Every Arrowverse Character Who Also Exists In The DCEU

Warner Bros. has been running two massive DC shared universes on the small and big screens through the Arrowverse and the DCEU for almost a decade — ever since Arrow launched its first spin-off with The Flash, while Man of Steel began the studio’s cinematic universe in 2013. Throughout the last 8 years, an endless amount of heroes and villains from the pages of DC Comics have made the jump to live-action in various capacities. While some have ended up getting their own shows or films, others have starred in supporting roles in the respective projects. With some of them, fans have gotten to see multiple incarnations at the same time, which has helped establish DC’s Multiverse concept over the years. That was especially reflected during the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths when Grant Gustin and Ezra Miller’s respective versions of Barry Allen shared the screen that has now become an iconic moment for DC’s live-action history.

Through the Arrowverse, Warner Bros. has established all of its past, present, and future DC TV shows and movies to exist within the same Multiverse across infinite Earths, giving it a unique angle to long-time rival Marvel Studios and the MCU. While Warner Bros. has been more protective of some its bigger DC characters, preventing them from appearing on the small screen at the same time as ongoing film franchises, like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman, the Arrowverse has managed to include some of DCs biggest names. Initially, when Supergirl began, it seemed impossible that Superman would ever appear in the flesh while Henry Cavill’s version was still active in the cinematic world. But by the second season, Tyler Hoechlin got cast as The CW’s new Man of Tomorrow who is now getting his own spinoff with Superman & Lois this coming season.

As Greg Berlanti’s TV universe continues to launch more spinoffs, the DCEU is bringing in more characters to the big screen, several of them being characters that have been or are still active in the Arrowverse. But over the years, as the film series and shows have grown, more characters have also emerged into both worlds, in either smaller capacities or through tie-in material such as prequel comics or viral marketing. The following is every Arrowverse hero and villain who also exists in the DCEU and/or are confirmed to be joining the cinematic universe in the future.

Superman

Since 2013, Cavill has portrayed the last son of Krypton in 3 DC films, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, and there is potential for the actor to continue his role as the DC icon in the DCEU. Hoechlin joined the Arrowverse as The CW’s incarnation of Kara Zor-El’s (Melissa Benoist) famous cousin by appearing as an occasional guest between Supergirl seasons 2 and 5. Their respective versions of the beloved hero have been portrayed as being on very different paths. Hoechlin’s Clark has, since his debut on The CW, been established as having been Superman for over a decade, as he is now married to Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) who he has two sons with, thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths changing the history for the people on Earth-Prime. Cavill’s interpretation, however, has roughly been at it for only a few years after he stepped out of the shadows to take on General Zod (Michael Shannon).

Batman

Ben Affleck’s Batman is further along in his career as a vigilante compared to Warren Christie’s Arrowverse incarnation, as Batwoman revealed the Irish actor to be the official portrayer of Arrowverse’s Dark Knight. When audiences first met Bruce in the DCEU, it was a version of the character who is reaching the end of his crime-fighting career, being both spiritually and physically broken after having been Batman for all this time.

The events of Superman and Zod’s clash in the DCEU is what initially makes Bruce look at Metropolis’s hero in blue and red as a potential threat to humanity, leading into the divisive Batman v. Superman. Superman ends up having a huge effect on Bruce, as the two learn to find hope again. Meanwhile, the Earth-Prime version of the Caped Crusader in the Arrowverse has been missing for years, and no one, not even his cousin Kate, knows where he is in the world. From everything that has been said through dialogue, this version of the Dark Knight has come quite a long way in his career too.

Wonder Woman

While Diana Prince has made herself known in the world in the DCEU, the Arrowverse only recently confirmed her existence after several years of hints and speculations. In the cinematic version, Diana has discovered her inner hero in her origin story, taken on the Big Bad Ares, and, in the present, begun aligning herself with other heroes. On the small-screen, Wonder Woman has been alluded to through Easter eggs as well as the reveal that Themyscira exists, at least on Earth-1 pre-Crisis. But in the first season of Batwoman, Kate Kane ended up confirming her existence when stating that if she would dress up as anyone, it would be the famous Amazonian herself.

Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps

Both the DCEU and the Arrowverse have only scratched the surface when it comes to the Green Lantern mythology. While 2017’s Justice League featured a Green Lantern in the flashbacks, it’s known that other Emerald Knights such as Hal Jordan and John Stewart are out there, with Green Lantern Corps still being worked on. In the Arrowverse, while not spoken by name (yet), the Green Lantern realm has gotten more relevant in past years, particularly as it pertains to John Diggle (David Ramsey). In the series finale of Arrow, Diggle received a mysterious Alien box that had something green glowing inside, establishing his next adventures.

The Flash

When it comes to the fastest man alive, the role of Barry Allen has been given a lot of attention on both TV and film. Six seasons of The Flash have featured Barry growing into the hero that he is known for in the comics. Throughout his ongoing Arrowverse run, Barry has gone up against several speedster villains, threats from other Earths, and taken part in the Crisis that changed the franchise forever. With Miller’s interpretation, he is only just beginning his journey as the Scarlet Speedster. A testament to that during his cameo in the crossover is when Gustin’s Barry, unintentionally, names his doppelganger The Flash, a name the DCEU Barry wasn’t known as yet.

Black Canary

While Birds of Prey got the Black Canary mythology off to a solid start, the heroine’s legacy on Arrow has been an emotional roller coaster since multiple women have gone by that mantle. Focusing specifically on Dinah Laurel Lance, with Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Katie Cassidy playing their respective versions of her, the two iterations have been on different paths thus far. On The CW, Laurel (of Earth-1) went from being a lawyer to a vigilante before dying in season 4. Her Earth-2 doppelgänger Black Siren goes through a redemption arc to earn the Black Canary title. In the cinematic world, Dinah is a bit of a lost soul until she meets the gang that ends up becoming the Birds of Prey.

Lex Luthor

Eisenberg and Jon Cryer’s respective take on Lex Luthor, while similar in how they’re both antagonists, are written and executed incredibly differently. In the DCEU, Eisenberg’s Lex is still very fresh in his days as a criminal mastermind after losing to Batman and Superman. Cryer’s Lex, however, who is several years older than the DCEU version, has delved deep into his role as a villain on Supergirl. Having played the part he did in the Crisis to the schemes he is up to on Earth-Prime, this Lex has experiences and knowledge that Eisenberg’s Lex will, if he is seen in the films again, eventually grow into.

Huntress

Helena Bertinelli was one of the earliest DC characters to join Arrow as Jessica de Gouw brought her to life; however, Oliver taking someone under his wings that early in his career as a vigilante ended up being a big mistake, and Helena’s transformation into the Huntress took her down a dark path. After eventually coming to her senses in season 2, Helena hasn’t appeared on Arrow ever again, other than being referenced a handful of times. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s DCEU version of Huntress gets off to a better start as her characterization follows the comics somewhat closer than what Arrow did.

Deathstroke

One of the biggest DC foes is, and will always be, Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke, who is featured in both universes, with Joe Manganiello and Manu Bennett portraying the iconic villain. However, Manganiello’s incarnation, despite being set-up to have a big role in the DCEU, has so far only been seen for less than 2 minutes at the end of 2017’s Justice League, but that will be rectified thanks to the Snyder Cut. Arrow’s take on Slade in the first two seasons followed his relationship with Oliver and how they ended up becoming rivals before they, seasons later, patched things up.

Ryan Choi

Ryan Choi, better known as one of the people to take on the Atom mantle after Ray Palmer, has also been included in both the Arrowverse and the DCEU. For the cinematic version, Zheng Kai’s portrayal of Ryan will be seen in the Snyder Cut as the 2017 version of the film didn’t include him. While the DCEU version follows him as a STAR Labs scientist, the Crisis crossover introduced Osric Chau as one of the 7 Paragons that could help save the Multiverse. Being the Paragon of Humanity, Ryan became one of the most grounded aspects of the event.

