What will the Arrowverse look like without Arrow?

The CW’s Arrowverse is about to undergo a bit of a shakeup with some old shows leaving and new ones being added. What does the Arrowverse look like post-Arrow?

After Arrow season 8 and The Flash season 6 wrap, there are going to be some changes to the Arrowverse. For one, The CW’s longest-running series is nearing its series finale. Season 8 of Arrow only has two more episodes left, and they’ll presumably tie up all loose ends.

The good news is that the Arrowverse is growing with new shows picking up the slack. The CW recently announced that they’d given a Superman & Lois show a straight-to-series order. Details provided by The Hollywood Reporter indicate that the new show will center around Lois and Clark’s lives as they deal with the complexities of being working parents. It’s not said in the initial report, but Clark’s second life as Superman will likely factor into that plotline as well.

The CW’s upcoming Superman show isn’t the only one to join the Arrowverse. Black Lightning has also officially become a part of the superhero universe. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) was dragged into “Crisis On Infinite Earths,” and it essentially established a connection between Black Lightning, The Flash, and every other CW show involved.

Now that these two new superhero shows are part of the universe, the dynamic of everything has changed as a result. The shifts are partially attributed to Arrow being phased out, though they’re mostly due to a different show becoming the headliner.

As far as which one it’ll be, The Flash is the ideal candidate to move forward as the lead. It’s the second-longest airing show on The CW and the network already promotes The Flash quite heavily during the months in which new episodes air. What we expect to see now is the show marketed, even more, to make up for the absence of Arrow.

Supergirl

In regard to other changes we’ll see, The Flash is also likely to include more recurring crossovers with Supergirl. They originally took place between Arrow and The Flash when threats required cooperation between Team Flash and Team Arrow, but now that the latter is being retired, a new group of heroes will presumably fill the void. Supergirl’s team doesn’t consist of as many heroes, but they’re definitely capable of handling themselves in tight situations.

Black Lightning

Additionally, Black Lightning is expected to become more involved with The Flash’s ongoing plot too. Now that metahuman assassins are plaguing both Central City and Freeland, it’s only a matter of time before the two superhero teams begin working together.

The main reason Team Flash will contact Jefferson is that Black Lightning’s Agent Odell (Bill Duke) also has a group of brainwashed metahuman assassins under his employ. They haven’t been wreaking havoc like Allegra’s cousin, of course, that scenario is inevitable. And when it happens, the remaining heroes will have battle the joint threat together.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow might be the only show unaffected by Arrow’s departure. The show’s stars have made a couple stops by Star City for Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) to resolve unfinished subplots, but we don’t see much of that happening in the future. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was always at the center of crossovers with Legends, but without him in the picture, there’s very little reason for Time Masters to interact with Star City’s residents.

Batwoman

Batwoman is probably another show that won’t be affected by the Arrow-verse’s new dynamic. The newest CW series was recently renewed for a second season, and in the wake of Arrow completing its’ run, the plot will probably avoid making any references that would require Oliver Queen’s appearance.

Keep in mind that the newly formed Prime Earth will place Kate (Ruby Rose) closer to her superhero companions. They’ve also settled on a temporary facility for the beginnings of the Justice League, so there’s even more reason to assume Batwoman will be involved with dealings in Central City.

Canaries

According to Deadline, the penultimate episode of Arrow, which airs on Jan. 21, is titled “Green Arrow and the Canaries,” and it will act as a backdoor pilot. Depending on how that goes, we could see Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy, and Katherine McNamara could be starring in the next Arrowverse series.