Nobody could have predicted how successful Arrow would be when it launched in 2012. Most viewers weren’t familiar with Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, but from some slightly shaky beginnings, it became a juggernaut and its success spawned what’s come to be known as the Arrowverse, which looks set to continue for a while yet. But now that Arrow has concluded, it appears that The CW are attempting to rebrand their universe from the Arrowverse to the CWVerse.
This has not gone down well amongst fans, many of whom consider the title Arrowverse to be a fitting tribute to the characters and creative forces behind that show. A quick glance over social media suggests that folks are not likely to change anytime soon, saying things like: “It’s the arrowverse always and forever,” “it will always be Arrowverse to me” and accusing the network of engaging in “Arrow erasure.”
I’m with the fans on this, if only because the CWVerse sounds and looks incredibly clunky. From a marketing perspective, I get why they want to tie the universe to their network branding rather than a show that’s not on the air anymore, but I don’t see this catching on.
It reminds me of Sony’s attempts to give a name to the cinematic universe that began with Venom. Fans started dubbing it the Venomverse (or the Sonyverse), but then the company stepped in to reveal that we should actually be calling it the SPUMC (Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters). I’ve spent a lot of time reading and writing about these movies and not once have I ever heard a fan use the phrase SPUMC.
Based on that, I suspect the bad reaction to this will prevent the CWVerse from taking off. So, unless there’s a seismic shift in opinion, it’ll be the Arrowverse to me until further notice.