The Arrowverse’s 5 Worst Storylines, Ranked (Including the Grave Mistake That Ruined Arrow)

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For over ten years, superhero fans loved watching The CW’s interconnected shows, known as the Arrowverse. It began with *Arrow* in 2012 and grew to include five series (or six, if you include *Superman & Lois*). Inspired by DC Comics, these shows delivered fantastic stories as heroes like The Flash, Green Arrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman fought to protect their cities and even teamed up to save the world. The series created some memorable TV moments, most notably the large-scale “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event that delighted viewers.

Although many storylines in the Arrowverse were successful and enjoyed by fans, some unfortunately missed the mark. These ranged from confusing plots and illogical events to truly terrible arcs. Here are five of the worst, including villains with disappointing reveals and deaths that didn’t make sense.

5) The Death & Rebirth of Caitlin Frost (The Flash)

Throughout its many seasons, *The Flash* had some fantastic stories, but also a few that didn’t quite land. One of the most problematic appeared in the show’s final season. Season 9 began with a surprising twist: Caitlin Snow seemingly died while trying to bring Frost back to life, and a new being named Snow emerged in her place. This new character, who later became known as Khione, was integrated into Team Flash, but the storyline felt out of place and didn’t quite work alongside everything else happening in the show’s concluding season.

By the series finale, Khione unexpectedly gained incredibly powerful abilities and then left to safeguard the balance of nature. Simultaneously, Caitlin made a surprising return just as the show ended. Fans found the whole plot confusing and felt let down that a long-standing character didn’t have a meaningful part in the final season.

4) Savitar (The Flash)

A major weakness of *The Flash* Season 3 was its villain, Savitar. Fans were already tired of speedster villains – this was the third season in a row to feature one – and Savitar didn’t immediately improve things. While Savitar had a striking appearance and was initially intimidating, and the mystery surrounding their identity was intriguing, the reveal of who was behind the mask ultimately ruined the storyline. Despite some potential, it felt too similar to previous villain arcs and the payoff didn’t land well.

Savitar’s reveal as a future, corrupted version of Barry Allen – a ‘time remnant’ created by time travel – had potential. However, *The Flash* missed an opportunity to explore the interesting psychological implications of Barry being his own greatest enemy.

3) Jennifer Pierce’s New Body (Black Lightning)

Let’s be real: *Black Lightning* had some storylines that weren’t its strongest, but they were usually interesting enough. However, Jennifer Pierce’s story involving a body swap is a real low point for the entire Arrowverse. In Season 4, Jennifer (also known as the hero Lightning) disintegrated into energy after flying too high. Her family tried to bring her back by collecting her energy particles and using a machine to rebuild her, but the person who returned wasn’t quite Jennifer. She appeared in a completely different body. It turned out this new Jennifer – nicknamed JJ – was actually a separate being that used Jennifer’s DNA to create a physical form for itself.

Thankfully, the real Jennifer was eventually brought back, and everything worked out in the end. The storyline behind the switch – China Anne McClain leaving the show and being temporarily replaced by Laura Kariuki – makes logical sense. However, the way the show handled it felt strange and ultimately detracted from the enjoyment of the final season.

2) Alien Clone Sara (Legends of Tomorrow)

Legends of Tomorrow was known for being a lighthearted show within the Arrowverse, but one plotline felt particularly strange and didn’t quite land. In season six, Sara Lance died and was brought back to life, but the issue wasn’t her return itself-it was *how* she came back. After dying from an alien toxin, the villain Bishop resurrected her using cloning technology, but the clone wasn’t actually human.

Sara has been altered with both human and alien DNA, making her a unique hybrid with the ability to heal quickly. It’s incredibly strange, and even for the *Legends*, it was a bit too unusual, though it did allow her to continue working with the team.

1) “Who’s In The Grave?” Mystery (Arrow)

One of the weakest storylines in the Arrowverse was the “Who’s In The Grave” mystery from *Arrow*’s fourth season. The season begins with a scene showing Oliver Queen and Barry Allen standing at a graveside six months in the future, and Oliver is clearly deeply affected by the death of the person buried there. However, viewers are kept guessing for almost the entire season with numerous red herrings. The eventual reveal wasn’t just disappointing – it felt genuinely disrespectful to the audience given how much time was spent building it up.

It ended up being Laurel Lance, also known as Black Canary, who died, and her death mainly existed to cause Oliver more emotional distress. The show didn’t just present a dull mystery; it resolved it using a frustrating trope called ‘fridging’ – killing off a female character to motivate a male one. Given that *Arrow* had already mishandled Laurel’s character before, her unnecessary death deeply upset fans. Things got even worse when Katie Cassidy returned as an evil version of Laurel from another universe. Even now, fans are still frustrated by this storyline.

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2025-09-24 01:47