Stuart Fails to Save the Universe nearly put Green Lantern at the center of its DC crossover, but another DC series ultimately led the writers in different direction. According to Deadline, the episode, titled “Spoiler: We Couldn’t Get Green Lantern,” sends Stuart, played by Kevin Sussman (The Big Bang Theory, Ugly Betty), and his friends inside a comic book. There, Mr. Freeze terrorizes Gotham City, forcing the group to search for the Golden Age Flash to help them escape the dimension.
Series co-creator Zak Penn (Ready Player One, Free Guy) told Deadline that the writers originally wanted Green Lantern. However, they were told the character was unavailable because of HBO’s live-action Lanterns series.
Penn said fellow creators Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory, The Muppets) eventually agreed that Flash worked even better for a story involving characters moving between dimensions.
The Golden Age Flash also gave the writers a chance to embrace the stranger parts of comic book history. Penn explained that the team intentionally played with details that do not make much sense when examined too closely, including the geography of Gotham City and why the characters would seek Flash’s help with a Batman villain.
That approach extended to the show’s version of the larger DC universe. Penn said traditional superhero projects often require filmmakers to carefully maintain the rules of their fictional worlds. The show, however, can deliberately break those rules and have its characters point out when the multiverse does not work as expected.
Director Robbie McNeill (Star Trek: Voyager, Resident Alien) also helped bring a comic book look to the episode. Penn credited McNeill with adding visual touches such as frames that resemble comic panels, something he felt worked because of the comedy’s particular style.
The writers also worked closely with DC’s Jim Lee while developing the characters appearing in the episode. Lee previously teased the collaboration at San Diego Comic-Con, where he praised the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe team’s interpretations of several DC characters.
The DC universe could also return to Stuart Fails To Save The Universe in the future. The series has already been renewed for season two ahead of the season one finale.
Although the writers’ room had not yet started work when Penn spoke with Deadline, he said he “would be shocked” if the team did not return to DC material in future episodes.