The CW superhero shuffle: Making sense of DC TV’s rotating casts

The Waverider is getting a bit crowded if photos from the “Legends of Tomorrow” Season 2 premiere are any indication. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is taking a break from Star City and his mayoral duties on “Arrow” to guest star on the premiere episode.

Given that the official crossover — which will encompass “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Legends of Tomorrow” and “Supergirl” — won’t debut until later in the year though, this may be a bit confusing. After all, it’s hard to know which characters belong on which shows when they keep jumping around, isn’t it?

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Before new seasons of your favorite CW superhero dramas debut, let Zap2it help to break down all of the changes as you get ready to see your favorite heroes and vigilantes save the world.

‘Arrow’

Not a lot changes here, except … chances are you’ll be seeing a lot less of Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman). At the end of Season 4, Barrowman signed a new contract that makes him available to all of the shows, instead of just “Arrow.” Also, while Laurel (Katie Cassidy) died last year, she’ll appear in the Season 5 premiere and, like Barrowman, has a new contract that allows her to jump around to different shows.

So maybe death isn’t as final as we had been led to believe? Regardless, with time travel on the table anything is possible.

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‘The Flash’

Oddly enough, not much changes for “The Flash” this season. Sure, Barry (Grant Gustin) went back in time and completely altered the timeline — and it will be felt on the other shows — but for the most part, the characters are staying exactly where they are. They won’t be the same though. Expect some serious personality changes, a few new speedsters — including Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale) becoming Kid Flash — and yet another version of Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) for Barry and the team to get to know.

‘Supergirl’

Like with “The Flash,” “Supergirl” isn’t changing a lot this season — at least not yet. At current, “Supergirl” is located in a different earth in the multiverse. With a crossover in the fall and a musical crossover later in the season though, chances are that’s going to change.

One major shakeup coming to “Supergirl” is the introduction of the Man of Steel. Tyler Hoechlin will appear as Clark Kent/Superman at the beginning of Season 2, though he won’t be sticking around very long. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t return.

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‘Legends of Tomorrow’

This is where things get a big crazy. Lots of changes are coming to “Legends of Tomorrow.” The Justice Society of America is coming and — perhaps more interestingly — so is the Legion of Doom. The Legion is a collection of very familiar villains who will be causing serious trouble in Season 2.

The group consists of Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), Reverse-Flash (Matt Letscher) and Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller). It’s essentially the worst of the worst baddies from “Arrow,” “The Flash” and “Legends of Tomorrow” banding together to form a very unholy alliance. Be very afraid.

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