The Arrowverse made us feel many things throughout its 11-year run. What are some of the things that need to be said?
The Arrowverse was a force-to-be-reckoned with in its decade of existence. A feat that may never be replicated, it put together an incredibly intricate and complex shared universe full of legendary DC Comics heroes and villains, pushing the boundaries of what network television should have been able to accomplish.
What started as a show about the Green Arrow evolved into a cinematic spectacle far beyond what viewers were used to on the small screen, as Arrow eventually crossed over with its own spinoff shows The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Black Lightning. DC heroes teamed up to battle all kinds of world-ending threats in annual crossovers, while also battling their own baddies in their own respective seasons.
The CW’s decision to end it in 2023 was an unfortunate result of changes in direction at both the network and Warner Bros. Discovery, but there is no denying how it once had the world hooked as the premier format of superhero television. Not everyone loved it, but everyone was talking about the Arrowverse.
On that note, there are a lot of those strong opinions that weren’t talked about enough. Some hidden truths that should be hidden no longer. So, with that, let’s dive into some of the things that nobody wants to admit about the Arrowverse, and discuss why we need to talk about them more.
The Arrowverse was better than the DCEU
There is a sad irony in the fact that Warner Bros.’ desperation to create a shared universe of DC heroes on the big screen often resulted in it overlooking the Arrowverse, because the truth is that The CW’s attempt at it was far superior to its cinematic counterpart.
The DCEU rushed into its storyline, hoping to craft a world like the Marvel Cinematic Universe without playing the long game that Marvel Studios did, so you had Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice come along before The Dark Knight got his solo movie, and Justice League before any of that group of heroes (outside of Wonder Woman and Superman) got their chance to shine.
The Arrowverse on the other hand allowed every single of its primary heroes to shine, taking years to craft stories for them on seasons of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow before crossing them all over for the first time in Invasion!. Here we had a rich world full of unique and interesting characters, fleshed out by seasons worth of stories, before we all tuned in in awe to see them team up.
This was everything Justice League should have been. It was everything the DCEU should have been. And that is why the Arrowverse was (and always will be) superior to it.
It’s about time we all acknowledged that this is DC’s greatest shared universe.
Crisis On Infinite Earths feels redundant now
Crisis On Infinite Earths was an insane time to be alive for Arrowverse fans. Not only was it the live-action adaptation of one of DC Comics’ most iconic storylines, it was the Avengers: Endgame of the Arrowverse.
This was supposed to be the original endpoint for The Flash, but with Arrow ending sooner than expected, it was fast-tracked, with timeline antics on the former explaining why it moved from 2024 to 2019. Instead of acting as an endgame, however, it acted as a rebirth for the Arrowverse. Oliver Queen died to save the multiverse, birthing a new one in the process.
Among the changes were the decision to finally merge Supergirl‘s Earth-38 and Black Lightning‘s unknown Earth with the rest of the shows on Earth-1, forming Earth-Prime. But that was quickly rendered meaningless when Black Lightning ended later that year and Supergirl ended the year after that. Moreover, it was done to create opportunity for more crossovers, which also didn’t happen because of the pandemic.
We also got the establishment of Earth-Prime’s Justice League. That was so darn exciting, but it would also be the last time we saw all of those heroes together (not-to-mention the fact that it was rendered moot by the ending of two shows, cancellation of two others, and Ruby Rose’s departure as Batwoman). And the Crisis-inspired changes to Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s children (we’ll get to that shortly) was also rendered redundant when it was subsequently revealed that Superman and Lois takes place on a different earth with different versions of those characters.
The further we move away from Crisis On Infinite Earths, the more it ages poorly. And considering it’s such an epic spectacle to behold, that’s a darn shame.
Superman and Lois was originally supposed to be part of the Arrowverse
Arrowverse fans were heartbroken when the Superman and Lois season 2 finale confirmed that the show took place on its own earth. Not only was it a very late-in-the-game revelation, but it meant that the versions of the Man of Steel and Lois Lane that Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch were playing weren’t actually the same versions they played on Supergirl.
