Warning: this breakdown contains potential spoilers regarding all your favorite superhero shows on The CW. Read at your own risk!
As many might have guessed from all The CW superhero shows' most recent season finales, things are far from safe and orderly for the Green Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl and the time-traveling Legends. In fact, it's looking downright grim, and there's a good chance this generally bright segment of the DC TV-verse could get darker than ever when each action-packed drama returns for its respective new season. Check out just how and why all of these characters are in rough spots, and how they might be able to struggle through it all to find better times down the road.
The Flash
When The Flash's Barry Allen offered himself up to the Speed Force to prevent it from going nuclear, everyone was obviously sad (especially Iris), but there was an air of confidence that Team Flash would save their boy sooner rather than later. Now, word on Season 4 has revealed Barry has been gone much longer than expected, and his crime-fighting squad still hasn't figured out a way to rescue the Scarlet Speedster from the time prison. With past villains set to make a return to Central City, one has to wonder just how up to the city-saving task Team Flash is without Barry, Caitlin Snow, or H.R. (Pours coffee on sidewalk in show of respect.)
All hope is not lost, however, as it appears Wally "Kid Flash" West is ready to dash up to the plate and become The Flash, albeit temporarily. Even if Wally isn't quite ready yet to take on the full-time duties of being The Flash, he still has Earth-2 speedster Jesse Quick to lend her hands, as well as her Earth-2 daddy, Harrison Wells, who can lend any and all intelligence that was lost in Caitlin Snow's departure. (Another dark turn!) Hopefully, the team can still keep Central City safe while still finding a way to bring Barry Allen back home so that he can finally marry Iris.
Arrow
It's not a contest for who has it the worst in the Arrow-verse, but if it were, Oliver Queen and the Arrow team would totally take the prize. While we don't know exactly who died on Lian Yu, it's a pretty safe bet some lives (if not a fair amount) were lost in that final battle with Prometheus, including some Team Arrow folks. Plus, Slade Wilson is a free man, and while some want to believe Oliver's magnificent foe is reformed, most aren't buying it. Can the Mirakuru wearing off really soften his heart enough to forgive the death of Shado, not to mention being imprisoned on the island for years?
It's not likely, but Arrow has shown it is possible for characters to change and redeem themselves. Roy recovered from his battle with Mirakuru, and villains like Deadshot and Leonard Snart have both found redemption within the Arrow-verse, despite being inherently evil in all other interpretations. As for the other characters who may or may not be dead, we already know a good chunk of the series regulars for Season 6, so while Team Arrow will definitely be battered, they definitely aren't down and out entirely. Let's just hope they can recover in time to protect Star City from the inevitable tragedy it's overdue for!
Supergirl
Things were looking awfully grim for Kara in the Season 2 finale of Supergirl, but in the true spirit of the episode's title, she persisted. Still, Kara's victory wasn't as clean as some of her heroic efforts we've seen in the past, and she ended up sending her romantic foil Mon-El away from Earth, only for him to be promptly sucked into a wormhole. So...things could definitely be better. The push in Arrow-verse shows always seems to be "go bigger and wilder" with each new season, and that sounds like a big problem for Kara if Reign is as tough of an adversary as she's been portrayed in the comics.
Then again, it's awfully hard to believe Supergirl could crumble at the hands of one individual, any individual, after the latest epic way in which she saved her world. She also has Cat Grant and that fan favorite's sage advice back in her corner ,which is as great for Kara as it is for the fans happy to see Calista Flockhart possibly back for more than just a handful of episodes. That's not all fans have to be excited about, either, as Supergirl should indeed be a major part of the epic crossover slated for this coming fall season. Hopefully this means some moreArrow-verse heroes make their way to Kara's Earth to help her out for a change.
Legends Of Tomorrow
While Rip Hunter seems to firmly believe Sara Lance is fully capable of captaining the Waverider in his place, they're all pretty deep in some timey-wimey nonsense. Los Angeles is a mess, and while normal folk are possibly none the wiser that dinosaurs weren't always a part of the natural wildlife, the Legends Of Tomorrow team isn't going to just let the time stream fall apart. They can't. The latest word on Season 3 indicates that fixing this mess might lead to some pretty deep consequences that can't be solved with a simple flick of another Spear Of Destiny, and time jumping also doesn't seem like an option.
On the bright side, the first episode is titled "Aruba-Con," so it looks like Mick got his wish! There's also Rip Hunter working with his Time Bureau to attempt and fix these anachronisms, so it's not as if the Legends are going to be moving castles and rustling up dinosaurs completely alone. While both Rip and Sara look like they'll butt heads a couple or times along the timeline-adjusting way, it seems more than likely the two will eventually come together to restore reality to a safe and recognizable form, so that they can alter it all over again.
All of The CW's fall lineup is primed to return in one epic week beginning October 9th. To check out the full lineup be sure to check out their fall schedule right here. For information regarding the hot shows of the summer, visit our summer premiere guide.
