Top 10 Flarrowverse Superhero Costumes

Jonah Puskar ’20 / Emertainment Monthly Assistant Comic Books Editor

It’s fall, which means The CW is in full swing again with the Flarrowverse, their fictional DC universe which contains the shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, the CW Seed animated series Vixen, and the now-cancelled Constantine.

With new characters seeming to be introduced every week, one thing any fan seems to agree on is how exciting it can be to see their favorite characters brought to life on the screen. One essential part of this is the costume. The costume can make or break the character, and these costumes are amongst the best and often true to character, universe, and source material.

Below we break down our favorite costumes from the “Flarrowverse!”

10. JSA

This one is a team of people, so it is a bit of a cheat, but they’ve just been introduced as a collective and seem to be focused on as a team in these past episodes of Legends of Tomorrow, so they’ll be counted as one in this scenario. Each member of this version of them, with Hourman, Commander Steel, Star Girl, Obsidian, Doctor Midnight, and Vixen (the grandmother of the current day Vixen) all have costumes either identical or incredibly close to their original Golden Age costumes, creating a huge sense of nostalgia for fans of the vintage books. Hopefully we see the team more as we approach the end of the latest season and see the costumes in action more.

9. Captain Cold & Heatwave

Though a duo, these two are so associated that separating them would have just made no sense. These two best friends/criminals/begrudging (anti)heroes started as The Flash villains and later became Legends. Their costumes fit their personalities, simple and easy getting the job done. They avoided some of the more eccentric looks from the source material, while still keeping similar themes with their goggles and coats. We’re sure Mick and Rory would prefer the simple route, for them the flashy things are for stealing and selling, not wearing.

8. White Canary

An original costume, Sara Lance’s outfit isn’t from any comic book source. That’s not to say her outfit isn’t incredibly kick-ass. With her signature bow staff by her side Sara has her amazing tank-topped jumpsuit, with her optional coat for added measure. This costume is distinctly different from her masked, dark, Canary costume, showing her evolution as a character. It’s always great to see Sara ready to throw down against time-traveling baddies wearing this well-designed garb

7. Citizen Steel

The Invasion crossover event debuted Nate Heywood’s superhero costume. The sleek yet simple armor fits the steel-skinned hero, providing a great look while also appearing well with Nate’s metallic skin. The look draws well upon the comic influence of the three canon Steel superheroes within that legacy, as well as being being a fitting in-universe modern analogue to Commander Steel’s WWII costume. It’ll be good to see Nate put the costume towards more use as he joins the team in action on more missions.

6. Wild Dog

A fairly new addition to the Flarrowverse, Wild Dog has proved himself to be just as depicted in the comics that brought him to prominence. With his simplistic yet recognizable design, Rene Ramirez has become an important part of Green Arrow’s team, while contrasting greatly from GA’s sleek design. It’s good to see simpler comic costumes brought into play without large compromise or over-complication.

5. Hawkgirl & Hawkman

A fierce pair of costumes for a fierce pair of heroes, the Hawks have such true to comics costume, it surprised quite a few viewers. The hawk-stylized head pieces were brought to our tv screens looking quite sleek and natural, adding to the warrior elements of these two costumes. The leather armored look translated well from the comic pages, and with Hawkgirl getting her infamous gold mace in the Legends of Tomorrow season 1 finale, the costume was brought together for sure. After these two left the team, hopefully we’ll see some of their own adventures in the future.

4. Firestorm

The crew behind Firestorm has brought together many comic influences from over the years to create this slick and functional costume. The orange/red/yellow costume draws upon almost 40 years of history to have been created. Using the signature Firestorm symbol which seems to have an in-universe function as a tool to help create the Firestorm matrix, the costume also seems to fit the man/men wearing it. Firestorm combines the fiery temper and slick attitude of Jefferson Jackson with the logical mind set of Dr. Martin Stein, which shines through in the costume’s sleek and stylish, yet tactical appearance. With each Firestorm fusion, it’s good to see this costume at use.

3. Green Arrow

In the TV universe, Oliver Queen has gone through more costume changes than anyone. From the grease-paint wearing vigilante, to the mask having “Hood,” tactical costumed Arrow, now on the brighter Green Arrow, GA has seen many transitions in his time on air. With season 5 currently airing, the costume has changed slightly from season 4, moving from the vest-like costume seemingly drawing from Oliver’s New 52 look, to one featuring sleeves, drawing from a few older elements of the comic book character. As Oliver becomes more of a legitimate hero for the people of Star City to look to, one hopes he’ll achieve not only the appearance he wants, but the reputation to boot.

2. The Flash

Barry Allen: The Most Fashionable Man Alive. The Flash’s costume is the epitome of the great result of compromise. The Flash’s comic costume for many years looked like a simple tight spandex costume, not fitting for our television hero. More recent books have him with an armored style, something drawn upon for the upcoming Justice League movie Flash’s look. So the show seemed to find a great compromise, with a leather-like material used for a form fitting costume that doesn’t look awkwardly tight while having the flair without the need of armor. Barry’s costume didn’t change much between seasons, with the only true difference being the emblem on his chest using a white background. Pictures leaked of later episodes seem to hint at a brighter red for the Scarlet Speedster’s costume, but only time will tell.

1. Supergirl

The Girl of Steel is the most powerful women on Earth, and she has to costume to prove it. This costume is seemingly pulled right off the page, looking realistic while true to source, which is often hard to pull off. Kara’s costume shows off her power, with the bad-ass boots, the prominent “S” symbol, and the sleeves which show off the young Kryptonian’s muscles, enough to strike fear into any alien which threatens her home of National City. While most costumes evolve over time, many would like to have Supergirl’s costume as is, a continued reminder of some tough as nails girl power.