Arrowverse naysayers may like to say the show wanted to distance itself from the Arrowverse, but that wasn’t the case at all. Heck, it was even suggested that this was the plan from the beginning of the show since it had such a unique tone. But again, this is not the case.
Yes, the last time we see Arrowverse Superman and Lois Lane, they are discussing how their baby son had evolved into two twin teenagers thanks to the Crisis – which clearly set up the premise of Superman and Lois – but there’s more to it than that. If you go back and watch the first season of Superman and Lois, there are some little Arrowverse nods that don’t make sense now.
The destruction of John Henry Irons’ earth by a red wave was a clear nod to Crisis On Infinite Earths, as was Lois’ reference to Lex Luthor and the multiverse. The biggest indicator of all, though, was John Diggle’s arrival, as he spoke about how he and Oliver Queen fought alongside Superman – another reference to the battles during the Crisis. And that has aged poorly, because now Superman is this earth’s only hero, meaning there is no Green Arrow. So who is Oliver Queen on this Earth?
That’s not even taking into account the fact that Lois was supposed to lift a photograph of her, Clark, and Kara when clearing out her desk at the Daily Planet in the second episode, and the crossover with Batwoman that couldn’t happen because of the pandemic.
Yes, Superman and Lois works well as its own show, but the late-in-the-game decision to retroactively set in on a different earth than the Arrowverse creates some plotholes in the first season.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow was the most consistent Arrowverse show
The Arrowverse has given us some iconic live-action versions of DC’s greatest heroes, but it was its line-up of lovable outcasts and misfits who truly ended up stealing the show. Of course we’re talking about the Legends of Tomorrow.
Back when the show started, it delivered a perfectly fine debut offering, but it didn’t really stand out in a very crowded field of time-travel and fantasy shows. When it started leaning into its own quirks and abandoning some of its more predictable tropes, it flourished. A series about a group of heroes and villains travelling through time and messing history up for the better should be fun. And oh, it was.
All of the Arrowverse shows have had highs and lows, even Legends. But there is no disputing that it has been the most consistent of the Arrowverse bunch. The truth is that has never produced a bad season. Yes, some were weaker than the others (1 and 4 come to mind) but its been a steady journey for the Waverider crew, which is something we can’t say for any of the other Arrowverse shows.
Once it found its footing in season 2, it delivered consistently strong entertainment, outlandish and wild storylines, and some striking and poignant character development along the way. Simply put: It always delivered, and we loved it for that.
The team aspect hindered many of the solo hero shows
The hideous cover for the complete series of The Flash is a perfect example of everything wrong with the final three seasons of the show. The truth is that the series is called The Flash, not Team Flash, so the refusal on the creative team’s part of accept that the supporting heroes weren’t as important to the story left fans feeling incredibly frustrated.
That’s the worst example of it, but it’s also a microcosm of an issue that plagued most of the Arrowverse shows throughout their runs: The Team. While it’s not unheard of for these heroes to team with partners and sidekicks, the insistence that each of them had to have their own team comprised of heroes who had nothing to do with the main heroes’ storylines was a hinderance. Green Arrow and Black Canary, The Flash and Kid Flash? Sure, they’re great. But bloated teams full of infuriating supporting characters that overshadow the plot and make the hero look redundant? That’s unforgivable.
The Team trope was simply a plot device to group the supporting characters together instead of having to give them separate storylines. That way Team Arrow, Team Flash, and the Super Friends could all remain at the center of the shows without having any dramatic arcs or conflicts. It was a dull and convenient method of keeping less interesting characters on our screens, and ended up making the primary heroes look like they couldn’t stop any threats on their own.
Supergirl mastered it well by the end of its run and Arrow had mixed results with it, but The Flash was the biggest victim of it, and that atrocious cover art just highlights that it never learned from its mistakes.
If we wanted to see an ensemble of superheroes, we’d flick on Legends of Tomorrow because we’d know they would do it right.
