It’s been 2 years since the Arrowverse came to an end. It’s something that is a huge miss for fans of DC or fans of superhero television in general.
The CW really was onto something with this universe. It began with Arrow all the way back in 2012. It spawned into a hugely (mostly) connected universe with the likes of Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Black Lightning, Superman & Lois, and more.
I never hopped onto the bandwagon in 2012; I stumbled across the shows in 2014 thanks to Netflix at the time. I’m honestly so glad I did.
There is multiple reasons why I consider this to be the golden era despite what others may believe but having a universe that was purely dedicated to TV with multiple shows airing at the same time is some feat, especially for The CW Network above all else. There hasn’t been any other superhero TV franchise that’s managed to do something similar to this. It really was the MCU equivelent of TV.
We had crossovers yearly that had some incredible stories. It was always such a joy to see all of them come together to fight a greater evil. These crossover events had everything, and I still struggle to find any superhero television that had something as fantastic as these events every year.
Don’t get me wrong, of course, The CW wasn’t always singing on high notes. There were definitely a lot of down moments as well. The highs for me do outweigh those. When we consider the first 3 seasons of The Flash and Arrow, the first 2 seasons of Legends of Tomorrow, and so many other incredible seasons, they left a lasting impression.
I complained a lot in the later years due to a drop in quality, but for some reason, I miss it badly. I remember constantly discussing the next episode/season. It hasn’t quite felt the same since. I mean, we’ve had some exceptional shows in the past, especially with Marvel as well, but The CW had something special going. I still believe, even now, 2 years on, we’ll never get something as magical as that ever again.
James Gunn is the next best hope because Marvel hasn’t exactly been dishing out quality content on their Disney+ streaming platform in the last couple of years. Penguin was great, but Matt Reeves’ universe doesn’t feel like it’s at a point where it can expand that much further.
The previous DCU also attempted their own universe which began with Titans, originally included Stargirl and Doom Patrol. Unfortunately, due to huge issues with the DCU Online streaming platform or the service around 2018 set it to fail almost instantly. These shows were then split so that never came into anything.
Again, if you’re looking for a fully fledged connected universe, it again, leaves the Arrowverse.
Some of the casting choices were perfect as well. Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, and Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers were all so well done. There have even been calls for them to reprise their roles in movies since their respective shows ended. We even had a special moment when Ezra and Grant were both in the same scenes as their respective Flash characters. These actors weren’t just the characters; in all fairness, they became the characters. That makes all the difference when you’re watching any superhero show.
A lot of the side characters added weight and were cast well to the stories. It wasn’t just about superheroes; it was about personal stakes, family, loss, redemption, and other things, too. Not all of the side characters were great, of course, but there were some that stood out and were often times pressed to get their own spin-off shows. That’s how well the shows did.
Above all else, and for me, in the end, it made weekly TV exciting. We don’t get this anymore. We’ll often have 1 show that’s currently airing, and then it’s back to nothing. Recently, for me, it was The Last of Us and then Ironheart. When it came to The CW, you had things going on almost every week, multiple times per week as well. You could watch them weekly, or you could hold off and binge a few episodes at a time. There were options here, and I miss having that.
I’ve doomscrolled Netflix more over the last 2 or 3 years than I have since 2014 when I began watching Arrow and The Flash simultaneously. I know some people may not agree with me at all when it comes to this article, but the Arrowverse truly was the golden era of superhero television. I’ll die on the hill with that statement.
