A once-mighty superhero franchise continues circling the drain as its fate remains entirely up in the air

It might sound ridiculous to say now, but for a long while there were no shortage of comic book fans out there willing to die on the hill that The CW’s Arrowverse was without a doubt the best shared superhero universe in the business.

For a while it was in rude health, too, given that the network’s roster was swelling to bursting point after Arrow was joined by the likes of The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman, along with webseries Vixen and Freedom Fighters: The Ray, never mind additional DC content including Titans and Doom Patrol.

However, the end is beginning to look increasingly night, with only the popular Superman & Lois left standing alongside the widely-despised Gotham Knights, which looks every bit The CW’s cheapest-ever spandex-clad caper. For the first time since Smallville ended over a decade ago, The CW doesn’t have a single superhero show as part of its fall schedule, with President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz still refusing to confirm whether or not the last two on the docket will have their plugs pulled.

“We’re still looking at those analyzing these shows… and looking at our budgets in 2024. We love all those shows, and they all do very well for us in different ways. We will be making decisions on those probably sooner than later.”

He did admit that it was “frustrating” for the streaming rights to lie elsewhere, but Superman & Lois‘ impressive visual effects and production values have ensured that it doesn’t come cheap, which is hardly a positive when The CW is looking to cut costs across the board. It’s doubtful anyone would be surprised were it yanked from the airwaves, but it would be a sad end for the Arrowverse nonetheless.