So we’re ranking every hero that has debuted within the Arrowverse so far. So before we get into the list, here’s the criteria. They have to be superheroes or vigilantes. Keyboard warriors or everyday heroes need not apply. We’re talking masks, spandex, capes, and superpowers. Characters will be evaluated on individual basis. Some characters are going to be tweeners, good with shades of evil, but no flat out villains. So no Captain Cold, Mick Rory, Cupid, etc. Just flat out good guys, or anti-heroes.
We’ll count future heroes too, like Mon El, but not characters who might become an original hero sometime down the line. However if they’ve already become their own hero, ala John Diggle becoming Spartan or Jimmy Olsen as The Guardian, they’ll be included. So if Julian Albert returns and becomes Doctor Throws Things at Bad Guys, he won’t be on this list.
Length of time as a hero won’t hurt but can help the placing. Characters who have been around for a while won’t necessarily be given preferential treatment, because that could just mean we’ve seen more of them to dislike them. So longevity and frequency of appearance is immaterial.
Here’s what we’re looking for;
– Comic Character Accuracy: How one portrays the character in relation to their origin.
– Unique Handling of the Character: Making the character their own, while embracing the origins.
– Efficiency: Are they able to handle themselves.
Part 2 – 40-31 aka Solid Complimentary Heroes
Part 3 – 30-21 aka Great Complimentary Heroes
Part 4 – 20-11 aka Could Be on Their Own
*Due to Black Lighting just debuting, and his series not being clearly established within the Arrowverse, he’s not being counted on the list for now.*
The Elite Heroes
10) Martian Manhunter
– While J’onn J’onzz is Supergirl’s second, it’s pretty obvious he’s her mentor. With the young Kryptonian finding her way in the early seasons, J’onn was instrumental in her development. Not just as a hero, but also as a young woman; always there to offer her advice. But it wasn’t just the moral or ethical dilemma’s he helped her face. A lot of times he would throw down with the same villainy that Kara did. Be it her aunt, her boyfriend’s mother or now a World Killer, J’onn has always shown to be more than ready to stand by his young friend, and show the universe what he’s capable of. If he has one fault, it’s that he’s a secondary character and you don’t get too much of his personal life as you would as a main character. The struggle’s of him being a Martian on Earth are often underdeveloped by the writers.
9) Superman
– When Superman appeared on “Supergirl” for the first time, many were skeptical. Fans were left asking questions about who would play the Man of Steel, and many wanted former “Smallville” actor Tom Welling to come in and reprise his role. He didn’t, opting to go to Fox’s “Lucifer” instead, but they found a decent replacement in Tyler Hoechlin. This version of Superman is really just a slightly more exaggerated version of the one we know. Of all the modern ones, even Brandon Routh’s, I’d say this is the least flushed out, and that does hurt him some. Though the ever present humility, optimism, and compassion are still there. That matters because those moments are the tenants most recognized within Superman in most versions. It’s fair to say that Hoechlin’s adaptation isn’t too shabby. It’s not too shabby at all.
8) Firestorm II
– Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein weren’t just still ‘on the show’ when I started compiling this list, they were frequently the heaviest of heavy hitters on “Legends of Tomorrow”. Usually missions went bad when either one or the other wasn’t available to form Firestorm. No one on the team right now, or even with the impending Wally West addition, can make up for that kind of power. The second Firestorm far and away exceeded the first’s in not just combat, but in character development. The Jax and Stein combo was everything that the Ronnie/Stein combo tried to create. The sense of a familial bond between two men who weren’t biologically family was there. It didn’t really click the first time. I partly blame this fact on Ronnie Raymond being played by Stephen Amell’s (Oliver Queen) cousin, Robbie Amell. A fine actor in his own right, sure, but hard to take the gravity and depth of these scenes seriously when we’re all looking at how similar Robbie and Stephen are. And then that crossover episode where they were in every other shot. It was too ironically funny to take serious. But Jax and Stein thrived in that role. Strong writing and the duo’s acting propelled this version to the top. It’s hard to deny that this wasn’t the more entertaining tandem.
7) Spartan
– While Huntress was the second mask and Red Arrow the second true super hero, it was John Diggle who was the second hero in the Arrowverse. As the best friend (nay, Brother) of Oliver Queen, Diggle has been through more with Oliver than anyone else. He’s shown to be a man of conviction, often times challenging Oliver on his beliefs. Diggle also has unwavering morals, which we see in nearly every episode. Yet, it’s the most honest and true quality that makes him so great; Loyalty. The fact that he refuses to leave his best friend to the wolves for any reason shows just how much he values those in his life. As a person, he’s aces. That’s not to take away form his combat skills though. Those have him so damn high on this list alone. While not trained by elite level soldiers, assassins, secret spies, ancient killing organizations, and the Russian Mob; Diggle is a former United States soldier with a high degree of training and expertise in his own right. He’s no slouch in the field. Unlike so many on this list, Digg has never really changed from the first episode. Which is good, because he’s genuinely seen as someone who’s never had to. He’s constantly talked about in reverence by the fans, and with seasons six’s arch of him taking over the Green Arrow identity, it’s pretty obvious just how much the writers love the character too.
