5 Things To Know About The ‘Arrow,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Supergirl,’ ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’ Crossover Villain The Dominators

The CW’s DC Comics TV heroes will all team up to defeat the alien race Dominators in the highly anticipated four-way crossover event between “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl” and “Legends of Tomorrow.”

Details about the TV incarnation of the Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are being kept under wraps, but below are five things to know about the alien race based on their appearances in the comics.

1. They have a rigid social system.

Created by Jim Shooter in 1967 for “Adventure Comics” #361, the Dominators live in a strictly segmented society. One’s caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one’s forehead. See a photo of a Dominator below.

2. They have enhanced intellect.

The Dominators have a high level of intelligence. They are adept in science and gadgetry, and that makes them one of the most technologically advanced alien race in the universe.

3. They are master geneticists.

One of the fields of science the Dominators excel in is genetics. In fact, they know how to manipulate their meta-genes to enhance the members of their own caste.

4. They see Earth’s metahumans as threats.

The Dominators believe that the unpredictable evolutionary tendencies of Earth’s metahumans pose a great threat to the state of the universe. In one of their attempts to invade Earth, a Dominator created a Gene Bomb and detonated it in the planet’s atmosphere, affecting many people with the metahuman gene and causing them to lose control of their powers and eventually fall into a coma and die.

5. They created more metahumans on Earth.

A group of heroes unaffected by the Gene Bomb managed to obtain data from the Dominator who created the Gene Bomb. The heroes used the data to reverse the effects of the Gene Bomb and restore most metahumans back to health. Unfortunately, the detonation of the Dominator’s Gene Bomb also created several new metahumans on Earth.

“Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow” executive producer Marc Guggenheim recently shared a few details about how they plan to bring the Dominators to the small screen.

“This year, for our mega ‘Arrowverse’ crossover, we’re taking inspiration from a DC crossover from the late 1980s known as ‘Invasion!’ which featured … the Dominators, who’d previously vexed the Legion of Superheroes,” he said (via Entertainment Weekly). “We’re using cutting edge prosthetics and computer effects to achieve a feature film-quality look which is faithful to ‘Invasion!’ artist Todd McFarlane’s interpretation of the characters.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Smith, who has directed a couple “The Flash” episodes, revealed last week that he had seen the script for the crossover event, and he said that it made him even more excited for the week-long special.

“I’ve seen what they’ve got planned for the massive event, and it f--king RULES!” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s breathtaking in its enormity and will be particularly fun for any long term @dccomics fan like me who has been reading that company’s books for decades. They’re pulling elements from a story that was a favorite of mine back in the day so there are tremendous terms and legendary locations in the crossover script I saw that will make any #dccomics lover fill their Underoos!”

In an interview with IndieWire earlier this month, Greg Berlanti, who is an executive producer for all four shows, confirmed that “‘Supergirl’ will participate [in the crossover event], but the storyline doesn’t actively begin there. There are some characters who show up in her episode, but the story begins with ‘The Flash’ episode and goes to ‘Arrow’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow.’”

“The Flash” Season 3 premieres Tuesday, Oct. 4. “Arrow” Season 5 premieres the following day, Oct. 5. The sophomore run of “Supergirl” premieres Monday, Oct. 10, while “Legends of Tomorrow” Season 2 premieres Thursday, Oct. 13. All four shows air at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.