Superheroes We Wish Were in the Arrow-verse

The CW’s interconnected superhero series return this month, and with Supergirl joining Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, there are going to be more superheroes on the channel than you can shake a stick at. All four of these shows are fantastic in their own way—the gritty vigilante style of Arrow, the colorful meta-humor of The Flash, the gloriously weird sci-fi twists of Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl’s sunny feminism.

But beyond the style of each series, it’s the characters that truly make us fall in love with the Arrow-verse. Each show brings with it a team of friends and partners around its central superhero, and the dynamics between them are as addictive to watch as the crazy superpowered fight scenes. Over the years since Arrow first appeared on our screens (back in 2012), we’ve come to know and love these heroes for their warmth, depth, and even their flaws.

Okay, on to the good stuff. The upcoming fall seasons promise to introduce us to a whole new set of characters from the pages of our favorite DC comics, but we sometimes wish that the Arrow-verse wasn’t limited to comic books. There are so many phenomenal superheroes who have been brought to life in novels and that would make for absolutely brilliant additions to the Arrow world. It may never happen (although, with multiple Earths and events like Flashpoint, we won’t write it off completely), but if the Arrow-verse could be expanded to include any fictional superheroes, here are some of the ones we would love to see.

Lisbeth Salander

From the pages of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy, Lisbeth Salander isn’t quite a superhero, but she may as well be. Not everyone on Team Arrow has a literal superpower (in fact, the majority of them don’t), and in this universe, brilliance and super-human intelligence is as useful a power as any other. Salander, despite being a prickly loner, is one of the world’s best hackers, and not too bad at holding her own in a fight, either. She can ride a motorbike, make herself electronically disappear, fight like a biker, and bring down her own super-villains given a powerful enough computer.

We’d love to see Lisbeth and Felicity Smoak pair up one day. Nothing could stand in the way of these powerful hackers if they got together. On top of that, we’d hope that a little Lisbeth meeting might lead to us seeing some more of college-goth Felicity, which would be fantastic.

The Shadowhunters

Although Constantine was sadly cancelled, and isn’t technically part of the Arrow-verse, John Constantine himself absolutely is. After his appearance on Arrow, and with Season Four’s descent into the world of black magic, there’s room in the CW world for some supernatural threats. Who better to help deal with them than the Shadowhunters?

From the pages of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series, the Shadowhunters are humans blessed by the Angel and granted special gifts to help them protect the world against demons and rogue Downworlders (vampires, faeries, werewolves and warlocks). Using runes, angelic weapons, and a lot of training, these magical warriors would be better able to stand against supernatural threats than almost anyone else in the Arrowverse. These guys also have some very impressive weaponry and the kind of global organization that rivals the League of Assassins.

To top it off, we’d love to see Alec Lightwood talk about bows with Oliver Queen.

Katniss Everdeen

When it comes to archers, there’s another literary bow-wielder we’d like to add to the Arrow mix. Katniss Everdeen knows a thing or two about a bow and arrow, not to mention the kind of notoriety that comes with being a superhero. From her battles in the arena as tribute to her battles on the wider stage of Panem, Katniss would fit right in with the archers in the Arrow-verse. Of course, she’s from a post-apocalyptic future, so she may need the crew of the Waverider to come and pick her up first… but when she reaches Star City, it’s time for an arch-off!

The Nightshade Lounge’s Bartenders

Paul Krueger elevates the humble drink-slinger to superhero status in Last Call At The Nightshade Lounge, a novel where bartenders are secret demon-hunters, protecting the drunken masses. Their powers come from the drinks they mix. A perfect screwdriver will give you super-strength, a mai-tai will make the drinker pyrokinetic, and a long island ice tea? That’s the ultimate superhero cocktail. 

We’d love to see these guys behind the bar at a re-opened Verdant, or pouring drinks for Heatwave and White Canary (the Legends who definitely like a drink). We’d also love to see the scientific minds in the series trying to figure out how a perfectly mixed drink can give someone super-powers—preferably with a little personal experimentation along the way!

The Violent Century’s Fog and Oblivion

Once, Fog and Oblivion were ordinary men. Then, in 1933, they were hit with a probability wave and developed superhuman abilities. Now Fog is capable of creating smokescreens, while Oblivion can disintegrate anything he touches. These two super-spies spent years together working for the British government, and now we’d like to see them cross the pond to join the Arrowverse.

These are darker heroes, whose questions about the nature of a hero would definitely spark some discussion with the brooding Green Arrow. Their past working with the government could also make them valuable assets for the DEO in Supergirl, although we aren’t sure what Martian Manhunter would make of these rule-breakers.

Evie Tanaka and Aveda Jupiter

These two are the best friends and superheroines of Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex, and we’d love to see them joining Team Supergirl for some female-fronted fighting. Aveda Jupiter (aka Annie Chang) uses her training more than her actual superpower and cares about her image as much as her battles against demons. We know that she and Cat Grant would get on like a house on fire. Speaking of firey women, Evie may prefer life behind the scenes as Aveda’s best friend and personal assistant, but she’s got some serious power of her own.

These two snarky, sassy, superheroines would be a phenomenal addition to the Arrow-verse and could probably give some of the other martial artists on the team (White Canary, Nyssa Al Ghul, Alex Danvers, etc.) a run for their money. 

The Indestructibles

This series by Matthew Phillion brings together five super-powered teenagers to save the world. We would love to see them bringing their unique powers to the small screen. Jane is Solar, the solar-powered girl. Kate is Dancer, a vigilante ballerina. Billy is Straylight, a boy with an alien symbiote living in his brain. Titus is Fury, the werewolf of the group. Finally, Emily is Entropy, with a black hole for a heart. Together, they are the Indestructibles, and they would be the perfect addition to bring the Arrow-verse to a younger audience.

Although there are a few teens to be found in the CW shows, like Wally West, most are in their 20s or 30s. Bringing in a new crew of young adult supers would be a great way to approach some issues for younger viewers and balance out the age range as characters like Thea Queen grow up.

Which literary superheroes would you love to see teaming up with DC’s finest? Comment and let us know!