The Flash set a good example of a strong Arrowverse romance with Barry Allen and Iris West, but other couples have struggled. One of the big foundations of The CW’s DC TV universe is the multiple romantic couples that are featured across the shows. Whenever an iconic DC character is adapted for the small screen, it’s not just about bringing said hero’s costume, powers, and storylines to life: For decades upon decades in DC Comics history, several key romances have been born that have become staples for the brand. Whether it’s Superman and Lois Lane, Green Arrow and Black Canary, or Aquaman and Mera, fans expect to see certain pairings whenever DC Comics characters are adapted for the screen.
Ever since Arrow helped launch the Arrowverse with several spinoff shows, there have been a number of romances adapted (as well as invented) on The CW series. The CW is a network that is targeted towards a younger demographic, which is why it makes sense for there to be at least one romantic couple on almost every series. But over the years, these storylines have had their ups and downs, resulting in couples being more or less successful. How these storylines have developed heavily relies on the audience reception; after all, while some may tune in for the Arrowverse for the superhero action, others follow the shows for the character dynamics.
Nevertheless, love stories are and always will be part of the Arrowverse’s DNA in one way or another. But over the last few years, The Flash has had a solid track record in how it portrays the relationship between Grant Gustin and Candice Patton’s characters. The Barry and Iris dynamic (or WestAllen as it is referred to in the fandom) has from the get-go set the franchise bar for how to properly set up a long-lasting relationship. With the Arrowverse not going anywhere anytime soon, here is what The Flash’s Barry and Iris did right (and how other couples have stumbled).
How The Flash’s Barry & Iris Romance Got It Right
From the very beginning, fans knew The Flash was going to adapt Iris and Barry’s love story throughout the course of the series. The couple has a long history that goes all the way back to 1956 when they first appeared in DC Comics. While there are decades of material to pull from, The Flash still needed to find the right actors with the perfect chemistry in order to pull off the storyline, and the writing needed to translate the characters' long comics history. Fortunately, the Arrowverse had the perfect duo with Gustin and Patton, and the well-crafted pilot seeded their characters' relationship being an endgame. Even though Barry and Iris had other love interests before they got together, The Flash didn’t stray away from their commitment to Barry and Iris. By the time the two officially tied the knot in season 4, the moment felt earned.
Even though Barry and Iris are a canonized couple, that doesn’t mean The Flash should have rushed to get to that final step — in fact, one of the key elements of their relationship that has made it so effective is that The Flash puts Barry and Iris through dramatic arcs that don’t feel like forced drama. For example, in The Flash season 5, Barry and Iris have a big dispute when the Scarlet Speedster sent their daughter Nora back to the future without discussing it with his wife. Barry thinks what he did was right after Nora had lied to them, but Iris holds him accountable for not taking her feelings and thoughts into account. Just because they got their happy ending, it didn’t mean that they were free from having their marriage tested every now and then, which helps keep their onscreen relationship meaningful.
If The Flash had taken Smallville's approach, Barry and Iris would would not have been married until the sixth or seventh season. While Lois Lane and Clark Kent got their happy ending, it was a long wait because of his first romance with Lana Lang for 7 seasons. Lois didn't really get to be the female lead of the series and Clark's equal until Smallville season 8, which is where the writers began setting up their endgame. Conversely, The Flash lets Barry and Iris be equals in the narrative; Iris has been a lead since the pilot, and she has continued to be a central character ever since.
While The Flash is essentially from Barry’s POV, Iris is just as important to The Flash as the titular hero himself. Seeing Barry through her eyes allows the show to display how Barry can sometimes make mistakes while also letting that be an opportunity to grow as a husband to Iris. There was even the multiple-episode arc of Barry and Iris going to couples therapy where they worked on their relationship because of his choices in The Flash season 3 finale. The writers let them struggle with conflicts born organically from the plot, which is what makes them such a believable Arrowverse couple.
Where Other Arrowverse Romances Struggled
While Barry and Iris have mostly had a very steady journey, some of the other major Arrowverse couples have had different trajectories. Arrow is a primary example of how its main love story had inconsistent writing because the creators didn’t go through with their main plans. In the Green Arrow mythology, Oliver Queen and Dinah Laurel Lance have a long-lasting on-and-off-again romance while working together as superheroes. Arrow’s first season set up the idea of Oliver still having strong feelings for Laurel, but that was thrown out by the time the Arrow season 2 premiered. To say that Oliver and Laurel “didn’t work” is inaccurate as the show never even got to truly explore them as a couple. If the creators didn’t want to commit to Oliver and Laurel, then Arrow shouldn’t have set up their love story in the first place. In the long run, it can be interpreted as the writers looking at what social media was saying as opposed to following through with what they had set up.
Even though Oliver and Felicity were able to work in the later seasons, Arrow still had problems executing that romantic storyline. Once Felicity Smoak became a big fan-favorite, the writers shifted focus to a budding Arrow romance between Felicity and Oliver. The couple had a happy ending by the end of the Arrow series finale, but the DC drama made many mistakes along the way that The Flash never did. The biggest issue was that the Oliver and Felicity’s love story took over the show — at the expense of other character arcs. Furthermore, they were written sometimes in ways that felt out of character simply because there had to be drama, especially in Arrow season 4 when they broke up. Oliver's overall darkness made that romance tricky at points since he lied and kept things from Felicity, which made it hard to root for the relationship; fans of Felicity often felt she deserved better.
