Does Naomi Take Place In The Arrowverse?

The CW has been anchored in large part by its TV shows based on DC Comics properties for about a decade now, beginning with "Arrow" in 2012. The show kicked off what is now known as the Arrowverse, which consists of other series in the same universe such as "The Flash," "Legends of Tomorrow," "Superman & Lois," and "Batwoman," as well as "Supergirl" and "Black Lightning," which recently ended their runs. But new shows are coming in to fill the void, and the latest DC series to enter the fold is "Naomi," hailing from executive producer Ava DuVernay ("When They See Us").

However, with the ever-expanding DC multiverse, fans may have questions in regards to where, precisely, this show fits into the larger scope of things. Does "Naomi" take place within the Arrowverse? We're here to answer that very question as best we can. Let's dig in.

"Naomi" is based on a relatively recent DC Comics title of the same name that debuted in 2019. Here's a detailed synopsis for the show:

"Naomi" follows the journey of a cool, confident, comic book–loving teenager as she pursues her hidden destiny. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, with a little help from her fiercely loyal best friend Annabelle (Mary-Charles Jones). She also has the support of her adoptive, doting parents, veteran military officer Greg (Barry Watson) and linguistics teacher Jennifer (Mouzam Makkar). After an encounter with Zumbado (Cranston Johnson), the mysterious owner of a used car lot, leaves her shaken, Naomi turns to tattoo parlor owner Dee (Alexander Wraith), who becomes her reluctant mentor. While unfolding the mystery about herself, Naomi also effortlessly navigates her high school friendships with kids on the military base as well as well as local townies, including ex-boyfriend and high school jock Nathan (Daniel Puig); Annabelle's longtime, loyal boyfriend Jacob (Aidan Gemme); proud "townie" Anthony (Will Meyers); and fellow comic book enthusiast Lourdes (Camila Moreno), who works in a vintage collectible shop. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.

Kaci Walfall stars in the lead role as Naomi McDuffie. It was created by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell. But with so few issues in publication while the show was being developed, the creators ended up taking a lot of creative liberties and moving far beyond what readers are familiar with in the comics.

To put it bluntly, at least in "Naomi" season 1, there will be absolutely no crossover with the larger Arrowverse. Ava DuVernay confirmed as much during a panel for the Television Critics Association's winter press tour (via Entertainment Weekly):

"In terms of crossovers, we're not thinking about that right now... She's on her own path, and I really think that this is the first part of the Naomi-verse, and that people need to be trying to crossover over here."

So that's pretty clear. DuVernay is holding firm that, for now at least, this show exists in its own little universe and won't have any connective tissue with shows like "Superman & Lois" in the early days. DuVernay did go on to say "we will see what happens" in the future, but she did also double down on her prior comments.

"You won't see any crossovers season 1. That's not there. [Naomi] is firmly in her story and we are singularly focused on that journey."

So the answer to the question of "Naomi" existing in the Arrowverse seems to be a firm no. Then again, it's not so simple as all of that.

Both Marvel and DC are going all-in on the multiverse in a big way, and we've seen that come to fruition with movies like "Spider-Man: No Way Home." With audiences on board, it's a big, brilliant way to say that everything that has ever existed or will exist can suddenly become part of something, but these various versions can also exist in their own corners of the larger multiverse. Multiple Earths and multiple versions of various heroes are out there. This concept was birthed in the comics and has been around for decades, but as far as introducing this idea to the masses, the Arrowverse crossovers are owed a lot of credit.

To that end, the Arrowverse is part of an endless multiverse. That's why Ezra Miller's Flash from Zack Snyder's "Justice League" was able to appear alongside Grant Gustin in "The Flash" series on The CW. That's how Michael Keaton's Batman is going to appear in "The Flash" movie with Ben Affleck's Batman. So while "Naomi" season 1 won't be dealing with the Arrowverse, that door will literally always be open in the future because of the multiverse. Even though we aren't going to see any crossovers just yet, that opportunity is still on the table in the future

"Naomi" airs Tuesdays on The CW, and you can also stream it through Hulu the day after new episodes premiere.