The Arrowverse was easily one of the best contributions to DC adaptations ever made, but it also peaked early before getting kind of lost. DC Comics have always had a consistently strong fanbase, from the early days of the comics being published in the 1930s and 1940s, to the serial films, and on to their shared universes like the DCAU and the DCEU.
However, not all of these stories were created equally. Christopher Reeve’s time as Superman has been hailed as the Golden Era for the character since he first debuted in 1978. Since then, the spotlight moved over to Gotham as Batman became the face of popular DC adaptations.
Meanwhile, when Marvel took a considerable lead in developing a shared universe with the MCU, DC did its best to respond in kind. But, the DCEU was riddled with problems, and as much as it may have had a loyal fanbase, it wasn’t sustainable. However, there was a charming DC Shared Universe being established over on The CW.
Beginning with Arrow in 2012, and rapidly bringing out The Flash as a connected story that sparked a much larger expansion. From there, the Arrowverse went on to have seven live-action shows (including Superman & Lois), and several other links to DC stories through the ages. But if we are all honest, the Arrowverse peaked early.
The Flash’s Best Episode Aired 11 Years Ago
Arrow may have kicked off the Arrowverse, but The Flash managed to exceed it in several ways. From the way they developed the core team, the relationship dynamics, how charming and enigmatic Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen is, and into the finer details such as costumes, the rogues’ gallery, and so on.
In a way, Arrow walked so that The Flash could run (pun intended). However, The Flash also suffered from the quality of the show declining over the years. While the series starts strong and explores important elements of the hero’s story, the later seasons begin to struggle to find ways to make new challenges interesting.
Things got extremely wacky, with moments like the infamous season 7 lightning lightsaber battle being just one small part of that growing issue that eventually saw the demise of the Arrowverse. And it wasn’t helped by the fact that the absolute best episode of The Flash came so early in the series during the first season.
“The Man In The Yellow Suit” Delivered Everything Fans Had Been Waiting For
“The Man in the Yellow Suit” is the ninth episode of the first season, and it cemented The Flash as the best series in the Arrowverse, thanks to the way they unveiled the Reverse Flash to be none other than Harrison Wells. Of course, the show goes on to complicate this fact, and it’s actually a man from the future named Eobard Thawne who has taken on Wells’ form, but the initial moment was an absolutely stunning reveal.
In the prior nine episodes, we learn about the tragic death of Barry’s mother, Nora, and the fact that his father was wrongly imprisoned for her murder. With Barry developing powers that reminded him of the bright, colorful lightning that was present on the night his mother died, it became clear that Barry’s account was not as far-fetched as the police would have believed.
Of course, Barry’s powers developed after Harrison Wells, the man who founded S.T.A.R. Labs, had a particle accelerator malfunction, which created several metahumans throughout Central City. But Harrison was working with the Flash, helping him recover, get stronger, and become a hero capable of stopping other metahumans; his being revealed as the villain was a true surprise.
This moment created a great deal of excitement that continued to push the series forward, and even after the Reverse Flash storyline was resolved, it continued to serve as a foundation to the series as it influenced Barry at various times throughout the rest of the show.
The Flash Peaked With Season 1
After that incredible reveal, there were over a dozen more episodes left in season 1 that allowed the story to be explored and resolved. And the dynamics here were some of the absolute best of the entire series. But by the end of season 1, things were winding down as the heart of the story appeared to be on the way out.
Season 2 tried to recapture the magic with an alternate Earth Flash arriving on Earth-1 and stepping into a coaching role to Barry, similar to how Harrison was in season 1, and even brought in a real Harrison Wells from that same alternate world.
But, with monumental shifts in the world around Barry, and going back on decisions that he already made in the first season, it felt a little messy. This continued to get more and more noticeable in later seasons as the show became increasingly scattered, with several crossovers thrown in for good measure.
The Flash peaked in season 1, and by extension, that also applies to the Arrowverse as a whole. But that doesn’t mean that there was nothing good about later seasons. The show was fun, and other entries in the Arrowverse took things in entirely new directions, but nothing was ever the same after the incredible premiere season of The Flash.
