Batwoman — “Pilot” — Image Number: BWN101e_0193.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Ruby Rose as Kate Kane and Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox — Photo: Kimberley French/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The Arrowverse has already introduced viewers to plenty of DC Comics’ most famous characters, but there are a ton of beloved heroes and villains such as Batman and his rogues who have yet to appear.
The Arrowverse has been tearing up the small screen for nearly seven years now.
What originally started out with just Arrow soon grew into a something much bigger, leading to spin-offs The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and the soon-to-arrive Batwoman.
During their time on our screens, these TV shows have introduced us to memorable live-action versions of some of DC Comics’ most iconic characters, as various heroes and villains joined the titular heroes of each respective show.
That being said, there are still a ton of beloved comic book characters yet to make their presence felt on the Arrowverse – including its most famous hero, Batman.
Thus, with Batwoman officially set to make her full-time introduction in the form of her own series, it’s possible that this could open up the universe to a ton of Gotham City regulars (and perhaps even other members of the Bat-Family).
With that in mind, let’s take this opportunity to look through the DC Comics archives and delve into some of the characters who should definitely show up in the Arrowverse going forward.
Photo: Batman & Robin / Warner Bros. Studios Image Courtesy Fathom Events Press
10. Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze has been a fixture of DC Comics for 60 years. One of Batman’s most underappreciated villains, he received a major upgrade in 1992 when the classic Batman: The Animated Series re-imagined the cartoonish character as a tragic man by the name of Victor Fries who simply wanted to save his ill wife, Nora. And therein lies the connection to the Arrowverse.
If you recall, during last season’s Elseworlds crossover, Nora Fries made her Arrowverse debut when she showed up in Arkham Asylum (portrayed by Stephen Amell’s wife Cassandra Jean) and used Mr. Freeze’s ice gun on Killer Frost.
A stark contrast to the version we met in Batman: The Animated Series (and the subsequent comic books), Nora is usually, like her husband, a more sympathetic character. But that certainly wasn’t the case here.
Now, you can’t just go and incorporate such a major link to an iconic character like Mr. Freeze and rewrite her story without informing the viewers as to what she’s actually up to. Why is she the one in Arkham? Is she even married to Victor yet?
So many questions were posed by Nora’s cameo and, it seems like, in order to get some answers, we need the man himself to show up.
The Arrowverse is renowned for its ability to deliver both heart-wrenching and heartfelt storylines, so it would be nice to see it adapt the tragic love story between Victor and Nora Fries and, in the process, introduce us to its version of the iconic Batman villain.
He was referenced by Dr. Thomas Snow last season on The Flash, so could we finally see him make an appearance next season? That’d be cool, right?
Okay, no more ice puns.
Photo Credit: Wonder Woman/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc Image Acquired from DC Entertainment PR
9. Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot may be gearing up to bring Diana Prince back to the big screen in next year’s Wonder Woman 1984, but that doesn’t mean that the character couldn’t make an appearance on the small screen too.
After all, Ezra Miller’s Flash showed up in the DCEU long after Grant Gustin’s version was tearing up his own TV show, so if we learned anything from that (and the introduction of Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman into Supergirl), it’s that, yes, there are times when the DCEU and the Arrowverse can have their own respective versions of the same superhero.
The Amazonian Princess is one of the most instantly recognizable superheroes of all time (not-to-mention one of the almighty DC trinity) so, it’s imperative that DC’s most successful shared universe find a way to include her – and when you really think about it, it wouldn’t be all that hard.
While never actually appearing on-screen, Wonder Woman has been indirectly referenced on a number of occasions across multiple Arrowverse shows.
During The Flash‘s third season, Barry entered A.R.G.U.S.’ prison and passed the cell of an entity known as Cheetah (who, in the comics, is Wonder Woman’s archenemy), while in the third season of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Zari dropped Helen Of Troy off on Themyscira where she was subsequently trained by the Amazons.
