12 DC Characters Who Were Wasted In The Arrowverse

Having served up numerous shows since Arrow's humble beginnings, and with several new series on the way, the Arrowverse has introduced mainstream audiences to many of DC Comics' lesser-known characters. However, adapting characters from the crazy world of comics to the small screen can be difficult and as such there are many characters that have not been used to their full potential in the Arrowverse.

Yes, while they might have made the likes of Green Arrow and Black Lightning household names, not every character adapted for this TV universe has been so lucky. For every underrated hero given their own show, there’s an equally deserving character who was denied the chance to shine.

Sometimes it's a matter of the character being butchered in the adaptation process, in an attempt to make them fit in with the established universe. Other times it might be a matter of them being so underutilised that they never get to reach their full potential, leaving fans to wonder why the writers bothered using them at all.

So slip into your muted leather outfit and grab your nearest techno-babble plot device, as we take a look at 12 DC Comics characters who could do with a little more love in the Arrowverse.

Including multiple characters together here may be a bit of a cheat, but that's perfectly fine when highlighting how so many Legends have been wasted in the Arrowverse.

Over the course of its five-season run to date, the Legends of Tomorrow crew have seen a rotating roster of characters who have ranged from the obscure and inconsequential, to some serious mid-range heroes who could surely have been better utilised elsewhere.

Most notable are characters such as the Atom, Firestorm, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, who, in the comics at least, are all pretty major players in the Justice League and Justice Society.

Then you have Isis, or Zari as she's known on the show, who has the potential to open up the Arrowverse to the Shazam family, but has been increasingly removed from her comic book inspiration. Even the ever-lovable John Constantine, who was offered a lifeline by the show after years of bobbing in the wake of his own show's cancellation, feels like he's just been tacked on because the powers at be wanted to do SOMETHING with him.

Then, of course, there's the loveable rogue Heat Wave and his dead best pal, Captain Cold. But we'll get to them in a moment.