The Arrowverse is a television franchise based on characters from DC Comics. The first-ever Arrowverse show is Arrow (thus, “Arrowverse”), which premiered in 2012. The success of Arrow led to a spin-off series, The Flash.
And because of the success of both shows, more Arrowverse shows, namely Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning were made. The franchise grew over the years and even had some animated series.
They all have a shared universe, and the Arrowverse even established connections with other DC shows, such as Stargirl, Titans, and Constantine.
The Arrowverse ended with The Flash last May 2023, but it still remains one of the major superhero universes, along with the MCU and the DCEU/DCU. So, you may be wondering if the Arrowverse is worth your time.
There are many things that make the Arrowverse worth watching. The shows (especially Arrow) have good stories, relatable characters, action, drama, and the right amount of everything else. There are many life lessons you can get out of the shows too.
The Arrowverse is actually one of DC’s best. Because it’s a set of TV series, not movies, the characters and their stories are explored in depth. You will get to know the DC characters more and appreciate their character development.
Additionally, there are characters in the comics that some never thought they would see in live-action. And Supergirl’s Nia Nal/Dreamer is the first transgender superhero on TV.
The Arrowverse also does a good job with its shared universe. There are major crossovers to look forward to, and even just small ones.
You’ll get to see the Green Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, the Legends, and other Arrowverse heroes fight together against aliens, Nazi doppelgängers, and more.
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At the same time, you’ll see the characters visiting each other’s cities not because of something big like rewritten realities and all that. Sometimes it’s just to lend a quick hand or have a girl’s night out. Who doesn’t like crossovers anyway?
The friendships between the heroes are explored too. Oliver Queen had a huge influence on Barry Allen, and his advice certainly helped him when he was just starting out as The Flash. Barry also gets help from Jefferson Pierce when he is on the verge of giving up.
But unfortunately, the quality of the shows declines in the long run. The first two seasons of Arrow were excellent, and the same can reasonably be said for The Flash and Supergirl. Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman had good first seasons.
In the long run, you will start noticing changes, specifically in the majority of the shows’ season threes. It can be said that due to the increasing number of shows in the Arrowverse back then, the quality started declining.
You will start noticing patterns in all of the shows. For instance, Supergirl and the Flash start dealing with similar villains. The storylines also start going nowhere.
In Legends of Tomorrow’s case, it started out as a great show with a team of “misfits” trying to stop an immortal tyrant, but later became primarily a comedy show.
The Arrowverse started losing lots of viewers in the long run, and unfortunately, some of its shows, such as Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow, weren’t able to conclude properly because they got canceled. One of its best shows, Superman & Lois, was then confirmed as separate from the main Arrowverse continuity.
I’ve been with the Arrowverse since the start, so it was sad to see my favorite shows getting worse. But I would still recommend it to anyone interested in watching superhero shows.
The Arrowverse, after all, had some really good seasons. And honestly, it did a better job telling the stories of DC characters than the DCEU did.
So, go ahead and watch the Arrowverse shows. I just wouldn’t be surprised if you would stop watching the shows at some point.
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