Six Years Ago Today, One of the Most Important DC Shows Ever Ended (And Created an Iconic Meme)

It has been six years since one of the most important DC shows of all time wrapped up its run, and people still remember the series finale today thanks to one specific meme. Arrow debuted on The CW on October 10, 2012, and focused on Oliver Queen as he became the superhero known as the Green Arrow. The series then started a shared universe, with shows like The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning joining up. This created an amazing experience, with the shows crossing over, and The CW airing major events, with Crisis on Infinite Earths as the culmination of this world-building.

However, after eight seasons, Arrow ended its run on January 28, 2020, the first of the Arrowverse shows to end, and it marked the end of an era, as well as the start of an internet meme that is still popular to this day.

Arrow Ended Six Years Ago, Ending An Era

On January 28, 2020, Arrow ended its eight-season run with a heartwarming episode. The series had finished its run the only way it could, with Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, sacrificing himself to save the world. This all happened in the giant Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, where he uses the power of the Spectre to restore the multiverse and finally dies and crosses over to the other side.

However, there were two episodes left for Arrow. The penultimate episode saw the show jump into the future to the year 2040, where Oliver Queen’s sacrifice has led to Star City becoming a peaceful place. However, there is still a need for heroes, and Mia agrees to take on the role of the new Green Arrow. This led to the actual finale, “Fadeout,” which saw flashbacks to Oliver and Diggle fighting different villains before Sara time-travels to 2040 to invite Mia back to attend Oliver Queen’s funeral.

This led to several beloved characters showing up for the finale, including a revived Tommy, Moira, Quentin, and Emiko attending the private funerals, along with Flash, Felicity, and others. Finally, at the very end, the Monitor takes Felicity to the “paradise dimension” where Oliver has finally found peace, proving that his sacrifice resulted in a happily ever after for him, even with his death. It was a perfect ending to one of the most important DC series ever produced.

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The Grant Gustin Meme Was Based on This Episode

What most people remember about that final episode is a photo that wasn’t in the episode at all. Instead, Arrow actor Echo Kellum (Curtis Holt) shared a hilarious photo on his Instagram account showing The Flash star Grant Gustin kneeling at Oliver Queen’s grave, with a big smile on his face, flashing a peace sign. This was in a post where he talked about how important Arrow was for his career and the success of his own series, and it was a funny photo with a heartfelt message. “Literally the best cast and crew around! So much fun with these goof balls,” the actor wrote.

However, this photo now has a life of its own as an internet meme, used even by people who likely never watched Arrow or its finale. Instead, people replace the memorial to Oliver Queen on the tombstone with jabs at people or events in their lives. Examples include: “When the guy who stole your girl dies,” “Disco,” and even a goof on Marvel, with the word “Loki” on the tombstone, with the words “Also Loki” over Grant Gustin.

Grant Gustin has even said that he feels he is more famous for the meme than for his role as The Flash. “For a while there, it was sent to me once a week. It’s sent to me by people I’m hearing from for the first time in years. Because it reaches different corners of [fandom]. Suddenly, someone sees the meme because it’s about something they care about. It’s touched every corner of the internet, I feel like,” Gustin said. “I’ve joked that when I die, that will be on my tombstone. I feel like I’m more famous for that than anything I’ve ever done.”

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