The Flash Season 7 Introduces An Interstellar Relief Force

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Flash season 7, episode 12, “Good-Bye Vibrations.”

The latest episode of The Flash established the existence of the Cosmic Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) in the Arrowverse. Appearing in only a single issue of the Green Lantern comic in 2003, CEMA is one of DC Comics’ most obscure organizations. However, its unique niche makes it an ideal introduction into the Arrowverse at this time.

CEMA was mentioned early on in The Flash episode “Good-Bye Vibrations,” as Cisco Ramon informed the rest of Team Flash that he was leaving his position at STAR Labs to lead the Science and Technology department of ARGUS. Apparently, Cisco had been recommended as an ideal candidate for the position by both Lyla Michaels and John Diggle. Cisco also explained that the position was now open because the previous director, Chip Cooper, had been reassigned to a position at CEMA. Cisco then commented that he really was the biggest nerd on the team, as nobody else had heard of CEMA before he mentioned it.

This was likely a knowing and cheeky nod to the comics; CEMA has only appeared once, in Green Lantern Vol. 3 #166 and even longtime comic book readers may never have heard of it. The comic established CEMA as a disaster relief organization, presumably comparable to the United States’ FEMA, made up of aliens from thousands of sentient worlds. Their duties were primarily focused on helping the survivors of planet-eating monsters rather than averting disasters or punishing criminals. This caused CEMA to butt heads with the Green Lantern Corps, which was more concerned with law enforcement than taking care of refugees.

Given how little has been written about CEMA in the comics, they could easily be adapted to meet multiple needs in the Arrowverse. The organization could show up in Legends of Tomorrow, whose season 6 storyline has centered around various cosmic threats born of alien magic. While it might seem redundant to bring another law enforcement agency into the series after they already eliminated the similarly bureaucratic Federal Time Bureau following Legends of Tomorrow season 4, the Legends have always been at their best when they had a rival to work against and CEMA might provide the perfect foil for them.

Another possibility is that CEMA could become the Arrowverse version of S.W.O.R.D., an organization of humans and alien allies from Marvel Comics and the MCU tasked with protecting Earth from alien threats. This could act as an avenue for introducing alien heroes and characters into The Flash after Supergirl comes to a close later this year. Such an organization could easily fill the hole left behind by the DEO after its destruction at the end of Supergirl season 5.

About The Author

Matt Morrison
(1839 Articles Published)

See also  Red Dead Redemption 2 Is Now Being Used To Host Work Meetings

Matt Morrison has been writing about comics since before the word
“blogging” was coined. He got his start writing for the
legendary DC Comics digital fanzine Fanzing,
before receiving his own column, The Mount. Since then he has gone on
to write for over a dozen websites, including 411
Mania, Comics
Nexus and The Cult of Nobody. He holds both an MS in Information
Science from the University of North Texas and a BFA from the
University of Texas at Arlington. Known as a font of comic book
history trivia, he has delivered lectures on the history of American
Comic Books, Japanese Manga, Doctor Who, and Cosplay at over a dozen conventions
and served as an Expert In-Residence for a course on Graphic Novels
for Librarians at the University of North Texas. In addition to his
work for Screen Rant, Matt is currently the Editor In Chief of
Kabooooom.com and writes reviews for No
Flying, No Tights – a graphic literature and anime review site
aimed at teachers and librarians. He also maintains a personal blog –
My Geeky Geeky Ways –
which hosts his extensive episode guide for the television series
making up The Arrowverse as well as his
comedic Let’s Play videos. What little spare time he has is
devoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. You
can follow his adventures on Twitter, @GeekyGeekyWays.

More From Matt Morrison