The Arrowverse has lasted for about seven years. Over the course of those years and four connected series, fans have seen a lot of characters come and go. Sometimes, it’s been met with jubilation. Other times, it’s one of the saddest things an audience has ever seen, but that’s the nature of the game in television: actors have other projects they want to pursue, characters have run out their story arcs, or the show itself just decides to go in a different direction. It happens.
Over the course of about seven years, since Arrow started back in 2012, we’ve seen a lot of heroes and villains cross our screens. While eight times out of ten, the Big Bad’s tend to not win our hearts and minds, most of the time, we’re pretty sad when we see the heroes go. The state of leaving the Arrowverse is pretty malleable, all things considered, but more often than not, someone saying goodbye doesn’t always mean goodbye. Granted, that’s the kind of confusion that one can expect from a superhero universe. No one stays gone forever as there’s always a Lazarus Pit, a doppleganger, or something in the wings. When we say “exit,” we mean someone that we believe is more or less gone, someone we haven’t seen on screen in a while or won’t see anytime in the near future. Then, there are the ones who should go. Here are 18 Character Exits That Hurt The Arrowverse (And 7 That Need To Go).
NEEDS TO GO: Ricardo Diaz (Kirk Acevedo)
A problem with a lot of bad guys across the Arrowverse is that they tend to be too much. While we understand the need for a strong bad guy to match wits with the heroes, there is such a thing as being too strong. Ricardo Diaz is definitely one of those chess masters. Known as the Dragon, he seemed to be ten steps ahead of Oliver (Stephen Amell) and his crew. And even when he was down, he always seemed to have the advantage.
Currently, he resides in Slabside Prison. Though, we have to wonder how long that will be for. If he returns, then let him be brought down a little, but for now, he should stay gone.
HURT: Dante Ramon (Nicholas Gonzalez)
Dante only appeared in a couple episodes of the earlier seasons. The arrogant, more beloved brother of Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), Dante definitely had a grating way about him. Although Cisco still loved his older brother, even if he got on his nerves, the relationship extended to the more villainous siblings of Earth-2, where Dante was a metahuman named Rupture. But, it appeared that the brothers’ relationship would have a little more foundation going forward.
Then, after Flashpoint, it was revealed that Dante passed in the new timeline that Barry (Grant Gustin) found himself in. It definitely took away some more stories to tell about the Ramon brothers, which was a bummer.
HURT: Jefferson “Jax” Jackson (Franz Drameh)
The second half of Firestorm, Jefferson “Jax” Jackson was never certain about this whole superhero business at first. Over the years, however, his friendship with Grey (Martin Stein) grew. He became more comfortable in his own skin as a hero and as a person, and when Stein was taken from the team, Jax was able to have his body stabilize without needing the Firestorm matrix.
When he joined the Waverider in the fight against Mallus (John Noble), five years had passed for him. He has a wife and daughter, so it’s good to see that Jax made his own happy ending.
HURT: Olivia Marsden (Lynda Carter)
There’s always a chance that we’ll see Lynda Carter on Supergirl again. Her story arc, being forcibly outed as an alien, does seem to be largely completed and it was frustrating that her decision was to step down, rather than fight for her leadership. It comes down to the fact that even though she is an alien, she was born in the United States, so she has every right to lead under Article II.
Mainly, we just liked seeing Lynda Carter in this position. If there is a best possible timeline, then it’s one where Wonder Woman ends up leading the United States.
NEEDS TO GO: James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks)
If there is one glaring flaw with Supergirl’s characters, then it’s that no one really knows what to do with James Olsen. Originally conceived as the original love interest for Kara (Melissa Benoist), it was a plot thread dropped at the start of season two. His transition into Guardian moved too quick and was ignored for long periods of time. Some of his decisions, such as giving the Children of Liberty a chance, doesn’t make sense in light of things he revealed about his past.
Despite Brooks’ considerable efforts, no one seems to know what to do with the character. At this point, it’s probably better to just cut their losses.
