7 Moments That Prove the Arrowverse Went Too Far

During its prime, there wasn’t much superhero content on TV that could touch the Arrowverse. It brought some of the most iconic DC heroes to life and gave them interesting stories that pushed them to their limits. The shows became so successful that The CW started doing annual crossovers, bringing together characters from every corner of the Arrowverse to face terrifying villains. However, each show in the franchise had long seasons, meaning there were times when episodes felt like filler or just didn’t live up to expectations. That cycle went on for years, and after a while, the franchise birthed its fair share of head-scratching moments.

But just because a scene failed to hit the mark doesn’t mean the whole thing is rotten. The Arrowverse has plenty of cringeworthy moments that are hard to watch but easy to forget because they don’t negatively impact the story. The moments on this list, however, prove that the Arrowverse lost its mind from time to time.

1) John Diggle Getting the Green Lantern Ring in Arrow

The Arrowverse loves to borrow a fan theory now and again, with the most notable example being John Diggle’s real identity. His stepfather’s last name turns out to be “Stewart,” teasing that Diggle may be The CW’s take on Green Lantern. Arrow‘s finale pours more fuel on the fire by having Diggle discover a box that lands from space that emits a green glow, but it fails to go further than that.

While Diggle pops up a couple more times in the Arrowverse, he doesn’t become a Green Lantern, giving up the job to stay with his family. It’s one thing to tease something in good fun, but it’s another to rip it away after making it look like a real possibility.

2) The Flash‘s Lightsaber Fight

The Arrowverse never had the budget that the big-screen DC movies did, which led to some bad VFX. However, it was easy to look the other way when the shows were trying to do something creative. Unfortunately, one moment on The Flash took things too far.

In Season 7, Barry Allen recruits his nemesis, Reverse-Flash, to fight Godspeed. Every speedster pulls out all the stops, including making lightsabers out of lightning. The scene is as ridiculous as it sounds, with series star Grant Gustin even coming out against it.

3) Leeroy Jenkins Name-Drop in Supergirl

While cringe-inducing moments aren’t supposed to be eligible for this list, there’s one that makes the cut. During Season 5, the DEO finds itself under attack by robots, forcing Supergirl, Alex Danvers, and Brainiac-5 into action. It’s a pretty standard Arrowverse fight scene until Brainiac-5 runs off on his own and yells, “Leeroy Jenkins!”

The line, of course, is referencing the popular internet meme from the early 2000s, which involves a World of Warcraft player screaming the name as he runs into battle with his clan. But there’s just no reason for the moment to happen, as all it does is prove that the powers that be at The CW are out of touch.

4) The Flash Using Red Death

By the time The Flash reached Season 9, it had used most of the hero’s iconic villains. In a desperate move, the show brought Red Death, a newer villain from the comics, into the fold to fight Barry Allen. While an exciting idea because Red Death is a variant of Batman in the comics, The Flash instead makes the villain a variant of Ryan Wilder, aka Batwoman.

The big problem with Red Death is that Barry doesn’t have much of a relationship with Batwoman. Wilder only gets a couple of seasons to show what she’s got in her solo show before making the jump to The Flash. The result is a messy villain with convoluted motivations fighting a hero ready to put away the gold boots.

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5) Grodd Going After Barack Obama in Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow never fails to shoot for the moon. The show features some of the wackiest scenes in all of the Arrowverse, including one where the team comes together to form a giant stuffed animal named Beebo to fight a demon. And the only episode to outdo that one is the one featuring Barack Obama.

In an attempt to defeat Mallus, the demon that the Legends fight as Beebo, Gorilla Grodd heads back in time to kill Barack Obama. Legends of Tomorrow tries to explain how Obama is part of Mallus’s plot, but it doesn’t do a good enough job. The episode is nothing short of a mess, with clips from it frequently going viral on social media due to their absurdity.

6) The Justice League Fighting Beebo During “Crisis on Infinite Earths”

Speaking of Beebo, the toy bear returns in the final episode of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event. After Oliver Queen gives his life to save the multiverse, the heroes of the Arrowverse return to a new Earth. They try to find their footing but run out of time when Beebo starts terrorizing the city, forcing them to team up and cut the bear down to size.

The idea of having all of the franchise’s heroes fight together after such an emotional crossover is a good one, but using Beebo shows that the powers that be never know when to leave well enough alone. There’s a time and place for Beebo, and it’s only on Legends of Tomorrow.

7) Oliver Queen and Malcolm Merlyn’s Rooftop Fight in Arrow

Oliver spends all of Season 3 trying to rid the world of Ra’s al Ghul, who has plans to destroy Star City. He succeeds in his mission, but the Demon Head’s organization doesn’t go away, as Nyssa al Ghul and Malcolm Merlyn fight for control. Oliver finds himself in the middle of the conflict in Season 4 and is not up for the games.

When Nyssa and Malcolm meet on a rooftop, Oliver trades places with his “wife” and defeats Merlyn, even cutting off his hand. The moment feels pretty out of place in an already uneven season, especially because the League of Assassins is overstaying its welcome.

Do you agree that the Arrowverse went too far in these moments? What other scenes do you think deserve to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!