Batwoman was actually great (and deserved better)
Five years later and that awful first trailer for Batwoman still has a lot to answer for. In just three minutes, it destroyed the vast majority of fans’ excitement for the show because it honed in on cliche dialogue, featured few of the pilot’s great moments, and lacked any kind of the triumph or grandeur the Bat-Family is known for – which is exactly the kind of grandeur and triumph that the character made us feel when she debuted in Elseworlds.
The first season was ultimately a lot better than the trailer ever suggested it would be, introducing us to Kate Kane’s origins and allowing us to see the Scarlet Knight take flight in a compelling debut offering. Sure, it experienced more controversy when Ruby Rose left after just one season, but it was still a thrilling watch.
The show would truly find its footing when Javicia Leslie took over as new character Ryan Wilder, breathing new life into the show. The third season, which dropped almost all references to Kate Kane and finally spotlighted Ryan as the central character, is among the greatest seasons in the Arrowverse.
The show made a bad first impression with that trailer, and because of that it kind of lived in infamy throughout its run. But the truth is that Batwoman deserved better than that, because it made itself at home as an entertaining and enjoyable aspect of the Arrowverse, capable of the same kind of greatness as its peers. And because of that, it deserved a far longer run.
The huge episode counts worked against most of the shows
Occasionally, you can have too much of a good thing. This was particularly true for the Arrowverse shows when it came to episode-counts. The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl all had 22 – 23 episodes for the majority of their runs, and while this certainly didn’t hinder them right out of the gate, it eventually began to work against them.
It all comes down to the fact that the shows operated as both episodic procedurals and season-long mysteries, meaning that it could switch between standalone villain-of-the-week episodes and the primary storylines. It was a dream in the first seasons, as we saw heroes like the Emerald Archer, Scarlet Speedster, and the Girl of Steel all learn what it means to be a hero as they went up against some iconic DC villains (while also struggling with an overall season villain).
It really was a strength at the beginning, but it was inevitable weakness waiting to happen. The perfect example of this was The Flash season 4, as its central villain relied on a group of new metahumans, with each episode being devoted to a new villain-of-the-week. It made each one feel like it was tied to the central story, but in reality, they weren’t. And it dragged the main storyline out for far too long, losing the momentum it had in the beginning.
More episodes also meant more of a chance for ratings drops, and that’s exactly what happened. If these shows had shorter, more concise seasons (see: Arrow season 8), they wouldn’t have gone stale as quickly, the actors wouldn’t have been as overworked, and each series could have been bigger successes for far longer. Sometimes less is more.
It gave us the definitive versions of many DC heroes
DC Comics has a rich history on film, but one thing that people often overlook is the fact that we have gotten some of our most iconic live-action adaptations of its characters on television. Adam West’s Batman, Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl; all classic versions of these characters that many consider to be the best. The Arrowverse was able to do that for a whole new generation.
In spite of Warner Bros.’ best efforts to launch a standalone Flash movie with Ezra Miller in the lead (that would later be designed as a means to ending the DCEU and rebooting it as the DCU), the most recognizable version of the Scarlet Speedster is still Grant Gustin’s portrayal in The Flash TV series. Similarly, Supergirl might have returned to the big screen in that same movie (portrayed by Sasha Calle), but Melissa Benoist’s portrayal of the Girl of Steel in the TV series remains in fans’ hearts as the best.
Meanwhile, Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch are continuing to stun us on Superman and Lois with their performances, and even though they aren’t the Supergirl versions of the characters, we have the Arrowverse to thank for gifting us with those particular actors, who will also go down in history as the very best Man of Steel and Lois Lane.
Television is every bit as important as cinema when it comes to entertainment, and the Arrowverse is every bit as iconic – if not more – than its big screen counterpart. We’re so grateful to it for giving us some legendary portrayals of our favorite DC characters.
It deserved a better ending
If you cast your mind back to 2016 and think about how much of a chokehold the Arrowverse had on all of us when was in its prime, it’s sad to think about the way that it all ended.