6) The Atom
– Ray Palmer is just the cheekiest fucker in the world. The Atom is the miniature superhero, driven to constantly explore and develop new technology in order to make the world safer. He was essentially Elon Musk before Elon. Let’s just call it what it is, Elon Musk stole The Atom’s life. Palmer is the eternal optimist in the Arrowverse, and is one of the few people that can refer to himself as a ‘pillar’ for the whole thing. While he may ‘second’ Sara Lance on the Waverider, Palmer has shown far more abilities in the field thanks to his power suit and his quick wit than people realize. He survived for weeks in the prehistoric era. How many can say they did that? He’s well aware of the issues that come with time travel and is the teams moral regulator for when things get dicey. He has one weakness, and that’s constantly falling for someone else’s girl. Be it Oliver Queen’s, Carter Hall’s or even teammate Nate Heywood’s, he’s constantly trying to find love in all the hopeless places. Maybe Zari could be the one. But for his sake, I’m sure he could do better.
5) Vixen II
– While The Atom may be the most valuable member of the Waverider, Vixen (Amaya Jiwe) is everything the writers tried to make Sara Lance. Amaya is well accustomed to combat, has staunch unwavering principals and has a depth of compassion that few in this universe has. The thing that puts her over the top though is her willingness to sacrifice everything she wants, for what she needs to do. Believe me, if it wasn’t for the enormity of #4’s save-history, these two would be switched. Amaya not only willingly went with strangers into the future to find the person who killed her love and former team leader, but she then fell for her teammate and left, all because she knew she had to return to her time and live the life she was meant to have. Amaya refused to screw with time at all, because she knew the consequences. Sara Lance claims to know these consequences but refuses to abide by that, even as the leader. It’s obvious to me that Jiwe should be the team leader, but I don’t know if we’ll ever see that.
4) The Flash
– Run, Barry. Run. Now iconic words, but at the time nothing more than a clever catchphrase for a trailer. Barry Allen has gone through many different phases. There was the “YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA I’M THE FLASH!” phase. Then there was the “My Mommy and Daddy were murdered…” phase. Then there was the “….ANNNDDD now my future wife might die” phase. Finally, we have “Responsible Barry”, now with real checkbook balancing action. Gone are the fanboy, Joss-Whedon-level-brooding, and near-Hot-Topic-level’s-of-emo-behavior that have plagued his character. He’s been trash. Terrible.
“Barry, don’t fuck up time!” – All the Wells’
“WELLS’ I FUCK’DED UP THE TIMELINE AGAIN!” – Barry
“MOTHER-FUCKER, BARRY!” – All the Wells
“I can’t, Wells’. She’s dead!”
*Silence*
That’s loosely the first three seasons. However, and I’ve dogged him, but two of his three villains were far and away some of the best in the series. Eobard Thawne and Hunter Zolomon (Reverse Flash and Zoom), not only beat Barry badly, but taunted him in ways that few have done at all in this universe. And while Savitar was garbage, The Thinker is proving to be a truly horrific villain. Yet, Barry’s beaten (will beat) them all. He’s also reset time not just once, but like three times at this point. If not more, I don’t remember; the show is constantly fucking things up. Barry in season four has really matured, and even accepted his fate when found guilty of murder. Now, his defense (or lack there of) didn’t do anything to help him, but still. He took it like a man. That’s admirable.
3) Supergirl
– I don’t like the show. I think the show is heavy handed. It’s written in a way to over exaggerate specific issues. That being said, her character isn’t bad. She’s dedicated to her cause, she’s well prepared as a hero and has carried the expectations of being Superman’s cousin as well as could be expected. She’s the first public legacy hero in the Arrowverse. Think about that for a second. She’s the first publicly known hero to come from a family who does this often. The Flash isn’t telling everyone Kid Flash is his brother, nor did White Canary or Black Canary ever do joint interviews about their relationship. Yet, Supergirl and Superman are publicly known to be related. That’s a lot of pressure, on top of her day job, her romantic life, alien invasions and oh yeah, the multi-verse constantly puking up new cross-dimensional issues every other week. So yeah, she’s sometimes a little annoying and a little too brooding at times; but she’s more than earned her place in the upper echelon.
2) John Constantine
– John Constantine is on this list mostly because of his high success rate, and the level of his enemies. Unlike everyone else on this list, Constantine doesn’t deal with low level thugs, speedster mass murderers or aliens from outer space. No, he fights demons. Things that can torment you for all of eternity. He’s not one to fuck with. Granted, he’s had his fare share of losses, and has had struggles with other magical users; but he’s done a lot in a short amount of content. He has had one show, called “Constantine” and has been featured on a few Arrowverse series – helping out every so often. However, it’s his animated series that’s forthcoming that may showcase more of his abilities and talents. Constantine deals with forces that no one can truly comprehend and is solely responsible for Sara Lance getting her soul back (Get it?) He’s someone with a vast amount of ability and that is enough to get the #2 slot.
1) Green Arrow
– Are you even a little surprised? The whole universe is named after his show. Named after him. He’s the only person in the top five to not have powers or abilities and defeat meta’s on a regular basis. Think about that. He’s a hero that The Flash, Supergirl and even White Canary all look up to. He’s the hero Barry Allen needed to defeat The Reverse Flash. They look up to Oliver, lean on him, and rely on him to find the answers. Unlike just about everyone else, he’s been doing this stuff for over a decade. He’s seen it all. Literally. Speedsters, aliens, Nazi’s, Russian Mob Drama, and the emergence of meta-humans. He’s the stalwart. The standard barrier. The hallmark. He’s beaten the greatest killer in the DC Universe, the immortal head of an ancient assassin clan, and even the one man in all of the universe who out Oliver’ed Oliver. He always wins. He’s so unwavering and profound in his abilities, even the Nazi’s bowed to Evil Oliver, and that included Overgirl (Nazi-Supergirl). When you consider just how much respect he has in this universe and others, it’s pretty simple to figure out who is number one, and why. When Oliver Queen is the Arrowverse. So say we all.