This fall, a bunch of your favorite DC superheroes will be returning to The CW’s live-action line-up, but an animated newcomer should also be on your radar.Freedom Fighters: The Raywill arrive on CW Seed this fall, showcasing the light-manipulating meta-human teaming up with a new set of heroes in order to take down the villainous Reichsman. You can just go ahead and read between the lines there: The Ray will be fighting Nazis!
Executive producerMarc Guggenheim, part of the brain trust behind The CW’s excellent superhero series, is anxious for fans to meet this new hero. It’ll be thefirst time that a gay superhero takes the leadin a show, so it’s already got that milestone going for it. Guggenheim alsopreviously teasedthat his writing team had “a couple of ideas that, if they come to fruition, you’ll see some of these Arrowverse characters in ways you never saw them before.” He wasn’t kidding.
Before we get to his reveal, check out this excellent teaser trailer to get a glimpse of the level of action and drama you can expect inFreedom Fighters: The Ray:
Guggenheim recently chatted withTV LineaboutFreedom Fighters: The Ray. For starters, here’s his explanation for the title:
“It’s calledFreedom Fighters: The Rayfor a very specific reason, which is we knew we wanted to establish the Freedom Fighters and Earth-X. InMultiversity, Grant Morrison came up with an idea we really responded to: The Freedom Fighters are made up of various minorities targeted by Nazis—women, gay men, Jews. We wanted to honor that idea. At the same time, it’s an origin story about the Earth-1 iteration of The Ray.”
Ultimately, it’s “a classic story about a normal guy who gets superpowers, with all the complications and wish fulfillment that entails,” like a not-so-easy-breezy romance for example. “[I[n true superheroic fashion, his obligations are a complication for his love life.”
Also complicating factors are the Reichsman, which includesMelissa Benoist(Supergirl) as a guest star playing Overgirl, the Earth-X version of a Nazi-fied Supergirl. Guggenheim said of Benoist, “Melissa is so sweet, and so is her interpretation of Supergirl. It was fun to hear her voice records and see she’s capable of a darkness. I think she really enjoyed playing the bad guy for a bit!”
Other supervillains include evil Nazi counterparts of The Flash and Green Arrow, but Cisco, Mr. Terrific and Vixen will also be in the mix to help even the odds. I’m excited to see how it all plays out and Guggenheim is ready to share it with the world:
What’s been fun about the CW Seed series is, with each one, we’ve learned something new and been able to apply it to the next one. SoVixenSeason 2 is better than Season 1. AndThe Rayis stronger thanVixenSeason 2. I’m thrilled with the way things are shaping up.
