How Arrow's legacy has changed TV for the better — but not in the way you might think

There's a moment in the last ever episode of Arrow where Quentin Lance describes how Oliver Queen fought to better himself over the course of eight seasons:

"[Oliver] was an honorable person. And the fact that he didn't start out that way makes him, in my book, even more honorable. He stands as a reminder to all of us that anyone can change."

While the show itself didn't quite improve in the same way, it's impossible to deny Arrow's cultural impact beyond just the superhero storytelling it's known for. Eight years on, the first Arrowverse show stands as a reminder that TV can and should change for the better, particularly in one key regard.

GLAAD's most recent report revealed that LGBTQ+ representation on the small screen is at an all-time high, and the network which ranked highest for this is The CW. While most of the network's shows are inclusive across the board, GLAAD gave a special shout-out to the Arrowverse in particular for its emphasis on sexual diversity.

Every single superhero show on The CW represents a different facet of the LGBTQ+ community, from Sara Lance's bisexuality in Legends of Tomorrow to Batwoman's ownership of her queerness as an out hero.

Time and time again, the network has made history in this regard, most notably with Supergirl's Dreamer, the first trans hero on TV, as well as queer heroes of colour like Black Lightning's Anissa Pierce.

However, none of this would be possible without Arrow, and not just because each of these shows are technically spin-offs either.

After the first season of Arrow established its world, season two started to introduce LGBTQ+ themes through Sara Lance, which in turn kickstarted a whole wave of queer characters who brought some much-needed representation into our lives.

As the first LGBTQ+ character of note on these shows, Sara's personal journey of discovery and self-acceptance often reflected queerness in the Arrowverse as a whole.

Ever since her first all-too-brief kiss with Nyssa al Ghul, the former assassin has hooked up with both men and women, both seriously and just for fun too, embodying the kind of LGBTQ+ experiences all too rarely seen on mainstream TV.

Back in the early days of Arrow, it would have been impossible to imagine something like that IKEA episode of Legends explore the more mundane aspects of queerness – and this effect will continue to ripple forward in Arrow's absence too.

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Of course, it's not all fun and rainbows. The network which famously killed The 100's Lexa off and subsequently kickstarted a thousand Bury Your Gays essays has similarly stumbled more than once in the Arrowverse too.

Things are getting better, but it's safe to say that shows like Arrow are still reluctant to portray queer relationships in the same way that their straight counterparts are depicted.

While Olicity had more than their fair share of steamy encounters on screen, Curtis's love life barely got a look in, whether he was happily married or dating following his divorce.

And honestly, you'd need the speed of Kara and The Flash combined to read every angry comment about how the Sanvers relationship ended i.e. Supergirl's Maggie Sawyer and Alex Danvers.

Without their own Book of Destiny, The CW can't rewrite these past mistakes, but Batwoman in particular can go some way towards correcting them by authentically grappling with such themes in the most promising way yet.

Finally, we have a queer hero who looks and feels queer in a more subversive way than any of her predecessors – and the fact her character is open about it too ensures that Batwoman's sexual identity will never be sidelined like those who came before her.

When Ruby Rose found out that her character was coming out to Gotham's public, she cried, and it's safe to say that plenty of viewers must have had the same reaction.

More than just another LGBTQ+ side character, Batwoman is the first to star as the solo lead of her own show, inspiring viewers who've never seen themselves reflected in the heroes they idolise quite like this before.

And this is just the beginning. William Queen, Anissa Pierce, and Nora West-Allen are queer too, and while the latter is now gone from our screens, the fact that our heroes' children are members of the LGBTQ+ community sends out a message of intent and hope for the Arrowverse's future as a whole.

No longer just token characters, the stars of these shows represent an impressively wide range of queerness that helps normalise these experiences while ensuring that no individual character is forced to bear the weight of representation for all.

It's ok for Supergirl to extensively explore the coming out process through Alex Danvers, just like it's ok to incidentally mention characters like The Flash's Detective Singh are gay without foregrounding them too.

Gay Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti once told Fandom that representation has "gotten a lot better" when it comes to TV, and it's no exaggeration to suggest that the world he helped create has played a huge part in that.

Doom Patrol, Jessica Jones, Young Justice... the impact of queer representation in the Arrowverse can be seen in so many superhero shows which have arrived since, not to mention an increased visibility across TV's other genres too.

That's an incredible legacy, and while plenty of other shows have also contributed towards improved representation for all, much of queerness in the mainstream can be traced back to Arrow, the series that created a whole new universe eight long years ago.

Towards the end of Arrow's final episode, Diggle also honours Oliver Queen's life, saying: "The Oliver I met eight years ago is not the one we say goodbye to today."

In truth, the Arrow we met eight years ago is not the one we say goodbye to now either, and TV as a whole is all the better for it.

Arrow season 8 airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW in the US. In the UK, it airs on Sky One and NOW TV.

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David Opie

After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival. 

In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.

David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.

Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends. 

As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound. 

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