The Arrowverse is the best superhero franchise in television history, consisting of six main TV shows as well as a few ancillary shows that were not part of the actual universe. It all started in 2012 when Arrow premiered, and while Green Arrow was a strange character to launch a franchise with, he ended up being the best possible option in the end. From there, the universe branched out with five other shows, including The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. There were also a couple of animated shows (Freedom Fighters: The Ray and Vixen) that are not considered part of the Arrowverse, and Superman & Lois, which broke away from the Arrowverse by its showrunners when it premiered and is not considered part of the official franchise.
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Just looking at the six main shows that comprise the Arrowverse, here is a ranking of the series based on overall quality.
6) Batwoman
Batwoman had too much working against it when it premiered as part of the Arrowverse. From the start, many Arrowverse fans rejected the series because of a backlash against star Ruby Rose. This caused it to end up as one of the least-watched of the franchise’s shows and eventually led to Rose leaving the series, and her character of Kate Kane being replaced by a new Batwoman in Ryan Wilder (Javica Leslie). Kane did return, but with a new actress, Wallis Day.
All this behind-the-scenes controversy is a big reason why Batwoman ranks as the worst of the Arrowverse shows because it completely overshadowed the actual on-screen storylines. Batwoman lasted three seasons and actually brought in some popular characters, including Lucas Fox and Renee Montoya, but it remains the most forgettable of the six Arrowverse shows.
5) Black Lightning
Black Lightning was a huge surprise success for the Arrowverse. The show did something that was unique from all the other franchise shows, and that was to present an older hero who had operated as a vigilante in the past but had since retired. This was also an interesting show because it was one that was separate from the Arrowverse, but was pulled into the franchise (similar to John Constantine, although he was moved into a team-based show).
Black Lightning ran for four seasons, but it wasn’t until the third season that it tied into the Arrowverse thanks to the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. Jefferson Pierce is a high school principal who used to be Black Lightning. However, he is forced back into action when old enemies return, and he soon learns his children have also inherited his powers. It was a fantastic series and brought some much-needed inclusion into the Arrowverse, which was all the better for it.
4) Legends of Tomorrow
Legends of Tomorrow is a show that ranks as the most fun anyone will ever have watching the Arrowverse. The series is pure sci-fi action, and with the mismatched time-traveling crew, it never once takes itself seriously, even when the stakes are high, and the show offers up entertainment unlike anything else in the Arrowverse. It started with familiar characters in Atom, Sara Lance, Firestorm, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Rip Hunter, Captain Cold, and Heat Wave.
However, as the show wore on, newcomers showed up, and it made stars out of people like Vixen, Steel, and more. It also brought in Matt Ryan to reprise his role as John Constantine, even though his previous solo series was not considered part of the Arrowverse. With seven seasons, Legends of Tomorrow remains a highlight of the Arrowverse from start to finish.
3) Supergirl
Supergirl is similar to Black Lightning in that it was a DC series that was not connected to the Arrowverse when it premiered. Instead, it was a CBS television series that was set on its own. When CBS moved the series to The CW for Season 2, it then immediately combined with the Arrowverse thanks to multiverse traveling adventures with Supergirl and Flash.
This show helped to rewrite what TV and movie fans knew about Supergirl, and it created a hero who stood on her own, without ever needing Superman to thrive. While Supergirl did meet and work with Superman in the Arrowverse, when that Superman began his own series in Superman & Lois, it broke away from the Arrowverse, the opposite effect that Supergirl had when it joined the franchise. Regardless, Supergirl presented some fantastic storylines, and Melissa Benoist was perfect as the Woman of Tomorrow.
2) Arrow
Arrow was the show that started it all. Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen, a young, spoiled rich kid who ended up stranded on a deserted island after an attack that killed his father. The show then took a similar form to the sci-fi hit series Lost, with flashbacks to Oliver on the island becoming the hero he would take on when he returned, and the present day, where he worked as the Arrow to take out criminals he had on a list.
The series ran for eight seasons and 170 episodes, and it was Green Arrow who was the central hero of the franchise, and the man the entire universe was based on. It was Oliver Queen who had to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world in Crisis on Infinite Earths, and this was needed since his solo show was the most important of the entire Arrowverse.
1) The Flash
While Arrow was the most important show in the Arrowverse, it was not the best show for the franchise. That honor goes to the second show that debuted in the series, with The Flash. While Arrow presented the Arrowverse with its first superhero, The Flash delivered the franchise’s first super-powered hero. This opened the world to the stories that would come down the line.
Just as Stephen Amell was perfect as Oliver Queen, Grant Gustin was the best possible choice to play Barry Allen, the superhero of Central City. The Flash was the purest superhero in the entire Arrowverse, and he was the light to Arrow’s darkness. He had the best villains gallery in the Arrowverse, just as he does in DC Comics, and the nine seasons the show ran were the most of any in the franchise. The Arrowverse was fantastic, and The Flash was the best of the best.
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