10 Years Ago, This Unusual Pairing Became the World’s Finest DC Duo

Ask any fan who the best DC Comics’ super-friends are, their answer will likely point to Batman and Superman. From the disparity in their powers to their different worldviews, the Dark Knight and the Man of Tomorrow are the kind of opposites that attract more powerfully than the strongest magnets. It’s surprising that The Flash and Green Arrow (two characters barely connected in the comics) outshined that relationship starting with the first Arrowverse crossover 10 years ago.

Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen was first seen on Arrow, before he got powers, in a two-part episode in Season 2. Stephen Amell appeared as Arrow in The Flash series premiere, establishing that Oliver was Barry’s superhero mentor. A flicker of their future friendship is seen in the final moments, too. Oliver does a superhero dive off the rooftop, swinging to safety as Barry says to himself, “Cool.” When he runs off at super speed, the camera hangs on Oliver as he, uncharacteristically, smiles and says the same thing. While characters from Arrow popped up in different episodes of The Flash before, “Flash vs. Arrow” and “The Brave and the Bold” was the first “big” event. The episode defines their friendship which would continue to evolve as the universe on The CW expanded.

Arrow and The Flash Were Two Different Kinds of Shows

The Tonal Differences Between The Shows Make the Crossovers Stand Out

At first glance, Arrow and The Flash seemed like shows that were too disparate in style and tone to ever blend together well. Oliver Queen was a tortured, brooding hero who (at first) had little compunction about killing his enemies. Barry Allen, on the other hand, was a brilliant goofball who looked at the world through glasses that were rosier than the first uniform worn by the Scarlet Speedster. Oliver’s associates helped with high-stakes missions against villains who racked up high body counts. Team Flash, on the other hand, gave their enemies cutesy nicknames and smiled more than they didn’t. Just like Batman and Superman, Barry’s “yin” fits neatly with Oliver’s “yang.”

“You can be better [than me]. Because you can inspire people in a way that I never could. Watching over your city like a guardian angel. Making a difference. Saving people, in a flash.” — Arrow to Barry from
The Flash
series premiere.

Barry had that energy from his first appearance on Arrow, when Felicity Smoak brought Barry to the Arrow Cave to save a dying Oliver. Like a true fanboy, Barry first theorized about “the vigilante,” then asked questions and offered suggestions to Oliver upon learning his secret. It was Barry’s idea for Oliver to wear a mask. Oliver also looked up to Barry, recognizing he lacked the darkness that drove the Arrow through his mission. This seems to set up a different take on the dichotomy between Batman and Superman. The first part of the crossover highlights how the Arrowverse heroes avoided that. After agreeing to team up, Oliver “trains” Barry, ultimately shooting him in the back with two hidden crossbows.

When Barry is “whammied” by a villain who induces rage, it leads to the fight promised by the episode’s title. Just as Batman has impossibly survived fighting Superman, the Arrow is able to stop The Flash just long enough to clear his head. Oliver spent the entire episode at odds with Barry. During the fight, Oliver appeals to the crazed Flash by praising the very lightness he’d criticized. This clearly establishes their roles, both in their friendship and, later, the larger community of superheroes. The Arrow is the guy who knows how to attack a problem and utilize “assets” to accomplish the mission. Beyond his impressive abilities, The Flash becomes the heart and conscience of this universe.

In the ‘Flash vs. Arrow’ Crossover, the Villains Were an Afterthought

Rainbow Raider and Captain Boomerang Were Perfectly Ineffective

Unlike the crossovers that followed, the two episodes were designed to be complementary but, ultimately, stand alone. The Flash introduced Roy G. Bivolo, a metahuman who could incite rage and violence by looking his victims in the eyes. While Cisco Ramon names him “Prism” (a different villain in DC Comics), Caitlin Snow uses his comics name: Rainbow Raider. In Arrow, the villain is Flash rogue Captain Boomerang, a former Australian special operator who was believed to be killed on a “Task Force X” mission. However, they were almost an afterthought in the story, since the central conflict stemmed from the difficulty Oliver had teaming up with Barry.

Key Facts About the ‘Flash vs. Arrow’ Crossover

The two series didn’t get extra time to produce the crossover, so producers merged the writers’ rooms, stunt teams and filming schedules. In the first part of the crossover, the fight against The Flash was the first time Arrow fought someone with superpowers. Composer Blake Neely designed the music for both series to be distinct but fit together when needed and released it as an album.

Rainbow Raider is an outlandish villain in the comics, and he wasn’t that much of a threat in The Flash. In fact, the heroes never actually fight him. The big action sequence was the fight between Arrow and Flash. Once Barry is recovered, there’s a smash-cut to him in an anti-metahuman cell at Star Labs. Captain Boomerang was a bit more of a challenge, assaulting A.R.G.U.S. headquarters and the Arrow Cave. When he and Arrow face off for the final time, there is a brief fight, but most of their interaction underscores how working with Barry reminds Oliver what being a hero means.

