Last updated on August 6th, 2021 at 08:10 pm
The CW TV Universe had a rough start, but thanks to the success of Arrow, it has spawned an incredible roster of superheroes and villains. I have been a fan of the aptly dubbed “Arrowverse” since the pilot episode of Arrow in October 2012, and I can say with certainty that ranking the top 10 most popular heroes is a hard feat to accomplish. Nonetheless, let’s give it the old college try.
For those that don’t know, the CW is a network known for its dramas such as Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, so when they decided to launch a superhero show in 2012, many were skeptical of its success. However, Arrow’s trailers did show promise and after the pilot aired, many people (including me) were hooked. Soon, Stephen Amell (who plays the titular character) was everywhere – on the news, on WWE Summer Slam, and even American Ninja Warrior. I mean, c’mon! What the guy can do on a salmon ladder is downright impressive.
Because of Arrow’s success, the CW had the room to expand the universe and produced other hit shows The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, and Black Lightning. Hence, ranking just 10 superheroes here will be a challenge. Regardless, I really wanted to do this list justice and pattern it to other successful lists you’ll find here on SHJ like The Most Popular Villains of All Time, Top Ten Most Powerful Superheroes with No Powers, Top 5 Physically Strongest Superheroes of All Time, and others we’ve already seen.
The CW has given us many characters to both love and hate, and fans will always somewhat be divided on who gets the top slots in any ranking list. On that note, I had to do a bit of research and get rankings from several websites to come up with this list.
The characters on the top ten deserve their slot, but keep in mind that the list may change depending on new character development arcs as each superheroes’ series moves along.
We’ve already released a slew of CW character workouts such as 50+CW Celebrity Workout Routines, The Grant Gustin-Workout, The Melissa Benoist Workout, and others you can find in our workout database on the site. As the different series moves along, more character workouts may be added – so stay tuned for that and keep an eye out in the weekly newsletters that we release to you guys.Â
If you like listicles that include heroes and villains from your favorite series, here are a few more I think you might like:
- The Most Popular DC Titans Characters
- Top 10 Strongest Female Superheroes of All Time
- The Most Popular Superheroes of All Time
If you are interested to see other ranking lists of superheroes, anime characters, or cartoons, you can check out the other SHJ listicles here.
For this one, I scoured the Arrowverse wiki for help and watched several ranking videos from watchmojo and tvline to get an average for who The Most Popular CW DC superheroes are. So, I decided to compile them together and place each character in the slot they were more or less at most often as well as keeping the list to the top 10 in terms of popularity and character development.
Leave your comments below on whether you agree with the list, or whether you feel other characters should have made it into the list!
TOP 10 MOST POPULAR CW ARROWVERSE CHARACTERS
Number Ten: John Diggle/Spartan (David Ramsey)
Show: Arrow
Hero or Villain: Hero
Starting off our list of The Most Popular CW Characters, we have John Diggle, Oliver Queen’s bodyguard and later partner in crime-fighting. He was a marine before he became a bodyguard, but that doesn’t stop Oliver from being able to ditch him several times. He’s definitely the soul in OTA (the original team arrow), and the trusted confidante of Oliver!
For John, what started out as an assignment to guard a newly-risen-from-the-dead aristocrat turned into the greatest adventure and crusade he’d ever joined. He’s proven his fighting ability through numerous battles across the series and his development to become Spartan is something that I feel is one of the great journeys that we got to see on the show.
Do you agree with Diggle’s placement in the top ten or would you push him down to the honorable mentions and bring someone else up into his slot?
John Diggle at SHJ:
David Ramsey aka Spartan Workout Routine
Number Nine: Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller)
Show: The Flash/Legends of Tomorrow
Hero or Villain: Villain
Coming in at number nine on the list of the most popular CW characters is Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold!
