The CW network owes DC Comics’ Arrowverse a ton of credit for its increased relevance in the 2010s. Consisting of the titular series Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Superman and Lois, Black Lightning and Batwoman, the Arrowverse was a collection of interconnected television series that adapted some of DC’s most famous stories. Though the shared universe produced faithful adaptations to beloved characters Green Arrow and The Flash, the Arrowverse fumbled multiple noteworthy storylines, often leaving the proverbial meat on the bone while shortcutting and short-changing certain angles. History will reflect kindly on it, as the Arrowverse had more highs than lows, but when it was bad, it was bad.
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1) The CW’s Mister Terrific Didn’t Live Up to His Namesake
In the comics, Mister Terrific is the name of two famous DC heroes. The original, a self-made millionaire and hyper-athletic Olympic medalist, became a vigilante during the Golden Age. His successor, who recently made his silver screen debut in Superman, is the creative genius Michael Holt, who invented T-Spheres, the multi-functional drones, to aid his fight against crime. He is also the third smartest man in the world (according to DC canon), which isn’t surprising when you consider he has 14 PHDs and once hacked into the Justice League mainframe (put in place by Batman).
A fearless tech mogul, Mister Terrific, at least on paper, is one of the coolest characters in comics. He is filthy rich, capable of inventing practically anything he puts his mind to, rocks a badass leather jacket and even represented his country in the Olympics.
Unfortunately, his Arrowverse iteration, Curtis Holt, is a far cry from his comics origins. He’s an awkward and unrefined fighter that is often relegated to tech support for Team Arrow as they take on street-level crime. Though he is intelligent, the Arrowverse Mister Terrific is overly geeky and his shyness and uncoordinated fighting skills dampen his heroism. Thankfully, James Gunn has since restored his tainted cinematic image with his excellent adaptation in Superman. Had the creative team stayed true to the character in Arrow, Mister Terrific could have elevated the series even more.
2) Speedy and Arsenal Failed as Quality Heroes (and Sidekicks)
Like Batman, Arrow has amassed his fair share of pupils over the years. Chief among them are Speedy and Arsenal, talented archers-turned-vigilantes who were inspired by the Starling City savior.
In the CW series Arrow, Speedy is Thea Queen, Oliver’s spoiled, easily irritated younger sister. A nightclub owner and party animal during her early adulthood, Thea was more party promoter than hero in the series, but in Season 3, she is abruptly thrust into the vigilante role on Team Arrow.
Her transition from pill-popping party addict to expert archer in a matter of weeks did not feel fluid and somewhat downplayed Green Arrow’s keen ability by making it seem like anyone could be a master archer. And let’s not even get into her muddied story involving the League of Shadows and its Lazarus Pit. Roy Harper, later known as Arsenal, experienced a similarly sudden leap to archer under the tutelage of Green Arrow. Like Thea, Roy had no prior archer experience, but after a few lessons from Oliver, he was capable of hitting moving targets and pinpointing objects in the dark. Strangely, Arsenal and Speedy both flamed out as Team Arrow members, making their dizzying transition to heroes even harder to digest.
3) The Flash Rogues Should’ve Been a Bigger Fixture
The Flash Rogues are not your typical villains. Often teetering the line of anti-heroes, the ravenous group is a band of villains with a moral code. The Rogues have taken on several alignments, but typically consist of villains like Captain Cold, Golden Glider, Mirror Master, the Top, Prankster, Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, Abra Kadabra, and Captain Boomerang. Despite being introduced individually in The Flash, the bandits never had the team-up they deserved in the series.
With Flash frequently teaming with Vibe, Arrow, Firestorm, Kid Flash, and Supergirl, there was ample opportunity for a clash with the Rogues. Instead, some of the core members were reduced to a singular appearance, while Captain Cold opted for the hero route in Legends of Tomorrow, ending with a self-sacrifice that spared the life of White Canary.
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