Instead of an elaborate fight, the episode jumps between Arrow and Boomerang’s faceoff and The Flash and members of both teams defusing bombs. Despite working with Felicity, John Diggle and Roy Harper, Oliver likes to face things on his own. Flash, on the other hand, recognizes the importance of teamwork, saving thousands of lives. It also pits the heroes against traditional villains while maintaining the conflict between the heroes. Yet, Barry is able to “teach” Oliver things, too, highlighting why Oliver ultimately looks up to the seemingly reckless superhero. This cements their friendship and how each hero balances the other.

The First Arrowverse Crossover Shifted the Dynamic Between Flash and Arrow

‘The Brave and the Bold’ Began the Evolution of the Characters and Their Friendship

At this point, the Arrowverse series weren’t allowed to even mention Superman or Batman. In the comics, animated series and even the DC Extended Universe, the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader are the center of that world. Superman is the awesome hero with a heart of gold, while Batman is a cynical strategist on a mission. Their friendship works because Superman inspires hope, and Batman proves it doesn’t take magical abilities to stop evil. Before the Arrowverse, building the Justice League without either of them was laughable. It’s also why the Arrow and The Flash characters emulate those heroes’ qualities, methods and worldviews.

The similarities between the duos are undeniable, but they aren’t what made the friendship between Barry and Oliver work so well — it’s the differences. Unlike Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen did not go on a criminology and martial arts walkabout with a plan to assume a secret identity to fight crime. Yes, his father dies, but by his own hand and not before confessing he is, actually, a villain. Oliver’s experiences on the island and, later, with A.R.G.U.S. are where he gets his skills as a vigilante. Bruce made the choice to become Batman, whereas Oliver was forced into this role through circumstances and guilt. Batman also (usually) is committed to not killing people. Because of the blood on his hands, Oliver is often far more at risk of being consumed by his inner darkness than Batman.

“I think you’re full of crap. Look, you’ve convinced yourself that everything you’ve been through took away your humanity. But I think it’s because of your humanity that you made it through. You wouldn’t have survived, much less come out the other end a hero, somebody who wants to do good, if you didn’t have a light inside of you,” Barry to Oliver in
Arrow
, Season 3, Episode 8 “The Brave and the Bold.”

The struggle against that darkness is why, from the beginning, Oliver also admires Barry. Like Superman, The Flash innately rejects mortal violence, often risking his life to save his antagonists. For all his awesome power, however, The Flash has nothing on Superman. He’s not invulnerable, and he doesn’t even realize his full capabilities. Early seasons of The Flash are all about Barry not understanding his abilities and falling short of being fast enough to defeat the evil speedsters he encounters. Barry also makes much larger mistakes than Superman ever did. Those lead to a lack of confidence in himself, something Oliver rarely feels and even more rarely shows. The ‘Flash vs. Arrow” crossover defines this element of their relationship, while also laying the track for its evolution in future crossovers.

The Crossovers Grew Larger, but Flash and Arrow Were the Heart

No Other Live-Action DC Friendship Will Evolve Like Barry Allen and Oliver Queen

The first crossover also defined the unique blend of comedic and heartfelt moments, particularly between Barry and Oliver, that became a hallmark of future team-ups. The actors, particularly Gustin and Amell, brilliantly shift their performances between these scenes. It’s partly why the friendship between the two works so well. Oliver and Barry will always show up for each other, whether in a big crossover or the odd cameo in each other’s series. The sheer volume of storytelling over these many episodes allowed the storytellers to evolve this partnership over time. As more heroes joined the Arrowverse, their dynamic remained consistent.

The familial partnership between Barry and Oliver made them the two leaders of the Arrowverse Justice League. The Flash met the Woman of Steel in a mini-crossover on the Supergirl series. He brought her into the larger team and, at first, Oliver was resistant to her as well. In the “Elseworlds” crossover, Oliver and Barry visit Kara’s Earth after switching lives and powers. The training scene from this first crossover is revisited when Barry shoots Oliver with two hidden crossbows. Barry laughs and snaps a picture with his phone, while Oliver again scolds him for not taking things seriously. Later, Oliver explains how he draws on anger and pain to be the Arrow, while Barry tells him love and joy are the keys to using his speed. Like brothers, they snipe at or argue with each other, but their bond was strong because it was based on respect and love.

Earlier, in the “Invasion!” crossover, Barry is at his lowest point because of the fallout from changing the timeline. For once, he tells Oliver he isn’t capable of doing the job because of these feelings. Oliver doesn’t scold him or even agree with him. Oliver’s belief in Barry as a hero is unshakable. That faith in him, and also Supergirl, is why Arrow is willing to sacrifice his own life to save their lives during the multiverse crisis. Beyond the crossovers, Barry and Oliver often showed up in each other’s stories. It’s unlikely any future shared universe team-ups will get the narrative real estate to develop an alliance that matches the depth and authenticity of this one.

The complete Arrow and The Flash are streaming on Netflix, along with all Arrowverse series other than Batwoman, which streams on Max.