Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has taken its comic-book obsession considerably further, bringing live-action versions of DC’s Jay Garrick and Mr. Freeze into the penultimate episode of its first season.
Season 1, Episode 9 sends Stuart Bloom and his friends into a Gotham City that has somehow become real, turning what could have been another superhero reference into an actual DC crossover. Andy Ridings appears as Jay Garrick, the Golden Age incarnation of The Flash, while Eric Allan Kramer takes on Mr. Freeze.
The sequence leans into the inherent weirdness of putting these particular characters together. Mr. Freeze is overwhelmingly associated with Batman and Gotham, whereas Jay Garrick has an entirely different corner of DC history. Rather than attempting to smooth over that mismatch, the episode makes the questionable comic-book logic part of the joke.
Kramer’s Freeze comes equipped with the expected ice-based weaponry, including frozen projectiles, walls and, less conventionally, a giant icy bowling ball. Ridings’ Flash arrives wearing Jay Garrick’s instantly recognisable winged helmet, keeping the character visually closer to his classic comic-book appearance.
Interestingly, The Flash wasn’t the creators’ first choice.
Episode 9 is titled “Spoiler: We Couldn’t Get Green Lantern”, and co-creator Zak Penn has explained that Green Lantern was originally intended to appear. That plan reportedly collided with HBO’s Lanterns, which meant the character was unavailable for the crossover.
The restriction appears to have worked in the episode’s favour. Penn said The Flash ultimately made more sense for a story involving movement between dimensions, while Jay Garrick’s older and occasionally stranger comic-book history suited the comedy. DC president and publisher Jim Lee also helped develop the interpretations of Flash and Mr. Freeze used by the show.
There is something unusually refreshing about the crossover being allowed to look like a comic book rather than sanding away its more eccentric edges. Jay Garrick’s helmet in particular is exactly the kind of design Hollywood superhero adaptations have historically been tempted to “modernise” beyond recognition.
The cameo also arrives at an interesting moment for DC television. Lanterns occupying Green Lantern apparently affected which characters another production could access, demonstrating how increasingly interconnected rights and character planning can shape even comedic appearances.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe now has just one episode remaining in its first season, with Episode 10 scheduled for September 24. A second season has already been ordered, although Penn has said its writers’ room had not yet begun work. After unexpectedly opening the door to Gotham and DC’s superhero catalogue, the bigger question is whether the series will be allowed to walk through it again.