With Superman already a part of the Arrowverse, and Batman’s existence confirmed, it would make sense to round out the trilogy by having Wonder Woman make her debut. The groundwork has already been laid, all that’s left to do is officially introduce her.
Could you imagine how awesome a Wonder Woman and Supergirl team up would be?
GOTHAM: L-R: Erin Richards, Cory Michael Smith and guest star Lili Simmons in the “The Beginning…” series finale episode of GOTHAM airing Thursday, April 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2019 Fox Media LLC Cr: FOX
8. The Riddler
Another of Batman’s greatest rogues, The Riddler has been attempting to outwit some of DC’s greatest superheroes for over 70 years, and he’s no stranger to doing so on both the big and small screens. With that in mind, an Arrowverse debut is long overdue.
Over the years, we have learned from his countless appearances in comic books, video games and film/TV adaptations that there are essentially two versions of the character.
One is a unnervingly twisted mastermind, compelled to use his knowledge to torture those around him. Of course, that iteration would undoubtedly thrive on darker shows like Batwoman and Arrow (which has quite the history with Batman villains).
The other, however, is a mildly campy over-the-top whimsical jester who loves the thrill of confounding his targets. Now that version would more than likely be at home on The Flash, Supergirl or Legends of Tomorrow.
It hasn’t even been that long since we last saw Edward Nygma on TV, as the character was a mainstay in Fox’s Gotham, appearing in all five seasons where he was portrayed by Cory Michael Smith.
Given that the Arrowverse utilizes the multiverse, and that this season centres on the long-awaited Crisis, the creative team could always throw in the ultimate Easter Egg and just cast Smith as the character once again. Not only would this introduce The Riddler into the Arrowverse madness, it would finally allow fans of both it and Gotham to enjoy the crossover they always wanted to see.
KRYPTON — “Light-Years From Home” Episode 201 — Pictured: Blake Ritson as Brainiac — (Photo by: Steffan Hill/SYFY)
7. Brainiac
Given that Supergirl recently featured the Arrowverse debut of Superman’s greatest enemy Lex Luthor (something that, at one point in time, seemed unlikely), there is a strong possibility that we could see a few more of the Man of Steel’s deadliest foes make their presence felt in the future.
One of the most exciting possibilities is none other than the artificial intelligence system known as Brainiac. A long-time nemesis of Superman, the character was first introduced into the comics back in 1958 and, in some adaptations, has even been responsible for the destruction of Krypton itself (which we saw come to life in Superman: The Animated Series).
Though the character has recently appeared on non-Arrowverse series Krypton, that doesn’t automatically rule out an appearance in Supergirl. After all, it’s not like he hasn’t been referred to before.
The show’s third season saw the arrival of the Legion of Superheroes and, more importantly, Brainiac-5. A 12th-level intellect, the newcomer was a descendent of Brainiac and even referred to his distant relative as “the evil one”.
Given that Mon-El and Winn Schott travelled to the 31st century to stop a plague designed by Brainiac to destroy every A.I., and the fact that the man behind Winn (actor Jeremy Jordan) is due to return sometime next season, it seems like now would be the perfect time to finally allow Brainiac to enter the Arrowverse fray.
Brainiac vs. Brainiac-5, anyone?
Photo Credit: Batman Beyond/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc Image Acquired from DC Entertainment PR
6. Batman Beyond
It’s understandable that the introduction of Batwoman has increased speculation that we might, at some point, see the long-awaited arrival of Batman, but there is perhaps an even greater chance that we could see a, well, different version of The Dark Knight show up in the Arrowverse – and that is Batman Beyond.
A creation of the legendary DC Animated Universe, Terry McGinnis took over the mantle from a retired Bruce Wayne in the 1999 animated series Batman Beyond (or Batman Of The Future as it was known internationally). Like many of the DCAU’s original creations, it wasn’t long before he was adopted into the comic canon, becoming a fully fledged comic book character in his own right.