HURT: Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale)
Wally West was an addition to The Flash that fans have been waiting for since season one. While Barry does have a lot of Wally’s traits, Keiynan Lonsdale did an amazing job of stepping into the role. From civilian, to member of Team Flash, to becoming Kid Flash, Lonsdale has more than proven that he is perfect in the role. Something about his free and easy nature shows a different, less weighed sort of hero aspect that Barry had grown into.
When he went on his journey of self-discovery and ended up on the Legends, he proved to be a valuable fit. We are definitely hoping to learn what happened with Starro and him.
HURT: Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan)
Some parts of the first season of Supergirl didn’t survive the network switch from CBS to the CW: James and Kara’s romance, the DEO desert base, and, what we believe, some plot lines as well. Lucy, the younger sister of Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch), joined as a recurring character in the first season, who fans of comics know that she would one day become Superwoman.
With the network switch, along with production heading to Canada, however, some stars couldn’t make the move, and Jenna Dewan was one of them. It was definitely a shame because it looks like Supergirl was heading for a Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker) situation. That would have been pretty awesome.
HURT: Jesse Wells (Violett Beane)
The Earth-2 daughter of Harrison “Harry” Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and his wife, Jesse Wells was a brilliant student before she was taken by Zoom (Teddy Sears). Rescuing her took most of the second season, then she ended up developing her own set of speedster powers. Unsurprisingly, Jesse Wells is supposed be the Arrowverse’s version of Jesse Quick, but she doesn’t need the equation of her counterpart.
With Beane going full time for God Friended Me, it looks like she’s gone from the Arrowverse for a time. Still, her final episodes, especially the repairing of her and her father’s relationship, were a good send-off to the character.
NEEDS TO GO: Hank Heywood (Tom Wilson)
The difficult to please father of Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) debuted this season with the storyline following how Nate tries to make amends with his father and join the Time Bureau full time. Unfortunately, there are just so many times that you can tread out the whole “father and son make amends” narrative before it feels a bit stale. The fact that it’s already run out of steam by the sixth episode shows a lot.
Plus, how much of a story can you share when Hank clearly has his own wicked agenda with Project Hades? Any goodwill they manage to build will be nullified by that.
HURT: Prometheus/Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra)
Easily one of the best villains that Arrow produced, Prometheus was a terror to behold during season five of the show; part of it comes from the fact that there was a dry spell of weak Big Bad’s. Fearsomely competent, a planner, and ready to take revenge on Oliver, Prometheus never crossed the line into ludicrously overpowered.
Unfortunately, it was a shame that it ended on the final act of his plan to cause Oliver pain. The aftereffects of Prometheus’ reign are still being felt today on the show, which is the mark of a great villain.
HURT: Julian Albert (Tom Felton)
Season three of The Flash doesn’t have the track record of being the best season of the series. One of the bright spots, however, was Tom Felton joining the cast as Julian Albert. It led into an interesting dynamic between he and Barry at the CCPD. He was honestly pretty spooky as the villainous Doctor Alchemy, and when free from that control, he helped the team as best he could.
It did hurt a little bit that he was dropped, off-screen, in the lead-up to season four. It just felt like a sudden closing on a chapter that could have been further explored. However, Tom Felton is apparently open to returning, so there’s that.
HURT: Deathstroke/Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett)
Deathstroke is one of the best Big Bad’s to come out of the Arrowverse as a whole. Played with fierce intensity by Manu Bennett, Slade Wilson is everything you want in bringing a classic character to life. While most Big Bad’s tend to focus on the big picture: dominating the city, ruling the world, etc, what makes Slade (and Prometheus) work so well is that he focuses on making Oliver’s life difficult.
He doesn’t want to rule or to dominate, he wants to eliminate Oliver Queen and his world, which is the sweetest thing he could think of. When he left permanently, it was definitely a sad end.
NEEDS TO GO: Mona (Ramona Young)
Mona has already been on a couple episodes of Legends of Tomorrow, and while she hasn’t been on long, she’s a bit much. Though it’s clear that creators were trying to go for an Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia) or Nora West-Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy) sort of vibe, there’s something about Mona that is just pushing things too much. Maybe it’s because the Legends are all quirky in their own way that Mona’s own brand of quirk seems forced in the series. Either way, something needs to give with this character.
