# Freedom Fighters: The Ray
**Freedom Fighters: The Ray** is an American animated superhero series produced for [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s digital network CW Seed, centered on [Ray Terrill](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-ray-terrill), a gay [DC Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-comics) superhero with light-based powers who joins the Freedom Fighters against the Nazi regime of Earth-X. It aired as twelve six-minute webisodes in 2017 and 2018 and was later edited into a compilation film released on streaming and Blu-ray on August 28, 2018.[1](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) The CW announced the series in August 2016 as the first show on its digital channel led by a gay superhero, ahead of both Marvel and DC's big-screen film universes.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/aug/11/cw-gay-superhero-freedom-fighters-the-ray)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 12 webisodes of about six minutes each on CW Seed (2017–2018), covering two seasons; compiled into a 72-minute film[1](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray) |
| Film release | Streaming and Blu-ray, August 28, 2018; Warner Bros. Animation; rated NR[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) • [4](https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/freedom-fighters-the-ray-blu-ray-review.3289/) |
| Lead voice | Russell Tovey as The Ray / Ray Terrill[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) |
| Main villain | Overgirl, a Nazi version of Supergirl, voiced by Melissa Benoist[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) • [5](https://comicsworthreading.com/2017/12/13/freedom-fighters-the-ray-now-available-on-cw-seed/) |
| Director | Ethan Spaulding[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) |
| Executive producers | Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Sam Register[6](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/about) |
| IMDb rating | 5.9/10 from about 1,500 user ratings[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5957358/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and story
The series opens on Earth-X, an alternate world in DC's multiverse where the Nazis won World War II. There, a band of heroes called the Freedom Fighters, led by that Earth's Ray, battles the Nazi New Reichsman and their leader, Overgirl.[5](https://comicsworthreading.com/2017/12/13/freedom-fighters-the-ray-now-available-on-cw-seed/) • [8](https://www.tvline.com/news/ray-freedom-fighters-preview-gay-superhero-cw-seed-893472/) After a brutal fight, the Earth-X Ray is sent through a breach to Earth-1 and dies in front of his own doppelganger, transferring his photokinetic energy to that world's Ray Terrill.[6](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/about) • [9](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/freedom-fighters-the-ray-ray-terrill-origin/)
The Earth-1 Ray Terrill, voiced by [Russell Tovey](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-tovey), is a fair housing worker and public interest lawyer who has spent his life fighting injustice and dreaming of making a difference like his older brother, a Marine killed in Afghanistan.[6](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/about) • [1](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray) As he learns to use his new powers, he must also come to terms with his sexual orientation and find the courage to come out to his parents, a storyline the show treats as inseparable from his growth as a hero.[6](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/about) A central plot thread has The Ray tasked with destroying the cortex of a superhero android's brain before the Nazis can retrieve it, since in enemy hands it could identify the Resistance's headquarters, membership, and plans.[1](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray)
### Characters and cast
The Freedom Fighters roster draws on Quality Comics characters later absorbed by DC. The team includes the light-powered Ray (Russell Tovey), the dark-casting, sometimes invisible [Phantom Lady](https://www.edgepedia.org/phantom-lady) (Dilshad Vadsaria), the whirlwind [Red Tornado](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-tornado) ([Iddo Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/iddo-goldberg), who played a different version of the character in the first season of *Supergirl*), the flying Black Condor (Jason Mitchell), and the shrinking Doll Man (Matthew Mercer).[5](https://comicsworthreading.com/2017/12/13/freedom-fighters-the-ray-now-available-on-cw-seed/) • [10](https://dcanimated.com/WF/theray/blureview.php) Overgirl, an evil Nazi Supergirl, is voiced by Melissa Benoist, who also plays Supergirl in the live-action Arrowverse.[5](https://comicsworthreading.com/2017/12/13/freedom-fighters-the-ray-now-available-on-cw-seed/)
The comic-book Freedom Fighters themselves date to the early 1940s, the years of World War II, and the show's Phantom Lady and Black Condor carry deep comics histories: Phantom Lady was originally published by Quality Comics and later given the alter ego [Sandra Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandra-knight), a founding member of the comic-book team, while Black Condor's identities have included Richard Grey Jr., Ryan Kendall, and John Trujillo, the version who appears in this series.[1](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray) • [11](https://www.dc.com/blog/2017/12/15/a-shining-start-to-freedom-fighters-the-ray)
### The Ray's comic origins and the show's twist
In the comics, Raymond "Ray" Terrill is a reporter gifted with light-based powers after exposure to a "genetic light bomb" while working on a story, and he is recruited by [Uncle Sam](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncle-sam) and the Freedom Fighters to fight violence and oppression.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/aug/11/cw-gay-superhero-freedom-fighters-the-ray) The character first appeared in a 1973 issue of *Justice League of America*.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/aug/11/cw-gay-superhero-freedom-fighters-the-ray) The animated series changes this origin: instead of inheriting powers from his father, the original Ray Lanford "Happy" Terrill, the Earth-1 Ray receives them from his dying Earth-X doppelganger, a change that keeps his father alive, a facet the show's writers used in Ray's coming-out story.[9](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/freedom-fighters-the-ray-ray-terrill-origin/)
