The Arrowverse is built on a foundation of heroic supers and villainous master criminals. The rivalries between these characters are what moves the plot forward and creates the compelling TV we love to tune into every week.
However, while some of these rivalries continue to up the stakes and make complete sense, others are confusing, forced or really just don't work for the show. Here's 5 of the best and the worst rivalries from across the Arrowverse.
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WORST: LENA AND KARA
Lena and Kara have been great friends throughout the show. The point of the Lena character was to indicate that not every Luthor was evil and that the two women could be better together. However, in the last season things took a significant turn.
After being lied to for so long about Kara's secret identity, Lena felt the need to get revenge for the severe betrayal. Unfortunately, the rivalry seems so sudden and forced and really does a disservice to the character of Lena from the rest of the show even if she claims not to be a villain.
BEST: FLASH AND REVERSE-FLASH
The Flash and Reverse-Flash have always had one of the best rivalries because of their long and storied history together. The TV show has managed to correctly adapt one of the best stories from the comics. Of course, it all starts with a major death.
It's the Reverse-Flash that kills Barry's mom when he was younger, causing the series of events that leads to him becoming the scarlet speedster. The two will forever be linked and the fight has only gotten more bitter between them as Thawne continues to manipulate.
WORST: GREEN ARROW AND ARTEMIS
Artemis was a member of the new Team Arrow after Oliver started looking for new recruits. Evelyn was training to be the new Black Canary before her betrayal of the team. She sided with Prometheus eventually and turned her back on all of her friends.
However, the rivalry never really made sense, as it appears she had turned evil during the course of their team-ups. But a solid reason was never given, apart from the fact she fact overlooked by Oliver. She ended up being one of the most hated supporting characters.
BEST: SUPERGIRL AND LEX
The Luthors and the supers do have a storied rivalry against one another though. Even if Lena's evil turn doesn't make much sense, the use of Lex Luthor against Supergirl was a work of genius and it was so fun to see the dastardly character on screen.
Lex has returned for the Crisis crossover, which has only increased the intense rivalry between him and all Kryptonians. The battle between Supergirl and Lex was incredible to watch, but every time it appears to be his last battle, he finds a way to re-emerge.
WORST: FLASH AND CAPTAIN COLD
Captain Cold is one of the best villains in the comics, but in the TV shows he quickly became loved by audiences. The rivalry between him and the world's fastest man could have been great, but it sadly fizzled out as Snart's priorities shifted.
Soon the hero and villain started working alongside one another and by the time Captain Cold had joined the Legends the rivalry was pretty much over. It's a shame considering what it could have been but for now we only have the first couple of seasons to go off of.
BEST: GREEN ARROW AND THE DRAGON
Ricardo Diaz started out as an unimpressive side villain. As the story moved forward though, the Dragon revealed himself to be a master planner and a significant threat to Oliver Queen, both as the mayor and as the Green Arrow.
Diaz very quickly stripped Oliver and the Team of everything and even caused Felicity to become incredibly paranoid. His evil plan was perfect and the character was even brought back for a later season before finally being written out for good.
WORST: LEGENDS AND DAMIEN DARHK
The Legends have been tasked with protecting time from magic, a time-traveling maniac and a legion of supervillains. However, one character that keeps re-appearing is Damien Darhk, who never seems to be finished with the crew of the Waverider.
We're not quite sure why he has become so obsessed with the team though. While other villains have come and gone, moving on to the next plot, Damien Darhk continues to return in a rivalry that isn't as intense as he seems to think it is, bar Sara of course.
BEST: FLASH AND ZOOM
Another speedster rivalry on the list and this one got pretty personal very quickly. The fake Jay Garrick had become part of Team Flash for some time before it was revealed that he was actually Hunter Zoloman, also known as Zoom.
Zoom sought to tear apart Barry's life and even killed his father right in front of him. The rivalry became incredibly heated, especially as other members of the team such as Caitlin had become hurt by Hunter. The rivalry ended in a gruesome fashion.
WORST: TEAM ARROW AND TALIA
Team Arrow has come in contact with the League of Assassins many times and one of its leaders, Talia Al Ghul. While her father proved to be a formidable enemy, Talia and the Green Arrow's relationship is quite mixed.
In fact, Talia is now teaming with Thea to rebuild a more heroic league, as if the rivalry has been put behind them. This is despite the fact that she has been involved in so many villainous plots across their time together. We're pretty confused by this relationship.
BEST: GREEN ARROW AND DARK ARCHER
The first-ever major rivalry in all of the Arrowverse was a pretty good one. The Green Arrow against the Dark Archer kicked off this universe of heroes and villains and started the age-old mystery of who's hiding behind the mask.
In this case it was Malcolm Merlyn who was planning city-wide destruction along with Oliver's mother. The story was a fantastic one and the hatred between the two characters has been very real throughout. He's re-appeared again and again to cause chaos!