What is The Flash season 8 “Armageddon” crossover about?

The Flash season 8 will speed onto The CW with a five episode crossover event called “Armageddon” on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

Fans of the Arrowverse have grown accustom to these big world colliding events that bring the universe’s heroes together often to stop the world as they know it from ending.

This year, however, will be less grand in scale in comparison to previous crossovers due to the pandemic but fans are in for quite the harrowing adventure with Team Flash and the rest of the heroic line-up.

Here’s what we know about “Armageddon.”

The Flash season 8 “Armageddon” synopsis

The synopsis for Part 1 of the event via comicbook.com:

"PART ONE OF THE ARMAGEDDON FIVE EPISODE EVENT – When a powerful alien threat arrives on Earth under mysterious circumstances, Barry (Grant Gustin), Iris (Candice Patton) and the rest of Team Flash are pushed to their limits in a desperate battle to save the world. But with time running out and the fate of humanity at stake, Flash and his companions will also need to enlist the help of some old friends if the forces of good are to prevail. Brandon Routh guest stars."

The powerful alien that Barry is set to clash with is named, Despero. His arrival will put Earth on a course for destruction which means Team Flash are going to need the help of other heroes to successfully bring him down.

“Armageddon” will feature The Atom, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Mia Smoak’s Green Arrow, Ryan Choi, and Sentinel throughout its five episode run. However, the team-ups fans have become accustom to will have a different feel to them this year.

Showrunner Eric Wallace and The Flash writers room were inspired by the Arrowverse’s first crossover, “Flash vs. Arrow.” The event, while special, had more of an emotional arc than the grandiose premises that fans have grown accustom to that often sweep the characters up into a story that leaves very little room for interaction and exploring character dynamics.

Wallace told Entertainment Weekly:

"[Flash vs. Arrow was] just two dudes. It’s Flash plus blank, and that became the new template. It might be five episodes, but every adventure that happens along the journey to stop Armageddon should be ‘Flash plus blank. In ‘Flash vs. Arrow,’ you have whole scenes of Barry and Oliver [getting] to spend time together not in costume, just communicating, talking, getting their emotions out, having a beer together — things that you never have time for in a crossover, except for at the very end in the coda."

Given the structure of the crossover, as described by Wallace, “Armageddon” is set to be an Arrowverse event that takes into account how the heroes see one another. How they see their teams, their place as heroes, and what it means to be one of the people standing in the way of the planet’s demise.

Though it should be noted that this isn’t a crossover that only plays slightly into what’s going to happen in the rest of season 8. “Armageddon Part 1” is the premiere episode of The Flash‘s new season. The storylines set-up in the crossover will be expanded upon after it concludes.

So, while Iris’ time sickness won’t be a factor in the event, perhaps her confirmed scenes with Mia Smoak and, potentially a scene or two with Ryan Wilder (fingers crossed), will explore where the iconic reporter goes next in her story in spite of the real peril her life is in.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more The Flash season 8 “Armageddon” news and coverage. For a deeper dive into the Arrowverse and the comic book source material, check out our sister site Bam Smack Pow!