7 Unfinished & Abandoned Arrowverse Stories, Ranked by Potential

No one can claim the Arrowverse holds back. While the early seasons of the franchise try to stay grounded, with its heroes fighting semi-realistic threats like a deranged man with a bow and arrow and a shady government agency, things eventually go off the rails. Other realities reveal themselves, housing countless powerful beings, and aliens arrive on Earth, causing trouble for Oliver Queen and Co. There’s even a talking gorilla that travels back in time on a demon’s orders to pick a fight with Barack Obama while he’s in college. However, as wacky as The CW’s superhero franchise is, it even has standards.

There are a number of storylines that the Arrowverse abandons, whether because it runs out of time or realizes that they’re not going to work. Some of them could have worked out pretty well for the powers that be at The CW, though. Here are seven unfinished and abandoned Arrowverse stories, ranked by their potential.

7) Pied Piper Being Part of Team Flash

Harrison Wells takes Barry Allen under his wing in The Flash Season 1, but he isn’t the first apple of the genius’ eye. Hartley Rathaway is an S.T.A.R. Labs employee who works on the particle accelerator prior to its explosion. He gains powers after the incident and seeks revenge on his former boss.

Originally, Hartley was going to be a permanent fixture of Team Flash. Since the group was already so big, he was turned into the villain Pied Piper instead. Hartley still got to turn his life around, though, becoming a good guy after Flashpoint.

6) Arrow Ending With Season 5

Arrow uses a unique storytelling device to flesh out its characters: flashbacks. In the show’s early seasons, Oliver spends time away from home after being marooned in the North China Sea and learns all the skills he utilizes in Star City. But his siesta doesn’t last forever.

The last of Arrow‘s traditional flashbacks come in Season 5, when Oliver finally gets off of Lian Yu. At one point, that moment was intended to be the series’ ending, serving as a bookend to the opening moments. Fortunately, the show continues and delivers three more memorable seasons.

5) Having Brandon Routh Play a Different DC Hero

Oliver has plenty of rivals in the superhero arena, including Slade Wilson, R’as al Ghul, and Adrian Chase. Well, he finds one in the business world in Season 3 when Ray Palmer shows up on the scene looking to buy Queen Consolidated. Ray eventually becomes a hero in his own right, the Atom, and turns into a Legend.

While Ray is a staple of the Arrowverse now, he wasn’t always in the franchise’s plans. The original idea was to have Ted Kord, aka Blue Beetle, join the fray. When that didn’t work out, Ray stepped up to the plate, which allowed the DC Extended Universe to do its own version of Blue Beetle.

4) Green Arrow and the Canaries‘ Future

Instead of flashbacks, the final season of Arrow features flashforwards, showing Oliver’s kids, Mia and William, fighting to protect the city they love. The duo eventually comes back to the past and helps stop the Anti-Monitor during “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

The Arrowverse planned to keep the party going by releasing a spinoff, Green Arrow and the Canaries, which would’ve focused on Mia and a few other familiar faces. It didn’t get picked up, though, and that forced Mia and everyone else in the future to take a backseat.

3) Harley Quinn and Arkham Asylum

With A.R.G.U.S. being so active in Arrow‘s early seasons, it’s no surprise that the Suicide Squad also grabs itself a chair. John Diggle and Lyla Michaels lead a team that also includes Deadshot and Cupid, among others. But there’s at least one candidate who doesn’t get their moment to shine.

A mysterious character appears in one of Arrow‘s Suicide Squad episodes that sure sounds and looks a lot like Harley Quinn. It eventually came to light that the Arrowverse had major plans for the villain until DC’s movie side ruined them. There were even talks of an Arkham Asylum storyline. The Arrowverse eventually brings the iconic building to life, but Harley doesn’t call it home.

2) John Diggle Becoming Green Lantern

Diggle is Oliver’s right-hand man throughout the Arrowverse’s entire run. Despite starting as a bodyguard, he becomes a hero and beats his fair share of bad guys. But there’s always something bubbling beneath the surface with him.

After countless teases, Arrow‘s finale has a box land in front of Diggle that glows green. While the implication is that he’s about to become a Green Lantern, the Arrowverse refuses to embrace this angle. Instead, Diggle struggles to accept his new role and decides to stay home with his family.

1) Hourman TV Show

An Arrowverse hero who does their time can find themselves leading a show before they know it. It happens with all of the Legends, who are all supporting characters in the series they come from. However, not every project gets the green light at The CW.

After the success of Arrow, The CW began developing a series focused on Hourman, a classic hero who runs around with the Justice Society of America. While it didn’t see the light of day, Rex Tyler didn’t give up. He shows up in Legends of Tomorrow and proves why he’s capable of playing in the big leagues.

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