Like with Batman himself, it was hard to imagine that there would ever be a right time to introduce Terry, simply because it would have outright confirmed the existence of The Dark Knight. But with Batwoman having already done that, Terry now stands more of a chance of showing up on an Arrowverse show than ever.
As for what show he could feature on, the likely answer is DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The Legends are known for traveling through time to solve any caper they come across, so that would make it incredibly easy for the writers to introduce Batman Beyond for a single episodic arc without giving away too much about the original Dark Knight.
More than that, it would allow us to visit Terry (instead of having him turn up in the present to visit someone else) and give us the chance to see a live-action version of the futuristic New Gotham in the process.
Booster Gold in Heroes in Crisis No. 2 (Credit: DC Comics)
5. Booster Gold
Much like Batman Beyond, Booster Gold’s name has continued to pop up as a potential arrival ever since the Arrowverse introduced time travel as a concept. The reason for this, of course, is down to the fact that in the comics, the character actually travels from the future to the present.
Originating in 25th Century Gotham City, Michael Jon Carter’s football career takes a nosedive when his crooked father convinces him to lose multiple games so that he can make some money off him through gambling.
After learning about the legendary DC heroes of the past, he ends up travelling back through time and, in doing so, becomes the superhero known as Booster Gold.
A brash, cocky and arrogant individual, Booster is known for being fame-hungry and, as a result, tends to rub up other members of the Justice League the wrong way. Naturally, that sets the stage for some much-needed character development and, eventually, he understands what it really means to be a hero.
Now, call us crazy, but Booster Gold sounds like someone who might find himself quite at home aboard the Waverider. An eccentric time-traveler who clashes with teammates? Sounds a bit like an outcast, maybe even a misfit – in fact, he sounds like a Legend.
Fans have been clamoring to see Booster appear in the Arrowverse for quite some time now and, given that the first few seasons of Legends of Tomorrow focused rather-heavily on Rip Hunter – the son of Booster Gold in the comics – it’s rather surprising that it hasn’t taken place yet.
That being said, it’s never too late to make it happen. Let’s just hope that it does because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t take a Time Master to see that both he and the show would thrive from his inclusion.
Credit: DC Comics and Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona and Tomeu Morey for Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1
4. Hal Jordan
Ever since Arrow made its debut, fans have wondered if we’d ever see the show add Hal Jordan to its line-up – and no, it wasn’t because both characters had a penchant for emerald.
Jordan is, of course, best known as the second Green Lantern, who made his debut during the iconic Silver Age and, believe it or not, he and Green Arrow actually headlined their own surprisingly socially relevant comic book series in 1970s.
Thus, when you throw in the fact that the infamous Green Lantern movie (which actually involved Arrow showrunners Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim) was released just a year before the Emerald Archer’s TV series hit our screens, it’s easy to see why fans were curious if the pair would ever unite on the latter.
Though it has yet to happen, the Arrowverse shows have made several references to the character through various Easter Eggs, many of which mentioned Coast City and Ferris Air by name.
During an episode of Arrow‘s third season, Oliver found himself in a Coast City bar where the camera quickly panned across a figure wearing a pilot’s jacket – a jacket with a name-badge that read “Jordan”.
The Flash‘s second season would take that one step further, as the Scarlet Speedster even referenced how one of Ferris Air’s test pilots went missing – a direct reference to Jordan and his apparent departure for the Green Lantern Corps planet Oa.
While we all love a good reference, the Arrowverse has simply made far too many for the writers not to follow through on Jordan’s introduction. At this stage, anything other than the Green Lantern himself would be a disappointment.
Then again, there’s always another Green Lantern they could turn to…
Arrow — “Living Proof” — Image Number: AR721a_0536r.jpg — Pictured: David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan — Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
3. John Stewart
When rumors of Green Lantern’s arrival began spreading during Arrow‘s early years, fans theorized that Hal Jordan may not be the most likely of the Lanterns to make his presence felt, with some even speculating that Arrow staple John Diggle could actually be a pre-Lantern version of John Stewart (and that “Diggle” was actually his middle name instead).
