James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios takeover rebooted the cinematic universe, yet the executives wisely retained specific performers who perfectly embodied their comic book counterparts. For instance, John Cena transitioned seamlessly from the former cinematic timeline into the new DC Universe as Peacemaker, bringing the whole of the 11th Street Kids with him. Likewise, Viola Davis remains attached to the DCU as Amanda Waller, with a solo TV show in development. Finally, Xolo Maridueรฑa’s Blue Beetle will soon return in an animated series that will reveal how much of the previously live-action movie is canon. With the DCU still in its formative years and the precedent well established, some Arrowverse performers could also make the jump.
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The Arrowverse began in 2012 with Arrow and expanded across The CW to include The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning, plus the ambitious “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover that stitched decades of DC film and television into a single multiverse. Across more than 700 episodes of television, the franchise cast hundreds of heroes, villains, and everything in between, finding stars that would embody the values of DC’s beloved pantheon. While far from a perfect experiment, the Arrowverse did deliver performances that are still seen by fans as the definitive adaptations of iconic characters. Gunn and Safran have already shown they’re willing to pull from previous iterations of DC properties when the fit is right, and the Arrowverse’s bench of proven talent is arguably deeper than any other DC adaptation in history.
7) David Harewood as J’on J’onzz / Martian Manhunter
David Harewood played J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, across all six seasons of Supergirl, portraying him as a stoic refugee who lost his entire species and channeled that grief into protecting his adopted planet. Martian Manhunter has been a staple of DC Comics since 1955, a core Justice League member whose shape-shifting and telepathy make him one of the publisher’s most versatile heroes, and any attempt at a cinematic universe is incomplete without him. James Gunn’s Superman already introduced multiple heroes alongside the Man of Steel (David Corenswet) and even included an Easter egg referencing Martian Manhunter. With Man of Tomorrow shaping up to be a massive crossover event for the DCU, the timing is right to finally bring the Martian Manhunter into the fold. Harewood has said publicly that he would gladly return to the role, and since he already played it so well for six seasons, maybe he should.
6) Matt Ryan as John Constantine
Matt Ryan played John Constantine across NBC’s short-lived Constantine, the Arrowverse proper, and a string of DC animated films, crafting a version of the character so accurate that he became the defining version of the work-class magician for a whole generation. Constantine has been a fixture of DC’s supernatural corner since Alan Moore created him in Swamp Thing, a chain-smoking antihero whose knowledge of the dark arts is matched only by his talent for conning demons and angels alike. DC Studios is yet to explore the supernatural side of the DCU, but James Mangold is still developing a Swamp Thing film, while Zatanna’s nightclub has been spotted on the filming sets of Clayface. That means it won’t be long until the darkest corners of the DCU get the attention they deserve, and Constantine is the best character to guide the audience there.
5) Caity Lotz as Sara Lance / White Canary
Caity Lotz joined Arrow in its second season as Sara Lance, a former League of Assassins operative presumed dead, and then led Legends of Tomorrow for seven seasons as the captain of a time-traveling crew of misfits. White Canary may not carry the same comic book pedigree as other DC heroes, but Lotz built the character from the ground up into one of the Arrowverse’s most reliable leaders, the kind of battle-tested commander who can crack a joke and throw a roundhouse in the same breath. Plus, as Sara Lance, Lotz has both the experience to appear in street-level stories and get entangled with cosmic threats, which is the comic book logic that DC Studios is currently applying to its cinematic universe.
4) Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer / The Atom
Brandon Routh played Ray Palmer in the Arrowverse, a scientist and inventor who eventually suits up as the size-shrinking hero the Atom. The character debuted in Arrow Season 3 as a recurring guest star, later joined Legends of Tomorrow as a series regular, and made his final appearance in a 2022 episode of The Flash. Routh also played the Atom in the 2019 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, where he pulled double duty by also playing Superman, the role he originally portrayed in 2006’s Superman Returns. The Atom has been part of the Justice League roster in the comics since the Silver Age, and Routh’s take on Ray Palmer grounded the character’s genius intellect with a sincerity that stood out among the Arrowverse’s more cynical personalities. DC Studios has not announced any plans for the Atom in the DCU, but Routh has the experience and the talent to take over a new version of Ray Palmer.
3) Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow
Stephen Amell played Oliver Queen for the full run of Arrow, which aired eight seasons and 170 episodes on The CW from 2012 to 2020. The series built the foundation for the entire Arrowverse, and Amell’s take on Green Arrow is the most popular one yet. The first season of Peacemaker included a joke at the hero’s expense, but Gunn addressed the reference on the show’s official podcast in 2025, stating he was “not willing to say yet” whether Green Arrow is canon to the DCU, adding “we don’t have Green Arrow as part of our system right now.” However, given how every DCU project so far adds more vigilantes to the growing roster of characters, it’s only a matter of time before Green Arrow is brought into the fold. Amell has the star power to take Oliver Queen into theaters, and he has spent long enough with the character to understand how to play him in a superhero universe.
2) Tom Cavanagh as Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash
Tom Cavanagh played Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, across nine seasons of The Flash, alongside multiple alternate-universe versions of Harrison Wells and the cosmic entity Pariah. His Season 1 performance, in which Thawne murdered Barry Allen’s mother and then spent years posing as the hero’s trusted mentor while secretly orchestrating every tragedy in his life, remains widely considered the creative peak of the series. The Reverse-Flash exists outside linear time by definition, a living paradox who can appear in any era without explanation, which makes him one of the easier characters in DC lore to fold into new continuity. Plus, in the comic books, Reverse-Flash is known as one of DC’s biggest haters, actively working to make Barry Allen’s life as miserable as possible, a goal Cavanagh perfectly embodied in The Flash. Cavanagh also directed several episodes of The Flash during his tenure, which gives him a particular insight into superhero storytelling.
1) Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen was the emotional backbone of the Arrowverse for nearly a decade, and no other actor in the franchise’s history logged more hours in the suit. Gustin first put on the cowl in two episodes of Arrow Season 2, a guest spot that was so well-received that The Flash premiered to the CW’s highest ratings ever and ran for 184 episodes. While not the first live-action Scarlett Speedster, Gustin made the character his own and delivered the best iteration of Barry Allen yet. During a 2024 Fan Expo Denver panel, asked point-blank which DCU role he would take if Gunn called, Gustin answered with a single word: “Flash.” Gunn himself has said the Flash will “exist eventually” in the DCU but not for at least two years, which means no actor currently has the part locked down. Since the DCU is still deciding who gets to wear the Flash uniform, it would be a waste to ignore a proven lead with that kind of mileage.
Which Arrowverse actor do you most want to see cross over into the new cinematic DCU? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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