## Production and release
The series was produced by Blue Ribbon Content and [Warner Bros. Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-animation), with [Greg Berlanti](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-berlanti), Marc Guggenheim, and Sam Register as executive producers.[6](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/about) The first six episodes premiered on CW Seed on December 8, 2017, days after the live-action "[Crisis on Earth-X](https://www.edgepedia.org/crisis-on-earth-x)" Arrowverse crossover introduced The Ray to broadcast viewers.[8](https://www.tvline.com/news/ray-freedom-fighters-preview-gay-superhero-cw-seed-893472/) The compiled film was released on streaming and Blu-ray on August 28, 2018, with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, DTS-HD MA 5.1 English audio, and a single extra, an interview with Russell Tovey.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) • [4](https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/freedom-fighters-the-ray-blu-ray-review.3289/)
## Reception and continuity
Audience measures were middling: the series holds an IMDb rating of 5.9/10 from about 1,500 votes, and the compiled film shows a 38% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter with fewer than 50 ratings and no critic reviews tallied.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5957358/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray) Reviewers praised the animation quality, which one Blu-ray review placed roughly at the level of a DC Universe Animated Original Movie, and Tovey's performance, while criticizing pacing problems that became more apparent when the webisodes were stitched into a single narrative.[12](https://dcanimated.com/the-ray/theray-blureview/theray-blureview/) A Letterboxd reviewer judged the writing more mature than most recent DC animated films and called The Ray's animated origin stronger than those of better-known characters such as [Wonder Woman](https://www.edgepedia.org/wonder-woman) or [The Flash](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-flash).[13](https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/freedom-fighters-the-ray/)
**Continuity with the Arrowverse** is a recurring point of criticism. The series was produced at a different time than the "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover, before that story was fully developed, and the two accounts diverge: in the crossover, the Earth-1 heroes appear not to know Ray, while the animated series shows Arrow and The Flash knowing him both as a hero and as a civilian, and costumes worn by Arrow, The Flash, and Mr. Terrific do not match the crossover-era timeline.[11](https://www.dc.com/blog/2017/12/15/a-shining-start-to-freedom-fighters-the-ray) • [12](https://dcanimated.com/the-ray/theray-blureview/theray-blureview/) Fans and reviewers commonly treat the series as non-canon to the live-action shows for this reason.[12](https://dcanimated.com/the-ray/theray-blureview/theray-blureview/)
## Significance
The series marked the first time DC's animated output was led by a gay character, and Common Sense Media notes that The Ray is described as the first gay superhero in the DC family, a character who was not gay when the comic books first appeared.[12](https://dcanimated.com/the-ray/theray-blureview/theray-blureview/) • [1](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray) The story draws a parallel between hiding a superhero identity and concealing sexual orientation, a metaphor reviewers generally received as well intentioned, though some found its execution heavy-handed.[12](https://dcanimated.com/the-ray/theray-blureview/theray-blureview/) • [4](https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/freedom-fighters-the-ray-blu-ray-review.3289/)
## References
1. [Freedom Fighters: The Ray – Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/freedom-fighters-the-ray)
2. [Freedom Fighters: The Ray, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freedom_fighters_the_ray)
3. [CW introduces first show with a gay superhero – Freedom Fighters: The Ray, The Guardian (11 August 2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/aug/11/cw-gay-superhero-freedom-fighters-the-ray)
4. [Freedom Fighters: The Ray – Blu-ray Review, AV NIRVANA](https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/freedom-fighters-the-ray-blu-ray-review.3289/)
5. [Freedom Fighters: The Ray Now Available on CW Seed, Comics Worth Reading (13 December 2017)](https://comicsworthreading.com/2017/12/13/freedom-fighters-the-ray-now-available-on-cw-seed/)
6. [CW Press | The CW | Freedom Fighters: The Ray | About](https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/shows/freedom-fighters-the-ray/about)
7. [Freedom Fighters: The Ray (TV Series 2017–2018), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5957358/)
8. ['Freedom Fighters: The Ray' Preview: Gay Superhero Series On CW Seed, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/ray-freedom-fighters-preview-gay-superhero-cw-seed-893472/)
9. [How 'Freedom Fighters' Puts a Twist on The Ray's Comic Origin, ComicBook.com (11 December 2017)](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/freedom-fighters-the-ray-ray-terrill-origin/)
10. [The World's Finest – Freedom Fighters: The Ray – Review](https://dcanimated.com/WF/theray/blureview.php)
11. [A Shining Start to Freedom Fighters: The Ray, DC.com (15 December 2017)](https://www.dc.com/blog/2017/12/15/a-shining-start-to-freedom-fighters-the-ray)
12. [Freedom Fighters: The Ray – Blu-ray Review, The World's Finest](https://dcanimated.com/the-ray/theray-blureview/theray-blureview/)
13. ['Freedom Fighters: The Ray' review by Jeff Light, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/freedom-fighters-the-ray/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Comic-book and superhero television series › DC television series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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