8 Golden Age Characters Who Should Appear In The Arrowverse

The unfortunate side effect of two separate DC superhero universes running alongside each other on different mediums – the DC Extended Universe and the crop of TV shows known as the Arrowverse – is that they often can’t use the same characters. The TV series, in particular, have many of the big DC heroes off-limits. This could be seen as a major weakness, but thankfully, the Arrowverse has managed to turn it into a strength. Rather than adapting the big hitters (with the possible exception of The Flash), the Arrowverse regularly showcases lesser-known characters from the comics. Most of these are long-running or half-forgotten characters who originated in DC’s early years, the so called Golden Age of Comics. These include Black Canary, Atom, Jay Garrick, Hawkman and Vandal Savage. This trend looks set to continue as the universe goes forward, too, especially after the introduction of Golden Age super-team the Justice Society of America in Legends of Tomorrow’s season finale. So, on that note, let's take a look at eight more Golden Age creations who should appear in the Arrowverse at some point in the near future. 8) Mister Terrific While Echo Kellum’s recurring character on Arrow, Curtis Holt, is mostly based off Michael Holt who only debuted in 1997, the original version of all-round renaissance (super)man Mister Terrific first appeared in 1942, which sneaks him onto this list. After appearing several times in Arrow season four, Curtis will be made a main character for season five. Given that, it is more than likely that he will take up the identity of Mister Terrific on the show fairly soon. In case that isn’t the plan, though, he really should. Despite the Terry Sloane version of the character having been around for so long, the hero has never appeared in live-action before now – a quick reference in Smallville has been the extent of it so far. A genius level intellect as well as an Olympian athlete and master martial artist, Curtis’ super alter ego would definitely give Green Arrow a run for his money. 7) Ma Hunkel Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that several items on board Legends' time-travelling ship The Waverider reference numerous DC heroes. While a couple of these – namely Jonah Hex and Hourman – appeared in season one, the others have yet to make good on the easter egg. Hopefully, this can be sorted out in season two. Mainly, because we have no idea how they will adapt Ma Hunkel. Created in 1939, Ma Hunkel is one of the very first parody superheroes. A gutsy elderly lady, Ma fights crime by putting a pan with eye holes on top of her head and calling herself the Red Tornado. That moniker has been used for fan-favourite anti-hero android (who appeared on Supergirl’s first season) since then, but Ma Hunkel deserves her due as well. Sure, the character would be a daffy addition to the Arrowverse, but who knows, an episode of Legends featuring Hunkel could very well be a comedy classic. 6) Sandman Upon hearing the term ‘Sandman,’ modern comic readers will no doubt first think of the protagonist of Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic series of the same name. However, there is a much older DC character who employed the alias first. A classic pulp fiction creation, the vigilante Sandman (real name Wesley Dodds) clears up his city in a fedora and gas mask, using his trademark sleeping gas to put criminals out of action. He also has prophetic dreams of crimes which he then works to avert (a retcon revealed these were gifted him by Gaiman’s Sandman). Also debuting in 1939, Sandman is a member of the Justice Society. So an introduction for him in Legends season 2 would be completely natural. In fact, like Ma Hunkel’s helmet, Dodds’ gasmask also resides on The Waverider. Given that, an appearance by Sandman in the Arrowverse is surely only a matter of time. 5) Starman Starman is a superhero mantle taken on by so many over the decades that he deserves to make an Arrowverse appearance based on that alone. Similar to Green Lantern, the character derives his power from a powerful Cosmic Rod. As the Starmen are often related to each other, a super-identity passed down through the generations could be very interesting to explore. It would be the easiest thing in the world to introduce him, too. His hometown Opal City has been referenced numerous times on both Arrow and The Flash, as well as Supergirl. That’s two separate Earths with an Opal City – surely Starman exists in at least one? Alternatively, Starman’s female successor Star Girl would be a good fit for the Arrowverse. DC head honcho Geoff Johns would presumably like to see her appear, as she is a character close to his heart - her likeness and personality were based off his sister Courtney. 4) Solomon Grundy Born on Monday and dead by Saturday, Solomon Grundy might be one of the more familiar characters on this list. Since his inception in 1944, Grundy – a Hulk-like zombie – has stuck around as a long-term enemy of Superman and Batman. He’s sort of also appeared in Arrow – though it was such a revisionist take on Grundy it was hardly him at all. In the show, Cyrus Gold (Grundy’s living name) is injected with the drug Mirakuru and so gains super strength and agility. Gold stuck around for three episodes before being killed off, without ever becoming the character as we know him. Ideally, the character would come back from the dead in the future, to be properly reborn as Solomon Grundy. Unfortunately, an issue here might be that Gotham is also introducing Grundy in season three. Given that, Arrow might have missed its chance to do the character justice. Let’s hope not, though. 3) Doctor Fate The great thing about the sadly short-lived Constantine being retroactively included in the Arrowverse is that any characters it featured now have the potential to crossover. One of these that we really want to see is Doctor Fate. Though this occult-themed hero didn’t actually appear in Constantine, his distinctive golden helmet turned up as an easter egg at one point. This got fans very excited as, though he appeared in Smallville, Doctor Fate is a character with a lot of potential who has sadly not been utilized enough on screen. Somewhat akin to Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate is a title held by a succession of sorcerers. He’s also one of the most powerful heroes in the DC universe, which could make him very interesting to watch. Geoff Johns has previously hinted that a Doctor Fate solo series might actually be on the cards. So perhaps a guest spot on, say, Arrow could set up yet another Arrowverse spinoff show? We'll keep our fingers crossed. 2) The Spectre Another Constantine character we want to see more of is Jim Corrigan. On that show, Corrigan appeared as a regular ol’ detective and ally of Constantine’s. What interests fans most about the character, though, is that he becomes the supernatural superhero The Spectre in the comics. After being killed, Corrigan’s soul was sent back to Earth to rid the world of evil. Constantine was very clearly setting up the character’s death and resurrection but it never got to fulfil this as it was taken off the air after only 13 episodes. The character is practically screaming out to be further explored then in another Arrowverse show. The best fit for The Spectre would probably be Legends as, yet again, he holds a Justice Society membership card. 1) Green Lantern (Alan Scott) Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern is probably the big-time DC hero who fans want to see turn up in the Arrowverse the most. After all, we won’t be seeing him on the big screen until 2020 and the shows themselves keep hinting at his existence. Sadly, we're 99.9% sure that’s not going to happen. Instead, it might be fun for the Arrowverse to introduce Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern. Unlike later incarnations, he is not part of the Green Lantern Corps and is instead a lone Earth-bound vigilante who derives his powers from a magic ring. Having a character entirely disconnected from the broader Green Lantern mythology could allow him to slip through onto TV. Plus, he’s yet another member of the Justice Society. The New 52 version of Alan Scott is also gay, which would be a good thing to adapt, as well, as we all know that the Arrowverse could do with some more LGBT heroes.