Romance is part of most superheroes’ stories, and with the Arrowverse on the CW, it’s no surprise that there have been quite a few relationships. There are seven seasons of Arrow, five seasons of The Flash, and four seasons each of Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow after all.
Some of these relationships have had positive effects, both on the characters involved and the series. Others, however, have not, changing how characters are viewed or simply being doomed from the start. Whether in the former or latter category, these relationships were certainly memorable, for all the right or wrong reasons.
Best: Oliver and Felicity
It all started with a red pen and a bullet-ridden laptop. Oliver and Felicity didn’t have the easiest journey to where they are now, but what Arrow has shown over and over again is how much they love each other, both want to save the city, and their family means to them. They have become a team within a team on the show.
Fans got to watch them fall in love, face separation more than once, and find each other again. The future may look grim for Star City and the (Smoak-)Queen family, but their love story is a bright light in the darkness.
Worst: Caitlin and Jay
Poor Caitlin. Really, any of her relationships could take this spot on the list because she just does not have much luck when it comes to romance. After she lost Ronnie, things seemed to be looking up with Jay — if only he didn’t turn out to be the Big Bad, Zoom.
It’s because she thought she could move on to Jay that made this relationship so bad. When kidnapping is involved, there’s no way for a romance to end up being anything but one of the worst on a show.
Best: Sara and Ava
Whether on Arrow or Legends of Tomorrow, it took some time for Sara Lance to settle into a relationship. Her romances tended to be short-lived or have a messy backstory.
Though Sara and Ava had to tackle the fact that the latter is a clone, they’ve managed to get past not only that but Legends’ tension with the Time Bureau when it was first introduced. Now, fans see them not only sharing sweet moments in private but also being the badass women they are professionally and working together as they do so.
Worst: Kara and James
Supergirl Season 1 began with Kara and James as the will they/won’t they couple. There was even the cliché love triangle with his girlfriend Lucy. But the good news was that James knew the truth about Kara from the start, so she didn’t have to lie to him.
It’s just too bad this relationship was never given a chance because now, it’s probably too late to fix that. Nothing really came of all the build-up except the decision to not pursue a romantic relationship. The series has never really looked back, which is the right move.
Best: Barry and Iris
It may have taken some time for Barry and Iris to get together, though their relationship was teased from the beginning, whether via a future byline or another Earth’s version of the characters. They’ve tackled everything from alternate timelines to his time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit to future children popping up and done so as a team.
She’s his lightning rod, the one who helps him focus when he’s in a stressful situation. Fans saw that before they got together, and that remained true once they did.
Worst: Oliver and Susan
A reporter investigating Oliver Queen, both as mayor and the Green Arrow, could have been an interesting storyline. However, then she pursued him romantically and continued to investigate him. When Felicity and Thea warned him of the dangers of a reporter knowing who he was, he didn’t care, even though that also put the others’ secret identities at risk.
Furthermore, Susan even told Oliver that she had been planning to publish an article about him before Felicity and Thea intervened. Yet he was never concerned about what that would mean. Oliver turned into an idiot when he was with her.
Best: Alex and Maggie
Perhaps one of the best parts about Alex and Maggie’s relationship is that it didn’t fall apart because of unnecessary drama. There was no cheating. There were no lies. There were no secrets.
Alex realized who she was when she met Maggie, and the two fell in love. Maggie even knew about Kara’s secret identity, so Alex didn’t have to lie to her. The two even got engaged. However, they wanted different things when it came to children — Alex sees them in her future — and rather than try to force the other to change her mind, they were mature about it.
Worst: Ray and Kendra
Ray hasn’t been very lucky in love, on Arrow or Legends of Tomorrow. Too often he was obviously just a temporary love interest for another character.
His relationship with Kendra was clearly doomed from the start since the entire first season was about the Hawks and Vandal Savage. It took Carter being dead and then Ray and Kendra ending up stranded in time for the two to get together. Unfortunately, any relationship Kendra had with someone who wasn’t Carter wasn’t going to last, ever. Fans didn’t need a past life to tell Kendra that to know it was true.
Best: Diggle and Lyla
Diggle and Lyla’s romance hasn’t been perfect. In fact, they’ve been married twice because they couldn’t make it work for good the first time. However, for the most part, their relationship has been one of the most stable parts of the Arrowverse.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have disagreements, namely about the way A.R.G.U.S. operates and decisions both have made as part of the agency. Still, it was fun watching the two come together again — the couple that breaks each other out of prison is the couple that stays together? — get married, and have a child.
Worst: Carter and Kendra
Carter and Kendra were fated to be together, no matter how many lives they lived. That was supposed to be romantic, but it fell flat, much like most of Legends of Tomorrow Season 1. It revolved around their relationship and Vandal Savage.
Carter even died, but the two eventually found their way back to each other and flew off together. That was a moment to cheer about — not because they reunited, but because they were leaving the team. Nothing about their relationship really clicked. Instead, it was just the cause for more heartache for Ray.
Best: Lois And Clark
They might not be series regulars in Supergirl, but rumor has it the CW is considering a spin-off for the popular couple. Lois and Clark have been a relationship foundation for DC Comics, and the media associated with it, for decades.
What little audiences have seen of them in Supergirl and Arrowverse crossovers so far indicates the couple is much like their comic book counterparts. Both Lois and Clark are interested in making the world a better place, but they also know they have to trust one another and look out for one another to be able to do it.
Worst: Sophie And Kate
Batwoman is one of the newest additions to the Arrowverse. Kate Kane is an out lesbian in her world while her first love Sophie is definitely not.
The two had a relationship that got Kate thrown out of the military and had Sophie lying about her own feelings to further her career. That messy breakup left a lot unresolved between them, and left them both not completely willing to trust one another. It also meant that Sophie hasn’t been able to admit the truth about her sexuality to anyone - not even herself. Their relationship created conflict for the show’s first season, but not a whole lot of growth.
Best: Lynn And Jefferson
When Black Lightning began, Lynn and Jefferson weren’t even together anymore. The former spouses raised two strong daughters together before the superhero life drove them apart. That doesn’t, however, mean they didn’t still care for one another.
Lynn and Jefferson remained one of the most supportive and committed pairings even when they were divorced. They put their daughters first and found a way to compromise when it came to metahuman issues to keep the peace in their family.
Worst: Lena And James
Lena and James could have been a great pairing if only the fans had ever seen some hint of any feelings between the two.
The trouble with this particular pairing is that James Olsen was the most vocal doubter of Lena Luthor’s intentions when she joined the series. He was suspicious of her every action because of his own history with the Luthor family. Lena showed no interest in him as a person, just as an employee, until a holiday dinner paired them up. No lead up and no chemistry made fans wonder why the writers put them together in the first place.
Best: Anissa And Grace
Grace Choi first appeared in Black Lightning during a chance meeting with Anissa in season one. It took an entire season for them to have a serious relationship, but once they did, fans welcomed it, and not just because the relationship exists in comics.
Before Grace, Anissa wasn’t open with her relationships. She didn’t introduce family to them and she wasn’t truly comfortable being herself with her partners. Grace changed that. Likewise, Anissa has Grace opening up as well, though sometimes, Grace’s uncontrollable shapeshifting abilities get in the way.
