The CW has thankfully created quite the amazing comic book universe through Arrow and The Flash. There haven't been this many beloved DC characters on live-action television since Smallville! But what about all of the original Flash and Arrow characters? They are just as important, and it takes more than recognizable names to build a world.
Most of the metahumans on The Flash and the members of the League of Assassins on Arrow are DC Comics staples. After all, we've even seen characters from the Batman universe pop up on Arrow. When you have such a vast collection of super powers and the characters they manifested with, it's hard to resist including them. Why start from scratch or try to fix something that's not broken?
That's why it's not surprising that a majority of the original characters on these two shows are the people closest to the heroes, Oliver Queen and Barry Allen. Those relationships are important on television. I can't wait to see what the second spinoff in this universe will be and who they'll draw up to populate that world, as well. Especially if it's The Atom — Ray Palmer is just so much fun.
This is my tribute to the citizens of Starling and Central City who refuse to conform to comic book identities. Here's a ranking of the original characters from The Flash and Arrow.
7. Eddie Thawne
Iris' boyfriend's name is similar enough to The Flash comic book characters that we can't classify him as an original creation with 100 percent certainty... just yet. However, until he puts on a yellow suit, he is his own man. I want to root for Eddie, but I'm a little too invested in Barry and Iris' relationship to be completely on his side, hence the low ranking.
6. Sara Lance
This one is kind of tricky. In DC Comics, Dinah Laurel Lance is the Black Canary. On Arrow, both Sara and Laurel Lance have split the role. For all intents and purposes, Sara is an original character. I like Sara, but she kind of stole the hero spotlight from Laurel, so she doesn't place as high on the list as she could've.
5. Joe West
Iris West is Barry Allen's love interest in the comics, but her father is not significant to the story. On The Flash TV show, Detective Joe West is extremely important as Barry's surrogate father and confidant. Besides, how could you not love Jesse L. Martin?
4. Thea Queen
Her nickname "Speedy" and affiliation with both Roy Harper and Malcolm Merlyn have pushed Oliver's kid sister towards several comic book paths. However, she remains an original character and super cool to boot.
3. John Diggle
The Arrow's right hand man is so essential to his operations on The CW series that Diggle was actually added to the comics. That's quite an accomplishment! Diggle is always full of dry wit and surprises, so it's not surprising that fans would want more of him.
2. Harrison Wells
The man of mystery himself. He may be Reverse-Flash and Professor Zoom, but there never was a Professor Zoom in the comic books that was quite like Wells. He has inside jokes with himself about the future. There are lairs in his lairs. His secrets have secrets. His wife, Tess Morgan, is also an original character. We just haven't seen her yet. Or have we? You never know with Wells.
1. Felicity Smoak
Was there any question as to who would be number one? Felicity is the best. Am I cheating, because technically Felicity Smoak is a name in DC Comics? Perhaps. But go ahead and call me a cheater, because metahumans that only appear on The Flash for one episode have more in common with their comic counterparts than Felicity. If anyone deserves an exception to be showcased as an excellent original character, it's her.
Images: Diyah Pera (4), Cate Cameron (4)/The CW
