LaMonica Garrett played two of the most powerful characters in the Arrowverse, and the story of how he pulled it off is a reminder that actors sometimes get handed jobs nobody else wants. On “Lioness,” Garrett is Tucker, a Marine and QRF operator on Joe’s team. But before that role, he spent years in the DC Comics television universe playing both sides of a cosmic conflict — The Monitor and his evil twin, the Anti-Monitor — across multiple shows, all at once.
The story begins with quick cameos. Garrett appeared briefly at the ends of episodes of “Supergirl,” “Arrow,” and “The Flash” before his big reveal. Then came the three-part “Elseworlds” event in 2018, where he was officially introduced as Mar Novu, the Monitor.
The Monitor’s Big Debut
The Monitor is a godlike being who watches over countless realities. His job is to ensure balance across the multiverse. The Anti-Monitor, meanwhile, is his mirror image — a villain bent on destroying worlds with anti-matter. Together, they define the biggest crossover event in Arrowverse history.
Garrett’s Monitor was tasked with finding champions who could stand against the Anti-Monitor. That setup led directly into the larger five-part “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover the following season.
From Cameo to Regular
To lock in Garrett’s availability for that massive event, The CW upgraded him to an Arrowverse series regular in 2019. That meant he was credited as main cast for every portion of the “Crisis” crossover — making him the only cast member considered a “series regular” across the majority of Arrowverse programs, minus “Black Lightning.”
The move made sense logistically. Playing both characters required splitting his time between multiple sets, and the crossover’s shooting schedule was already punishing. Garrett had to juggle “Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow” simultaneously, often working late nights after “Arrow” ran over.
The Comic Book Roots
DC Comics fans know the Monitor and Anti-Monitor from the original “Crisis on Infinite Earths” comic book crossover of the mid-’80s. That event became the template for the Arrowverse’s own Crisis event. Garrett consulted DC lore when playing the character.
“I read comic books anyway, so that was good research,” he once told TVLine. That familiarity helped, but the performance challenge remained.
The Dual Role Demands
Playing two antithetical roles on opposite sides of a battle is not easy. Garrett described the difficulty in a conversation with CBR. “It was a challenge, especially on certain days where I do needed to be — like, the days where I was on one set doing both characters was — it was still challenging,” he recalled.
He also noted the scheduling strain. “There were times where, say, I’m on ‘Arrow’ all day, and then I have to be on [‘Legends of Tomorrow’] at night, and ‘Arrow’ ran over.”
After the Crisis
Once the crossover ended, Garrett was written out of the Arrowverse. The Anti-Monitor was defeated, and Mar Novu was killed off — though, according to the crossover’s narrative, before Oliver Queen rewrote reality. The character appeared only once more in an uncredited cameo during the “Arrow” series finale “Fadeout.”
Since then, Garrett has not shown up on any other live-action DC Comics show. Whether he returns remains an open question.
What We Make of It
The whole arrangement reads as a remarkable piece of television logistics. Here is what stands out:
- Garrett played both The Monitor and the Anti-Monitor across multiple Arrowverse shows.
- He was the only cast member considered a “series regular” across the majority of Arrowverse programs for the “Crisis” crossover.
- He juggled “Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow” on the same days.
- He was written out after the finale, with a cameo in the “Arrow” ending.
The Monitor and Anti-Monitor are not small parts. They are central figures in a multiversal story. Having one actor play both sides asks for a level of precision that most performers avoid — the emotional registers are opposite, the stakes are enormous, and the storytelling demands constant context-switching.
Garrett took it on anyway. He did his homework, read the comics, and managed the schedule. The result was a performance that spanned the entire Arrowverse, even if it only lasted a few episodes.
The fact that Garrett pulled it off is the story itself.
For now, Garrett is Tucker on “Lioness.” But the Monitor lives somewhere in his past, and the Anti-Monitor’s defeat means the multiverse has moved on. Whether Garrett gets another call from DC remains to be seen.
Source material: “Lioness Star LaMonica Garrett Played Two Of The Most Powerful Arrowverse Characters,” TVLine.
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