After eight exciting, intriguing, and twist-filled seasons of masked vigilante mayhem and super villain-led strife, Arrow finally came to a close on The CW at the end of January. Even people who didn't follow the series closely will likely know that Arrow started a string of DC superhero spinoffs on the network, dubbed the Arrowverse. But, while we still have quite a wait ahead of us to get new seasons of The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman and new entry Superman & Lois, it seems like the network is trying to rename its shared universe, and former Arrow star Stephen Amell has now shared his two cents on the matter.
Several of the Arrowverse shows aren't set to premiere until early next year at this point, but to remind fans of what's come before and also give them a nice taste of what's to come with Superman & Lois, The CW released a promo recently that has some viewers up in arms. While the two-minute ad focuses a lot on Arrow in the early seconds, and admits that the series started a wide ranging live-action DC franchise on the network, it then goes on to boast that those shows are actually part of "The CWverse." I know, right? Who's been calling it that?!
As I mentioned before, Stephen Amell has something to say about this proposed new moniker, and I think many fans will agree that he makes a very good point. Here's what he said about it on Twitter:
It’s the Berlantiverse.
YES! I mean, if you're going to rename this whole collection of shows, why not give props to the man who's helped bring them all to our screens for several years now. Greg Berlanti is a true television super producer, and has been instrumental in giving us every DC series on The CW (and some animated ones on CW Seed), as well as live-action DC series like Titans, Stargirl, and Doom Patrol (which air on DC Universe) and is currently working on bringing fans Green Lantern and Strange Adventures for HBO Max.
Aside from all of Greg Berlanti's work with the Arrowverse (yes, I'm still calling it that) proper, he's done a lot for The CW in general, and also executive produces Riverdale, All American, and potential new series Kung Fu, The Powerpuff Girls and Green Arrow and the Canaries. Honestly, if you're going to bother trying to get a brand new name for your franchise to take off, why not choose one that honors someone who's done a lot of good work for you for many years? I know Stephen Amell would agree with me.
I, like most fans of the Arrowverse, don't understand why The CW would try to rename the franchise at this point, anyway. While I totally get that Arrow is no longer a part of the family of shows, it's not like those characters stories have been completely erased from the memories of all the characters on the other shows via the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" shenanigans. Arrow's legacy as the series that started it all still lives on in The Flash, Supergirl and the others, so why not continue to pay tribute to what the show helped to bring about?
Besides, Arrowverse has a nice ring to it, and makes sense because all of the shows are truly connected. Calling them "The CWverse" makes it sound like the Legends of Tomorrow gang can mix it up with the rich folks of Dynasty, who sometimes have to call Supernatural's Sam and Dean to take care of vampires who moved to town after terrorizing the kids from Legacies. The CW should just calm down, and if they can't let the Arrowverse stand, they should take Stephen Amell's advice and call it the Berlantiverse. Problem solved!
New episodes of all the Arrowverse shows should start filming soon and will arrive on The CW next year, but in the meantime you can check out what's coming to TV this fall!