Lois Lane

Whenever a TV show or film has Superman, Lois Lane isn’t far behind; the iconic Daily Planet reporter is one of the key characters of Clark’s mythology. Similarly to Cavill, Amy Adams has portrayed the DC character in the same 3 films, with her Lois being in the prime of her career. The same can be said for Tulloch’s Lois, as she is the star reporter that readers know her to be. The biggest difference between the two Lois Lanes is that the Arrowverse version has married her Man of Steel and started a family, which will be a core element in Superman & Lois.

Iris West

As there are two Flashes in live-action, there are also two actresses portraying Barry’s iconic love interest and star reporter for Central City Citizen: Iris West. Candice Patton has played the role for 6 seasons in the Arrowverse, with her evolution from being Barry’s lightning rod to being a key member of Team Flash and the founder of CCC being at the heart of The Flash. Kiersey Clemons, whose status with the role is currently up in the air, will make her debut as Iris in the Snyder Cut, and, if she does stay attached to the role, will appear in The Flash movie. Similarly to Gustin and Miller’s versions of Barry, Patton’s Iris has come further along while Clemons’ version is pretty much in her origin story.

Perry White

Perry White, the tough boss of the Daily Planet, plays a big part for both Cavill and Hoechlin’s respective versions of Clark Kent. While Lawrence Fishburne portrays him in the DCEU, the Arrowverse has yet to show their Perry, as Clark has only been seen having a heated phone call with him in his first Supergirl episode. Even if not seen on-screen, the Arrowverse version of Perry seems to be pretty much the same as his cinematic counterpart: a hard-working editor that doesn’t mind getting a bit loud with his staff.

Katana

One of DC’s most diverse characters is Katana, who ended up in both live-action franchises but was given incredibly different roles. Arrow’s version of Tatsu Yamashiro, played by Rila Fukushima, played a more emotional role in Oliver’s origin story when he was in Hong Kong. Despite losing her family, her version of Katana became an ally to Team Arrow in future stories, and she returned for the final season. Karen Fukuhara’s incarnation in Suicide Squad only scratched the surface of her character since she was mostly used for the massive action pieces.

Maxwell Lord

Supergirl’s Maxwell Lord, played by Peter Facinelli, didn’t last for long as the DC villain was reimagined as a scientist for a major distrust for superheroes. Once the show moved to The CW, his version of Maxwell hasn’t been seen; however, the DCEU is about to try the character out in Wonder Woman 1984 where he will be played by Pedro Pascal. From what has been seen in the trailers, it seems like the cinematic portrayal will keep him more closely to the comics, possibly having him be a metahuman too.

KGBeast

Anatoli Knyazev a.k.a. KGBeast has been one of the DC villains to make it to both TV and film screens, but still have completely different portrayals. The Arrow version of Anatoli, played by David Nyki, was a recurring character throughout the seasons as he and Oliver had a complicated relationship during Oliver’s time on Lian Yu and later on in Russia. Despite Oliver joining Bratva, their friendship goes through quite the drama between season 5 – 7 until they eventually bury the hatchet in the final season. The version that appears in Batman v Superman, played by Callan Mulvey, is relegated to being nothing more than a mercenary.

Oliver Queen

Given that he is the founder of the Arrowverse, Oliver Queen’s biggest exposure has been on the small screen. For 8 years, he essentially played a big role in forming TV’s Justice League all the way until the very end. As he was destined to die in the Crisis, Oliver still managed to come back to life to fulfill Arrow’s prophecy of “becoming something else” by becoming the Spectre to save the Multiverse by recreating it. Even though he hasn’t appeared in any DCEU films, Oliver’s presence in the cinematic universe was confirmed through viral marketing for Batman v Superman. In a tie-in interview with “Lex Luthor” published by WIRED, Lex states that one of his rival companies is Queen Industries, hinting that the Green Arrow exists in the DCEU as well — or at least Oliver does.

