CW’s Arrowverse is filled with iconic characters and their own set of catchphrases. While some of these lines feature as the show's plot progresses, there are a few other standard catchphrases that each CW character (barring Black Lightning) resorts to saying during the intro of their respective series. These introductions mostly present the character’s alter ego and superpowers along with the current arch enemies they are facing.
From classic one-liners to ‘You’ve failed this city,’ and identity reveals like ‘I’m Supergirl’, each CW superhero has had their own standard catchphrase.
Arrow - 'You’ve Failed This City'
Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) first used this line as a warning to all the evildoers he punishes in his city. At that time, he adopted the vigilante persona of ‘The Hood’ fighting his solo crusade against justice in Star City.
While the hooded archer has always used it after confronting criminals, his own hallucination tells him the same words in an episode from Season 5. By this time, Queen has made a full-fledged ‘Team Arrow’ that helps him in his adventures, even if he bears the guilt of putting these team members in a life of danger. In a vertigo-induced hallucination, The Hood’s vision comes to him and says the same words, ‘You’ve failed this city’.
Supergirl - ‘I’m Supergirl’
A classic trope in Supergirl has been its protagonist Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) revealing her identity to her various friends and associates. In the initial seasons, fans considered it as an in-joke that Kara would reveal her identity to everyone except Lena Luthor (who again could have easily guessed her alter ego but somehow couldn’t).
Whether it be the show’s intro or a confrontation with Nia Nal, viewers would hear ‘I’m Supergirl’ on more than one occasion. In one alternate timeline, Kara goes on to say it out loud even in a press conference. She initially addresses the crowds in her bespectacled journalist persona, ending her speech with her superhero identity.
Constantine/Legends Of Tomorrow - ‘Luv’
‘Luv’ is a word that the exorcist John Constantine (Matt Ryan) frequently uses in many of his sentences, while pulling off a casual British accent. It’s very common for viewers to hear him say ‘Hello, luv’ or ‘It has been a long time, luv’.
While Constantine had his own series where fans could get more glimpses of the Hellblazer and his eccentric charm, the standalone show was canceled due to low ratings. However, with a guest appearance in Arrow, Constantine returned as a regular character in Legends of Tomorrow.
The Flash - ‘I am the fastest man alive’
‘My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive’ is a common line uttered by the scarlet speedster Flash, aka Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), to open each episode of The Flash. The line brims with a certain optimism and confidence to signify the transformation of Allen from an ordinary forensic experiment to a time-traveling speedster.
However, the catchphrase does change a little in the future season when he encounters speedsters like Savitar who are faster than him. ‘My name is Barry Allen and I am not the fastest man alive,’ he mutters with a sense of hopelessness in such moments.
Arrow - ‘Heir To The Demon’
In its story arcs featuring Ra’s al Ghul and his organization League of Assassins, Arrow often featured its characters using the words ‘Heir to the Demon’. Ra’s al Ghul’s name itself translates to ‘Head of the Demon' in Arabic.
So, by this logic, his daughter Nyssa al Ghul is the true heir to the Demon and hence she often repeats the line. Even when Oliver Queen himself turns towards the League of Assassins for a brief time, he says, ‘I am Al Sah-him Ra’s Al Ghul, heir to the Demon, and you will obey!’.
Legends Of Tomorrow - ‘I Hate Nazis’
If he finds anyone remotely similar to the Nazis (or if they are plainly antagonistic), Captain Cold’s best friend and antihero Mick Rory, aka Heatwave (Dominic Purcell), refers to them as Nazis. He also adds ‘I like burning Nazis’ while using his classic flamethrower on his enemies.
He says the line in his recurring role in Legends of Tomorrow as well as the Crisis On Earth-X crossover episode with Supergirl. In the episode, even Green Arrow and Supergirl end up saying it after him.
The Flash - ‘We Are The Flash’
Being Flash doesn’t necessarily mean having superspeed. It also stands for fighting the good fight and being a responsible guardian of justice as is emulated from this quote by Flash’s love interest Iris West (Candice Patton).
The line is used several times in Season 4 with both lovers saying it together signifying the fact that they’ll stick with each other come what may. These scenes tend to get a tad bit melodramatic but it still works well enough to add to their ever-growing romance.
The Flash - ‘I Am Your Father’
‘I am your father’ is a commonly misinterpreted dialogue often associated with Darth Vader revealing his identity to his son Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Even though Vader doesn’t really say these exact words, the line has become an unforgettable catchphrase in the pop culture zeitgeist.
In The Flash, the same lines are recalled in a dramatic fashion by The Trickster (Mark Hamill) as he reveals to the serial bomber Axel Walker who turns out to be his son. As many would know, this catchphrase is ironic coming from Hamill who himself played Luke Skywalker in his heyday.
Arrow - ‘…To Survive’
The initial seasons of Arrow open with the titular hero narrating the time when he was stranded on an island as he says, ‘For five years, I was stranded in an island with only one goal… to survive’. The line perfectly captures the trials and tribulations that Oliver Queen had to go through in his unexpected quest for survival.
It is his time on the island that toughened him up and helped him learn the skills that he uses later as Star City’s protector. It’s this time on the island that also confronts him with future allies and adversaries like Deathstroke.
The Flash - ‘Run Barry, Run’
Probably a reinterpretation of the classic Forrest Gump dialogue ‘Run Forrest, Run’, this catchphrase is used by many of Flash’s associates who know his secret identity.
Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) even uses the line to refer to ex-President Barack Obama (whose nickname is Barry). In a time-traveling episode in Legends of Tomorrow, Gorilla Grodd attacks Obama to which Palmer says in a panicky mood, ‘Run Barry, Run’.