The upcoming CW Seed series, Freedom Fighters: The Ray, is set on Earth X, an alternate Universe in which the Nazis won during World War 2.

From the creators of #Arrow and #TheFlash, Freedom Fighters: #TheRay premieres this fall on CW Seed! pic.twitter.com/6ckrpTxfOh

— CW Seed (@cwseed) July 23, 2017

The trailer premiered yesterday at Comic Con in San Diego.  The news of it set in an alternate universe comes on the heels of outrage following the announcement of HBO’s Confederate.  Not surprisingly, the tweet announcing the trailer is getting outrage by the fans as animated series tend to be aimed at children.  Even though one of the series’ producers is Jewish, a show set in an alternate universe where the Nazis won World War 2 is still problematic.  I certainly won’t be watching this program.  It was tough enough reading The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon and he’s a member of the tribe.

I reached out to one of the executive producers, Marc Guggenheim, to see if they were the ones that came up with the alternative universe idea.

@cwseed asked. 🙂

— Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) July 23, 2017

In this parallel universe, similar to that of Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, the Nazis rule over the United States.  The Ray leads a group of Freedom Fighters, including Black Condor, Phantom Lady, and Red Tornado.  They take on the Nazis’ evil army of soldiers.  Now here’s where things get worse: in this alternate universe, both the Green Arrow and The Flash are looking to stop the Freedom Fighters.

The series was first announced in the summer of 2016 and is inspired by writer Grant Morrison’s take on the character in DC’s Multiversity series.  In doing so, the Freedom Fighters: The Ray gives us the first gay superhero to lead a series.

Here’s a brief synopsis from the network:

Raymond “Ray” Terrill was a reporter who discovered a group of government scientists working on a secret project to turn light into a weapon of mass destruction. But before he could report on his findings, the project head exposed Ray to a “genetic light bomb.” The bomb failed to kill him and instead gifted Ray with light-based powers. With these abilities, Ray realized he could go beyond reporting on injustice – he could take action to help stop it. Calling himself The Ray, he was recruited by Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters to fight violence and oppression wherever it exists.

Berlanti Productions will produce in association with Warner Bros.’ digital studio Blue Ribbon Content. Greg Berlanti (Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow) and Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) will executive produce.

The Ray made his first appearance in Justice League of America #107 (October 1973).

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