Mari McCabe

While she hasn’t played a major role, Mari McCabe a.k.a. Vixen became one of the DC heroines to join the Arrowverse, played by Megalyn Echikunwoke. As she is an active superhero in Detroit, the DCEU has also managed to include her, also through a tie-in marketing; Time Out Shortlist Gotham and Metropolis, which was part of the Turkish Airways marketing for Batman v Superman, revealed that Mari Jiwe McCabe is a famous Gotham supermodel. Whether or not she has become Vixen in the DCEU remains to be seen.

Robin

Most versions of the Batman end up building himself a Bat-family which involves a list of several Robins and Batgirls throughout his time. In the DCEU, the status of the Boy Wonder was quite the shocker as The Joker killed him at some point. Despite Joker killing Jason Todd in the comics, Snyder has confirmed that the Robin who died in this universe was Dick Grayson, the first Boy Wonder who eventually becomes Nightwing. In the Arrowverse, there are two ways they have established Batman’s iconic partner. Through Batwoman, it was revealed in the first season that Bruce has had at least one Robin during his time as Batman without revealing if it was Dick, Jason, or even Tim Drake. On Titans, now officially Arrowverse connected (on Earth-9), Brenton Thwaites plays Dick who is now Nightwing while Curran Walters portrays Jason as the second Robin.

Harley Quinn

Margot Robbie is portraying Harley Quinn in the DCEU through the Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey films, growing the villainess beyond the Joker’s shadows. While she has become one of the biggest DCEU characters since 2016, the Arrowverse has technically also had Harley, in a special one-off capacity. Back in Arrow season 2, when they were adapting their own Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn voice actress Tara Strong makes an unforgettable cameo as an unstable ARGUS inmate that, without showing her face, was her.

General Zod

One of Kal-El’s most personal and complex villains will always be General Zod, one of the last remaining pieces of Clark’s home planet Krypton. In Man of Steel, Shannon plays a motivated Zod who is a complicated Kryptonian due to the society of their home planet. While this Clark is eventually forced to end Zod’s life in order to stop his rampaging invasion, the Arrowverse has featured Zod, but did so very mysteriously. Played by Mark Gibbon as a hallucination to Superman, Zod’s status in the DC TV realm is a bit unclear. Despite being initially referred to as dead, he was still somehow operating in the 31st century. Post-Crisis, Superman & Lois might finally address if he’s still alive or not.

Alfred Pennyworth

Whenever there is a Batman on-screen, Alfred the faithful and resourceful butler is always nearby. In the DCEU, Jeremy Irons has been tackling the iconic partner of the Dark Knight. In the Arrowverse, Alfred has been name-dropped more than once, specifically for having his name as the Wi-Fi password to the Wayne Internet. The only representation from Alfred has been through his daughter Julia who has been allied to Team Batwoman in the first season.

Martian Manhunter

David Harewood has portrayed J’onn J’onzz a.k.a. the Martian Manhunter for more than 5 seasons on Supergirl, but apparently there was another version of the iconic hero this entire time. Harry Lanix, who portrayed General Swanwick in Man of Steel, was revealed by Snyder that he had been the Martian Manhunter the entire time, which would play a big part in his Justice League cut. Little is known about the DCEU version of J’onn, but it’s safe to bet that he will be fair but loving, similar to his Arrowverse counterpart.

Deadshot

As Suicide Squad was getting ready to be unleashed on the big screen, Arrow had to scrap their plans for their take on Task Force X. That meant that as Will Smith’s Deadshot came to life in theaters, Michael Rowe’s Floyd Lawton got killed off in the Arrowverse, despite the actor hoping he was still alive. Both versions were pretty similar as both their Floyds made it clear how dangerous he was as an assassin. Even though The Suicide Squad is set for a 2021 wonderrelease, Smith’s Deadshot will not be back for that one.

Amanda Waller

Following the complications that Suicide Squad caused for Arrow’s version of the team, Amanda Waller ended up paying a high price too when the Arrowverse version was killed off in the fourth season. Played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson, the former director of A.R.G.U.S. was a frequent player until her sudden death in Arrow season 4. In the DCEU, Viola Davis’ incarnation followed the lore as the maker of Task Force X while also having a lot of secrets up her sleeves.