Leonard Snart was one of The Flash’s first rogues in the show and was a villain in Central City before being recruited by Rip Hunter to save the timeline (no, this isn’t a rip-off of the TVA) in Legends of Tomorrow. While Snart sometimes clashes with his heroic counterparts, he abides by a code, develops bonds of friendship with them, and later gives his life to save the team.Â
Side note – Snart is the only “villain” to make the list
Leonard Snart at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
Number Eight: Ray Palmer/The Atom (Brandon Routh)
Show: Arrow/Legends of Tomorrow
Hero or Villain: Hero
Coming in at number eight we have our first character from the Nerd Squad – Ray Palmer – aka The Atom – aka Oliver’s competition and Felicity’s rebound guy. Seriously though, Ray Palmer is a genius with several PhDs and a good-natured person at heart who really just wants to help make the world a better place. It’s no wonder that he’s considered as the heart of Team Legends.
While initially trying his best to buy out Queen Consolidated, he later decided against it and offered to partner up with Oliver to clean up the city and help him on occasion using his own A.T.O.M. suit – which allowed him to shrink to the size of an atom and shoot energy blasts from the wrist mounts.
Ray Palmer at SHJ:
Brandon Routh aka The Atom Workout Routine
Number Seven: Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh)
Show: Supergirl
Hero or Villain: Hero
In seventh place, we have our first Supergirl character, and it’s none other than Kara’s adoptive sister, Alex Danvers. Alex has a Ph.D. in biology and is the DEO’s expert when it comes to alien encounters, capturing them, and figuring out how to stop them. She’s also trained in hand-to-hand combat, martial arts, and multiple firearms.
While hesitant at first of letting her younger sister work with the DEO, Alex nonetheless does her best to support her super sister in the field and is always willing to lend a hand however she can. She certainly deserves a spot in this just for that.
Alex Danvers at SHJ:
Beginner S.H.I.E.L.D./D.E.O. Workout
Number Six: Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker)
Show: The Flash
Hero or Villain: Hero
Just missing the top five and coming in at number six among the most popular Arrowverse characters of all time is Dr. Caitlin Snow, our second member of the Nerd Squad.
The kind-hearted friend to both Dr. Harrison Wells and Cisco Ramon, Caitlin is a brilliant scientist and a formidable woman. In the original timeline, she doesn’t have any powers, but after Flashpoint, it’s shown that she develops some frosty powers similar to Captain Cold – and later one goes to become the hero known as Frost.
Caitlin Snow at SHJ:
NO WORKOUT AVAILABLE…YET
Number Five: Sarah Lance/White Canary (Caity Lotz)
Show: Arrow/Legends of Tomorrow
Hero or Villain: Hero
Making it to the top five among the most popular Arrowverse characters of all time is the original Black Canary and our favorite captain of the Wave Rider – Sarah Lance!
Sarah was lost at sea like Oliver but was rescued by fishermen early on and brought to Nandaparbat where she was trained by the League of Shadows to be a deadly assassin. Later in the show, she dons the guise of the Black Canary and returns to Star City as a vigilante. She is later recruited by Rip Hunter to save the timeline and inherits the captainship of the Wave Rider after Rip’s untimely demise. Headstrong, confident, and a born leader, Sarah has proven that she’s a legend through and through.
Sarah Lance at SHJ:
Number Four: Felicity Smoak/Overwatch (Emily Bett Rickards)
Show: Arrow
Hero or Villain: Hero
At number four among the most popular Arrowverse characters of all time, we go to the Arrowverse’s version of Oracle – everyone’s favorite blonde IT girl and Oliver Queen’s wife – Felicity Smoak aka Overwatch!
Felicity Smoak was an IT girl in Queen Consolidated until Oliver showed up and turned her life upside down. At first, she helped only because of his family name and because she thought he was cute. Later in the series, Oliver reveals his identity to her as The Arrow and she is brought into the life of crime-fighting by being the OTA’s (original team arrow) tech girl and hacker extraordinaire.
Over the course of the series, Oliver and Felicity develop feelings for each other and eventually get married. The on-screen chemistry between actors Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell has earned them the couple name Olicity, and fans were insistent that they were end-game – which turned out to be true. Felicity deserves a spot here for her never-ending cuts and witty remarks and for being the moral compass and reason that Oliver continues to fight for and to protect Star City.
