12 Years Ago, The CW Announced a Superhero Show That Never Saw the Light of Day (& It Would’ve Been Great)

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The CW network has largely moved away from superhero programming, now focusing mostly on dramas and sports. But it wasn’t always this way. The CW used to dominate comic book TV, and it all began with Arrow. The show reinvented Oliver Queen as a vigilante, similar to Batman, fighting crime in Star City. When the creators decided Oliver needed a partner, they introduced Barry Allen, which eventually led to several successful spinoff series. Ultimately, the Arrowverse produced six shows that fans will remember.

I really enjoyed the Arrowverse, but it wasn’t perfect. I was especially excited when they introduced Mia Smoak-Queen in the final season of Arrow – it felt like they were setting her up for her own spin-off, Green Arrow and the Canaries! It was a bummer when that didn’t happen, and she ended up trying to find a place on The Flash instead. Still, I’m glad she at least got another chance, because there were other characters who never even got that much of an opportunity.

The Third Arrowverse Show Wasn’t Always Going to Be Supergirl

The Arrowverse ultimately became very popular, but it faced challenges from the start. The TV series couldn’t use major DC characters like Batman or Superman because the movies took precedence. This is why Oliver Queen, a character similar to Batman, became the central figure to attract viewers. However, The CW wasn’t just looking for characters to copy; they explored many different ideas. For example, after commissioning ‘The Flash,’ they also ordered a script for a series about Hourman, hoping to make him a key character in a potential Justice Society of America show.

Michael Caleo, a writer known for his work on The Sopranos, developed a pilot for a superhero series centered around Hourman, specifically the original version, Rex Tyler. The story would have followed Rex as he tried to understand strange visions, eventually realizing they showed him events from the near future. Once he learned to control this ability, he would become the hero Hourman. However, The CW network ultimately chose not to pursue the series, opting for other projects. Despite this, the Hourman character, Rex Tyler, still appeared in other shows within the franchise.

Hourman Still Got His Moment in the Sun

After the Arrowverse gained momentum, the show Legends of Tomorrow premiered, bringing together characters from Arrow and The Flash for an important task. Rip Hunter recruited them to travel through time and stop Vandal Savage, a villain determined to conquer the world. They succeeded in defeating him and began searching for new challenges. Their next mission found them when Hourman, a hero from the 1940s, appeared at the end of the first season, alerting them to an upcoming threat.

Patrick Adams, known for his role in Suits, played Hourman on Legends of Tomorrow for a few episodes and quickly showed he deserved his own series. He was a strong leader and incredibly intelligent, often outperforming the other Legends. Though he didn’t reappear on Legends of Tomorrow, the character later appeared in Stargirl, which shared connections with the Arrowverse. However, Stargirl didn’t fully utilize his potential. With James Gunn now overseeing the DC Universe, there’s hope that Hourman will finally get the chance to shine after waiting for a solo project for over a decade.

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2025-12-12 20:40