Captain Boomerang

George Harkness a.k.a. Captain Boomerang has gone from being more than just one of Flash’s goofier but still dangerous villains. One of his biggest roles is his part in the Suicide Squad. While Jai Courtney’s DCEU iteration had that history, the version Nick Tarabay portrayed on Arrow was a short-lived take. Initially, he was the first villain Oliver and Barry took on for their initial crossover. Boomerang wouldn’t return until Arrow season 5 where he joined Prometheus in the war against Team Arrow. But it ended up costing him his life, leaving the Arrowverse without a Captain Boomerang.

Henry Allen

John Wesley Shipp and Billy Crudup have both played one of the most tragic characters in the Flash mythology: Henry Allen, Barry’s father who was wrongfully sent to prison. While Reverse-Flash killed Nora, Henry ended up being framed for her murder. The Arrowverse version ended up getting his name cleared, but he didn’t survive the second season as Zoom ended up murdering him in front of Barry. In the 2017 version of Justice League, Crudup’s Henry is locked up as he tries to encourage Barry to move on and start making a life for himself.

The Joker

The DCEU has only gotten a taste of Jared Leto’s Joker through Suicide Squad, and it’s unclear if he’ll reprise the role in future films — but that’s still more Joker for the DCEU than the Arrowverse has ever had. When Kate became Batwoman, fans wondered whether or not old Batman villains would be taking her on, including the Clown Prince of Crime. During the first season, Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) drops the bomb that Bruce actually killed Joker in this universe.

Mercy Graves

Despite Lex Luthor existing both in the DCEU and the Arrowverse, both worlds had a similar goal for their respective take on Mercy Graves: not letting them survive. Tao Okamoto and Rhona Mitra who both played Mercy, in Batman v Superman and Supergirl respectively, were taken out way too early. Mitra’s version is where the character got to shine a bit better as she was allowed to be fleshed out as one of the new foes of Supergirl season 4.

Cheetah

With a new Wonder Woman movie comes yet another one of her most iconic villains: Kristen Wiig as Barbara Ann Minerva a.k.a. Cheetah. While the film will be the villain’s biggest platform of all time, Cheetah may or may not have also been established to exist in the Arrowverse. During episode 22 of The Flash season 3, Barry and Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) broke into ARGUS and walked past several cells. While she never pops up on the screen, her cell sign says “Cheetah,” giving viewers quite the Easter egg. Given that Wonder Woman now officially exists in The CW’s DC TV realm, anything is possible, especially after fans see Wiig’s take on Barbara.

Characters Confirmed To Exist In Both Arrowverse & DCEU Through Easter Eggs

One of the major benefits to viral marketing is when it’s officially tied-in to said product or franchise, in this case, the DCEU. When the promotion was underway for Batman v Superman, WIRED’s interview with Lex, as a tie-in to the film, had a few more names that were recognizable from the DC world. One of them was Kord Industries, which belongs to DC hero Ted Kord, someone that Arrowverse viewers have heard countless of times throughout the shows. When looking over Lex’s competitors, Kord Industries is one of the rivals listed in the chart. Just like with the DC TV shows, the DCEU version of Ted has yet to be seen on screen either.

A major ally in the Batman family has and always will be Lucius Fox who, despite not appearing on-screen in either universe, has been established to exist in the Arrowverse and the DCEU. However, only one of them is still alive as Lucius on Earth-Prime has been dead for quite some time while the DCEU version, through Time Out Shortlist Gotham and Metropolis, establishes him as currently being a business manager of Wayne Enterprises. Without saying it specifically, it’s safe to assume that he has been helping Bruce with his vigilante adventures for years.

The Arrowverse as well as the DCEU have come a long way as they adapt the DC Universe, even if it’s with characters that the other side is using at the same time. But with DC having gotten the Multiverse concept the way they did thanks to Crisis, anything is possible down the line in terms of crossovers for the Arrowverse and the DCEU.

About The Author

Andy Behbakht
(1044 Articles Published)

Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

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