The fourth Green Lantern, Stewart was introduced to the comics in the 1970s as a backup Lantern for Hal Jordan (as the current backup Lantern, Guy Gardner, was in a coma). He then went on to make an unforgettable impact and, as a result, it was his version that ended up appearing in the legendary Justice League animated series.
When the John Diggle Stewart theory was disproved, the introduction of the multiverse over on The Flash had many hoping that we’d see an alternate version of Diggle (one from another Earth) show up as the intergalactic warrior. While that has also yet to happen, the Elseworlds crossover confirmed that it is a possibility.
When Earth-90 Flash (John Wesley Shipp) appeared at A.R.G.U.S., he instantly recognised John and pondered over the fact that he wasn’t wearing his ring, concluding that “things must be different here”.
That was all the confirmation that we needed. Yes, there is a version of John Diggle Stewart out there and, with Arrow set to bow out in a multiverse-heavy final season, it’s time that follows through on this huge tease and brings the Green Lantern to the Crisis.
Photo Credit: Young Justice: Outsiders/DC Universe Image Acquired from Warner Bros. Television Press Site
2. Bart Allen
Over the years, The Flash has introduced us to an array of DC’s most iconic speedsters.
From heroes like Barry Allen and Wally West to villains like Reverse-Flash and Savitar, Central City has seen more than its fair-share of super-powered runners. That said, there is one equally famous character who has yet to make his presence felt on the show – and that is none other than Bart Allen.
The grandson of Barry, Bart was introduced into DC Comics in the mid ’90s as the speedster known as Impulse. He would then go on to work his way up through the ranks, taking over the Kid Flash mantle before, finally, becoming the fourth Flash.
It might sound ludicrous to introduce us to Barry and Iris’ own grandson when the pair haven’t even had children yet, but it’s worth bearing in mind that this is a show that relies heavily on time travel and even introduced the pair’s daughter, Nora West-Allen, who travelled from the future to see her father.
With that in mind, what’s to stop Bart from doing the same to meet his grandparents? In fact, that’s exactly what the character does in the comics – arriving from the 30th century.
Given that the creative team used the narrative for Nora last season, The Flash may want to steer clear of time-traveling children for the time being, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t see the high-energy Impulse speeding around the streets of Central City some day.
We’ve seen Barry Allen, Jay Garrick and Wally West grace our screens over the last three years, now it’s time for the fourth Flash to make his presence felt.
Credit DC Comics
1. Batman
Of course he was going to be at the top of this list.
The Dark Knight is, without a doubt, the most iconic superhero in DC Comics history and, for that matter, may just be the most instantly recognizable superhero of all time. So it’s hardly surprising that DC fans have spent the past seven years wondering if he exists in the Arrowverse and when, if ever, he’s going to make his debut.
While he has yet to actually appear, the Arrowverse shows have alluded to the existence of Batman on more than one occasion, with Oliver Queen confirming that Bruce Wayne and Gotham City exist in the present day while Rip Hunter confirmed the existence of “a Dark Knight” in the future.
Even Supergirl referred to the Earth-38 version of the Caped Crusader when she mentioned that her cousin (Superman) once worked with a vigilante with “tons of gadgets” and “lots of demons”.
However, Batman’s existence was finally confirmed last season during the Elseworlds crossover, in which it was revealed that he had been gone for three years and, in his absence, Batwoman had risen to protect Gotham from evil.
With his successor now receiving her own show, it’s likely that his disappearance will have a major part to play in Kate Kane’s story. Thus, it’s imperative that he shows up at some point.
Fans have wanted to see The Dark Knight make his presence felt on the Arrowverse for years now, and with Arrow about to bow out and Batwoman about to land, now seems like the perfect time to make it happen.
Smallville veteran Tom Welling is set to appear in Arrow‘s final season in a mystery role, so who knows, maybe he would make a great Bruce Wayne?
Which DC Comics characters would you like to see appear in the Arrowverse? Do you hope that Batman makes his presence felt at some point? Let us know in the comments below!