After eight long seasons, the show that started it all is coming to an end. With Stephen Amell putting a unique touch to one of DCs most popular heroes, Arrow opened the door to the DC universe on the CW.
Due to his leadership role in the Arrowverse, fans are left to wonder how the universe will get by with their lead hero meeting his untimely end in the upcoming crisis. Here are 10 theories to what the DC universe will look like moving forward.
Trauma in the aftermath
Losing a hero is tough; losing the leader of the team of young heroes is even tougher. With the Green Arrow dying in the Crisis, the heroes will surely feel the pressure and the trauma that comes with losing a friend and mentor.
Many might scramble, and some might be left traumatized as almost every hero on every show has some connection with Oliver Queen. With rumors floating that Oliver will die in Barry’s hands, the Flash might feel the death of his friend and mentor the most. It could be a huge part of Barry’s character development moving forward.
The Arrowverse will revolve around the Flash
With the Green Arrow as the catalyst for the DC universe in the CW, who will take over as the experienced, level headed mentor? Well, the obvious answer is the hero with the most experience behind Green Arrow, and that’s Barry Allen.
Although Superman will have his own show, he hasn’t been very present in the Arrowverse and therefore has not had a chance to build a relationship with the heroes like Barry has in the crossovers throughout the years. And with the Flash dealing with multiverses and time traveling, we could very well see the Arrowverse become the Flashverse.
More Crossovers
If the Flash is going to be taking over as the leader of the Arrowverse, we could very well see more crossovers between heroes earlier in the season, before the yearly crossovers. As someone who deals with and is very experienced in multiverse and time travel, we could see Supergirl, Superman, Black Lightning, and even Oliver’s kids team up with the Scarlet Speedster.
Given the other shows plots have wiggle room for crossovers, we could even see a worldwide dilemma similar to the Crisis in the current seasons of the shows. Either way, Arrowverse fans should be excited about the new phase.
Introduction to more Heroes/Villains
The loss of Arrow could open the door to other DC superstars looking to fill the slot of the vigilante and give the fans a nice healthy dose of DC comics on the small screen. With an endless amount of quality heroes that haven’t even been mentioned in any shows that could be huge for any upcoming crisis in the next seasons.
With Superman and Star Girl making their way and Green Lantern making his way in HBO, there are still plenty of heroes to be claimed and used in one way or another in the Arrowverse. Very similarly, there are plenty of powerful villains we haven’t yet seen in any of the shows.
Arrow Cameos
Since most of the Arrow cast has been seen on other shows, we could very well see cameos or see them play minor roles in shows. We’ve seen Felicity on the Flash in several episodes due to her close friendship with Barry and Iris, we’ve seen John Diggle help Team Flash and Laurel Lances sister as the leader of the Legends of Tomorrow, so we could see her make an appearance on the show.
With a group of talented heroes, they can make an impact regardless of what show they’re on. Fans can rejoice; we haven’t seen the last of Team Arrow.
Less Dark Storylines
Flash deals with a lot of feel-good optimistic storylines, the Legends deal with exciting and mouth opening stories, and Supergirl and Batwoman deal with breaking out of their cousin's shadow, none deal with dark or moody storylines like Arrow.
Some even joke that the Green Arrow is the Batman of the Arrowverse due to all the gritty episodes and death the show has dealt with. With the Superman show taking Arrows place, we’re going to see less dark storylines and more feel-good stories where we cheer on the heroes and have more happy endings.
Batwoman will step up
Whenever Barry was in a bind and needed some trusted superhero back up, he would call on his close friend Oliver Queen. With Oliver making his exit, Barry needs a new friend that he can trust to get the job done, and that would be the new Bat of Gotham, Batwoman. Although they had a brief meeting in last year's Elseworlds crossover, Batwoman, as of this moment, is the only hero on Earth-1 that isn’t constantly traveling through time and space.
In the comics, Barry is good friends with Batman, and Batman has even called Barry a better detective due to his background in forensic science. We could very well see a similar relationship blossoming with the Flash and Batwoman.
Other shows might be in trouble
With Arrow ending and the Superman show in full swing, other shows could be in trouble. With Legends hitting record low ratings and Supergirl in danger of being overshadowed by Superman, these shows are in the hot seat and have to perform well in the following seasons to stay alive.
Even though Supergirl has decent ratings, her more famous cousin could steal the spotlight and take viewers from the Girl of Steel, and it could all be caused by the imbalance of Arrow leaving. All the current DC TV shows could be competing for the slot Arrow leaves behind, and all eyes will be on these shows moving forward.
Green Arrow's return (from another universe)
Maybe we haven’t seen the last of Oliver Queen in the Arrowverse. With the multiverse playing a role in most shows, especially with the Crisis, we could see a version of Oliver good or bad. This would give us a small dose of the man who started it all and opens the door and provide closure to heroes that didn’t say goodbye to Oliver Queen.
As we’ve seen before, Green Arrow usually steals the show in any scene, so writing him in could be beneficial for any show that might need the ratings. It could even just make for a fun one-shot episode.
Spinoffs for Arrow characters
With the Green Arrow introducing a solid cast of heroes, fans don’t want to see the last of them. With rumors of a Canary show or Mia Smoak taking over her father's mantle, and even a possibility of seeing John Diggle as a Green Lantern, the possibilities are endless.
We could very well see heroes and villains alike make an appearance in the Arrowverse in one way or another, especially since so many shows are in talks at the moment. The possibilities are endless given the amazing cast the show has brought throughout the years.