The CW’s shared universe of superheroes was a major must-see TV franchise that brought together some of the biggest superheroes in the world on the small screen, and did it a lot more coherently than its big-screen counterpart. It brought us all together for cinematic crossover events and made us all watch in awe as superheroes dominated television for the first time in years. Then, seven years later, it went out with a whimper.
Popularity wanes over time. For some, it fluctuates between highs and lows. That is certainly true to the Arrowverse too. Nobody is saying that The Flash shouldn’t have ended it all after nine seasons, because honestly that’s really quite poetic given how it was the Arrowverse’s most successful show and it really was time for it to conclude. However, Batwoman and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow should never have been cancelled, Arrowverse offshoot Stargirl shouldn’t have been cancelled, and the universe shouldn’t have been killed off in such a one-fell swoop.
We get that The CW’s new owners were taking the in a new direction, we get Warner Bros. Discovery are planning on relaunching the DC Universe across film and TV; but when you have a property as game-changing as the Arrowverse on your hands, the least you can do is let it bow out in game-changing fashion one more time.
Legends and Batwoman should have gotten final seasons, The Flash should have gotten a better ending, and there should have been one final Arrowverse crossover.
Simply out: The Arrowverse deserved better.
Olicity killed Arrow
When Arrow first premiered, it was acclaimed for not just bringing superheroes back to TV, but for channeling The Dark Knight as best it could to produce a gritty crime saga about a vengeful vigilante seeking to right some wrongs. By the time Netflix’s Daredevil did the same thing just three years later, Arrow was barely mentioned in the same conversations.
A large part of that was the show’s decision to move in a completely different direction from everything that had been working for it. Its first two seasons were phenomenal, but from its third onwards things changed. One of the main reasons for that was the decision to pair Oliver Queen up with Team Arrow’s quirky IT genius Felicity Smoak.
Suddenly, the show revolved around their romance, with countless plots and episodes devoted to their forced conflict. Yes, they were cute together in their happy moments, but when they weren’t happy (and believe us, they weren’t a lot) it completely overshadowed the show. Felicity lost her heart and her humor, devolving into a selfish shell of what she once was, making both William’s kidnapping and the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West all about her
Oliver and Felicity was at the top of many Arrow fans’ wishlists, but the execution of it left the show’s core audience wishing it never happened. Not only did it result in the continued disrespect of the Black Canary (Oliver’s real true love), it turned a gripping comic book saga into a melodramatic daytime soap (and not the good kind).
Season 8 was a return to form for Arrow (a huge part of which was down to the fact that Felicity was no longer on the show), but by then, the damage had been done.
The Arrowverse was a game-changer
As the years have gone on and television has gotten more cinematic (thanks to streaming), it’s easy to overlook the impact of network television, and how it was single-handedly responsible for getting us to this point in the first place. There is no greater example of that than the Arrowverse.
We’re living in an era of superheroes. They’ve always dominated the big screen, but they are arguably even more at home on the small screen these days. From Marvel’s Disney Plus shows to Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys, the superheroes are everywhere. The Arrowverse is solely responsible for this.
When Arrow premiered in 2012, we were in a superhero TV drought. The only other successful show in the genre was Smallville, and one of the main reasons it found such success was the fact that it was essentially a teen drama in a time when teen dramas were dominating TV. Arrow, on the other hand, was a straightforward superhero show, and it paved the way for so many others – first for its own spinoffs, and then for other networks and studios to do the same. And when The Flash began, the Arrowverse took the superhero TV genre to a whole new height.
These shows worked so well on The CW because the network was co-owned by Warner Bros., meaning that it didn’t need to pay to use the characters and, if the shows didn’t perform as well as hoped in the US, they could be sold internationally and make the studio a lot of money. But they did perform well on the network, and offered up a superhero renaissance on television the likes of which had never been seen before. And then they were also incredibly successful internationally as well.
Without the Arrowverse, this past decade would have looked very different – and it’s about time it got the credit it deserved.