HURT: Ronnie Raymond (Robbie Amell)
The first love of Caitlin Snow, Ronnie Raymond was a ghost that haunted her over the course of the first season. In the particle accelerator explosion, it caused him to fuse with Martin Stein (Victor Garber) into the first iteration of Firestorm. Later, Ronnie would appear on and off through the first season as he and Stein learned how to handle their abilities.
In the season one finale, Ronnie sacrifices himself to help close the portal that Thawne opened. And although many people believe that Barry saved Central City, Ronnie was the true hero of the day and his sacrifice wasn’t even remembered.
HURT: Amaya Jiwe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers)
After the mess of the first season of Legends of Tomorrow, Amaya Jiwe was definitely one of the saving graces that helped the show recover. The first casualty from one of the tribes of Zambesi, who is the grandmother of later Vixen Mari (Megalyn Echikunwoke), was part of the Justice Society of America. After the passing of her love, Rex Tyler (Patrick J. Adams), she would join the team to figure out who took him from her.
Eventually, Amaya would become a valuable part of the team and partner to Nate Heywood. While Maisie Richardson-Sellers remains as Charlie, we really miss Amaya and her common sense.
HURT: Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart)
One of the best parts of Supergirl’s first season, Cat Grant took no nonsense from anyone. Clever, tenacious, witty, and rarely compromising, she ruled the media landscape with her perfectly manicured fist. Flockhart was great in the role and her scenes with Benoist were highlights.
With the move to Vancouver for production, however, Flockhart left the show as a regular. Though she remains open to guest-starring, she hasn’t shared a screen with the characters since season two. Without her, there is definitely something missing in the CatCo scenes and in the show overall.
NEEDS TO GO: Baker (Bruce Boxleitner)
With the exit of Lynda Carter, it was time for a new leader to step forward on Earth-38, and naturally, her second-in-command succeeded her. This guy, though, is kind of a mess, willing to bend to domestic oppositions rather than actually show some backbone against them. He has the nerve to demand that Kara reveal her identity for “the good of the nation” and disrespects Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) as well.
Look, it’s not easy being a leader of the country, but Supergirl works with the DEO, not for it. Really, this guy needs to show some backbone rather than capitulating to the enemy’s cries.
HURT: Captain Cold/Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller)
Wentworth Miller’s guest spots as Leonard Snart was a highlight throughout the first season of The Flash. It was unsurprising that his popularity was so great that he was added to the first season of Legends roster. After sacrificing himself in the penultimate episode of the show’s first season, Miller appeared on Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash sparingly; usually, it was a past version of him.
Later, however, he announced that he will be leaving the Arrowverse formally during the 2017-2018 television season and his absence on both series is definitely felt. Where else could we find a morally ambiguous pun machine like Snart? Nowhere, that’s where.
HURT: Winn Schott, Jr. (Jeremy Jordan)
Despite the whole “friend zone” storyline of season one, Winn Schott, Jr. grew into one of the much-needed sources of humor on Supergirl. A genius with computers and tech, Winn often acted as the “man in the chair” for Kara, creating and improving gadgets for her as needed. After working as I.T. for CatCo, Winn eventually went to the DEO as an agent, though he usually worked from behind the scenes.
Afterwards, he would leave with Mon-El (Chris Wood) to the future in order to fight against the original Brainiac. It was definitely a more confident, less haunted version of the character who went. And even though Brainy (Jesse Rath) has stepped into his shoes, we definitely miss Winn’s cheerful nature.
HURT: Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp)
The wrongfully convicted and imprisoned father of Barry Allen, Henry had spent most of his son’s life behind bars. Even locked away in Iron Heights, Henry was still a good father to his son by offering advice and encouragement as needed. Freed with the confession of “Harrison Wells” (actually Eobard Thawne), Henry went to live in a cabin in the woods. Later on in the season, he was taken out by Zoom, which sent Barry into a spiral that ended with Flashpoint.
While it’s clear that Henry’s passing was necessary for Flashpoint to happen, it still feels like a waste of a character.
