternate version of Superman portrayed by Brandon Routh (although not the version he played in the 2006 feature Superman Returns); and the great Kevin Conroy, who has voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in animated series and video games for decades, and will get a chance to play the character in live-action for the first time. Also slated to appear: none other than Burt Ward, who played Dick Grayson/Robin in the '60s Batman TV series. It's assumed, although not confirmed, that he will be portraying some version of that character. (We would pay good money to hear Ward blurt out, "Holy crisis on infinite Earths, Batman!" to Conroy.)
A number of Arrowverse supporting players will also be involved, including: John Wesley Shipp (who reprised his role as the version of the Flash from the '90s TV series in last year's Elseworlds crossover) Lamonica Garrett (who will be reprising his dual Elseworlds roles as the Monitor and Anti-Monitor), Cress Williams (who will appear as Black Lightning, finally forging a connection between his titular series and the rest of the CW's DC offerings), Tyler Hoechlin (who will return as Superman), and Jon Cryer (whose Lex Luthor was apparently resurrected by the Anti-Monitor after being killed during the events of Supergirl's fourth season).
Of course, all of the principal Arrowverse players will also be appearing, including Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow; Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash; Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl; and Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman.
Who is the Spectre?
The Spectre is a timeless cosmic entity, the avatar of God's vengeance on Earth. In order for it to dole out divine vengeance in a just and appropriate manner, it must be imbued with a conscience, and the only way this can happen is for it to be permanently bonded with a human host.
The host most commonly associated with the Spectre is Corrigan, a police detective who was selected after he was murdered in the line of duty — although he is not the only character to act as the Spectre's vessel. Most notably, fallen Green Lantern Hal Jordan once became host to the entity as a form of penance during the 1999-2000 Day of Judgment event, and Gotham City cop Crispus Allen became the Spectre of DC's New Earth after being murdered by, of all people, Corrigan, who was a crooked cop in that universe.
Whosoever hosts the entity becomes, to put it mildly, insanely powerful. The Spectre is considered to be one of the most formidable characters in all of DC lore; his physical strength has no upper limit, he's immune to all but the most powerful magical attacks, and he can manipulate time, space and matter at will.
In the 1985-1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, the Spectre is the one who unites all of Earth's heroes and villains against the Anti-Monitor, who plans to destroy the entire multiverse. The villain very nearly succeeds, with only five Earths surviving his onslught; the series' climactic merging of these five Earths into one is the work of the Spectre, who accomplishes the feat by creating a burst of energy powerful enough to splinter time and space. So... yeah, he's pretty hardcore.
Where have we seen Stephen Lobo before?
If Lobo's mug looks a bit familiar, then you may be a fan of the excellent Canadian sci-fi series Continuum, which aired on the Showcase network between 2012 and 2015 and is currently available for streaming on Netflix. Lobo was part of the series' main cast, appearing in all 42 episodes as former freedom fighter and time traveler Matthew Kellog.
Lobo has also guested on the CW's Supernatural, and recurred on the crazy sci-fi series Painkiller Jane and on Smallville as Randall Brady, an editor for the Daily Planet. He's popped up in features like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Camera Shy, and you'll be able to catch him in a major role on the TNT original series Snowpiercer, which is based on the 2013 film of the same name and is set to debut next year.
Although it hasn't been officially confirmed that Lobo's Corrigan will actually become the Spectre during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, it seems like a no-brainer given the character's importance to the crossover's comics inspiration. Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow executive producer Mark Guggenheim teased fans with the probability of the vengeful entity's appearance in a statement following the announcement of Lobo's casting. "Fans of the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic know the Spectre plays a pivotal role," he said. "We're thrilled Stephen is our Jim Corrigan."
The big crossover kicks off with an episode of Supergirl which will air on Sunday, December 8. It'll continue with Batwoman on Monday, December 9, and The Flash on Tuesday, December 10; after the winter break, the story will conclude on Tuesday, January 14, with episodes of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. We'll keep our eyes peeled for additional casting news, and we'll be sure to keep you informed.