Supergirl is another example of an Arrowverse show that struggled to deliver a satisfying relationship arc. Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyers’ romance was rushed over a single season in which Alex also explored her sexuality. The pacing was increased so much that Supergirl season 2 ended with the two now suddenly engaged. But as it was revealed soon after that Maggie was leaving, Supergirl season 3 had to spend five episodes disassembling a couple that had been set up in a rushed way to begin with. There is also the example of how the Kara Danvers and James Olsen pairing were scrapped after a whole season explored the two actually having feelings for one another. The Supergirl season 2 premiere undid all of that development, and a former showrunner blamed it on the show feeling like they had to explore them as opposed to wanting to [via TV Guide]. That statement shows a lack of commitment and just wanting to jump to a Kara with Mon-El storyline, which was another romance that complicated Supergirl.
How Other Current Couples Have Potential If The Arrowverse Commits To Them
Even though Barry and Iris are the strongest romantic dynamic in the Arrowverse, that doesn't mean the franchise doesn't have other good couples. Legends of Tomorrow finally committed to Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe, who have become the show's main power couple. Despite the show's often whacky premise, the Sara and Ava storyline feels believable, and thus helps ground the series in reality. Even though Supergirl struggled with Maggie's storyline, Kelly Olsen has become a strong addition to the series as Alex's new partner. This time there is way better pacing — unlike Alex's story with Maggie, which developed too quickly while she was still coming to terms with her sexuality. Since Supergirl will be coming to an end after its upcoming season, it's unknown whether or not Kara and William are going anywhere. In the end, it might be better for the Girl of Steel to not end up with anyone as Supergirl season 6 should focus on Kara fully before the Arrowverse drama wraps up.
Stargirl, while taking place on Earth-2, is still considered an Arrowverse series, and they have so far tackled romance differently. Unlike some of the other shows, Stargirl season 1 didn't automatically have Courtney Whitmore involved with someone. The first season allowed the focus to be on Courtney discovering her inner hero while reviving the Justice Society. The only romantic hint was her flirty vibes with Icicle's son Cameron Mahkent (a.k.a. Icicle Jr. in the comics). That is an angle that other Arrowverse shows haven't done before: teasing possible feelings between a villain and a hero. But if the Stargirl writers aren't ready to explore romance more deeply then it's better that they don't force anyone upon Courtney. It only takes away her character growth if she suddenly has to have a boyfriend just because the plot dictates it.
It is possible that Stargirl could be the Arrowverse series that begins a new trend for DC TV shows on The CW when it comes to love arcs. With Black Lightning coming to an end, the fourth and final Black Lightning season will definitely conclude some storylines for Jefferson and Lynn as well as Anissa and Grace. Jefferson and Lynn, at this point, have earned themselves a happy ending after the events of the last three seasons. In the case of Anissa and Grace, that is another pairing that has had to face their multitude of challenges, which will hopefully allow them to see a happy ending before Black Lightning concludes. Because of how much the two pairings have had to go through, it only makes sense that the series finale has them live happily ever after in some capacity.
How Romances Can Improve In The Arrowverse Going Forward
While The Flash committed to developing the Barry and Iris storyline, that hasn't been seen as much on the other shows; however, this doesn't mean the rest of the Arrowverse can't learn from it. Superman & Lois has already established its main couple to be married and having a family, so there will be new challenges for them to go through. Flashbacks could be incorporated to show how the couple dealt with issues to reflect where they are today as a couple. But future shows should properly think through what they want to do in the romance department. Something like Wonder Girl and Painkiller, if they both go to series, could look at the other shows and explore new ways to do love stories. For example, Yara Flor doesn't necessarily have to have a destined love interest from the get-go as that could be incorporated in future seasons. But whoever would be introduced as a future love interest should be allowed to be fully explored and not repeat the mistakes Arrow and Supergirl made.
Batwoman season 2 has an interesting situation as Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder replaces Ruby Rose's Kate Kane. Since there is already the focus on Julia Pennyworth and Sophie Moore, Ryan might get her own love interest down the line after she first gets established as the new series lead. Even though she is known for being with Kate in the comics, Batwoman season 2 could perhaps introduce Renée Montoya as Ryan becomes Gotham's new protector. But right now, the priority should be to let Ryan get a foundation as she enters the Arrowverse permanently.
As long as the Arrowverse is still ongoing, there will always be a line-up of DC TV shows that feature love stories. Whether it plays a major or minor part of the narrative remains to be seen with future shows. Something that would be refreshing is if there is an Arrowverse series that has a romantic duo where both are superheroes, similarly to Hawk and Dove or Cloak and Dagger. Only time will tell if The CW ever develops a DC TV spinoff show like that, but it's certainly something that would fit the network. The Flash might only have a few seasons left before it ends, but it doesn't take away Iris and Barry's status as the Arrowverse's strongest romantic couple as they set the best example of how to tell a love story in DC TV.