Emily Bett Rickards at SHJ:
Number Three: Kara Danvers/Supergirl (Melissa Benoist)
Show: Supergirl
Hero or Villain: Hero
Coming in and making the top three among the most popular Arrowverse characters of all time is our favorite Kryptonian heroine – Supergirl!
Kara Danvers’ real name is Kara Zor-El, cousin of Kal-El or Superman as most earthlings know him. While looking younger than Kal, Kara is actually his older cousin and in some ways even stronger than Superman himself. Not only that, but she is one of the Big Three in the Arrowverse along with Green Arrow and The Flash.
What sets her apart from the other heroes is that she relies on the inherent goodness of people to overcome adversity and trials. Throughout the show, she proves that inspiring good in others is a far greater power than having actual superpowers. Played by Glee alumnae Melissa Benoist, Supergirl is definitely deserving of her spot in the Top 3.
Melissa Benoist at SHJ:
Number Two: Oliver Queen /Green Arrow (Stephen Amell)
Show: Arrow
Hero or Villain: Hero
Coming in at number two among the most popular Arrowverse characters of all time is the man who started the whole DC TV-verse himself – Oliver Queen, portrayed by Stephen Amell!
I should make a point to say: Oliver Queen is the original hero of the Arrowverse.
The son of Rober Queen – Oliver was stranded on an island for five years until he was rescued by some Chinese fishermen. Upon returning to Star City, he took it upon himself to rid the city of its corrupt agents and dispense his own brand of justice. He would have gone it alone, but thanks to his original partners Diggle and Felicity, he has expanded his team and taught many more heroes to take up his fight long after he was gone.
Oliver deserves this spot not only because he was the one that started the Arrowverse, but because he has also shown the most growth as a character throughout his series. From being a vigilante to being a recognized hero and inspiration for others, he has gone through many changes to become the hero that he is today – even giving up his own life to save the multiverse.
Stephen Amell at SHJ:
Number One: Barry Allen/The Flash (Grant Gustin)
Show:Â The Flash
Hero or Villain: Hero
Coming in at number one among the most popular Arrowverse characters is The Fastest Man Alive, The Flash!
Barry Allen was just a boy when his mother was killed by a blur of lightning. This unexplained mystery has fueled him and led him to a career as a crime scene analyst for Central City. Played by Glee alumnae Grant Gustin, Barry devotes his life to protect those he cares about and save his city from all manner of threats.
Would you place Barry at number one or does Oliver give him a run for his money?Â
Who else would you pull from the honorable mentions to bring up to this list?
Barry Allen at SHJ:
But I’d also love to hear who YOU think should be on this list!
The Most Popular Arrowverse Characters of All Time (Runner Ups):
- Rip Hunter (played by Dr. Who’s Arthur Darvill, he’s the man responsible for getting the Legends together)
- John Constantine (portrayed by Matt Ryan from the short-lived show of the same name)
- Cisco Ramon/Vibe (part of Star Labs and the name guy of Team Flash, Cisco is a brilliant engineer who later develops meta abilities thanks to Flashpoint)
- Martian Manhunter (The Last Son of Mars, J’onn J’onzz is a member of Team Supergirl and a father figure to both Alex and Kara)
- Roy Harper/Arsenal (Thea Queen’s boyfriend and the first protege of Oliver, Roy has proven that anyone can come overcome difficulties and rise up to become a hero)
- Mia Queen/Green Arrow 2040 (Felicity and Oliver’s daughter who we see in future flashes in seasons 7 and 8, and played by Mortal Instruments actress Katherine McNamara)
Don’t forget to comment your thoughts below.
As always, remember that all these routines should be paired with our Nutrition Pillars; and you can even check out our article on The Top Diets Used Among Celebrities as well.
If you want to step it up a notch on top of these workouts then you can also check out our Superhero Academy and Superhuman System as well.
Now get out there and begin unleashing your inner superhuman!
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Until next time,
Timmy
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