Arrow star Stephen Amell shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the Arrowverse cast unwinding during the franchise's third crossover event, "Invasion!".
Amell, who played Oliver Queen/Green Arrow across all eight seasons of Arrow, tweeted the photo of himself and several of his co-stars grabbing a bite to eat and sharing a laugh between takes. The candid snap shows Amell seated on a couch alongside Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Grant Gustin (The Flash) and Caity Lotz (White Canary). Brandon Routh (The Atom) is also standing nearby, taking part in conversation while a crewmember adjusts one of his gauntlets.
Inspired by the 1989 comic book miniseries of the same name, "Invasion!" first aired in November 2016. It sees the superheroes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow, alongside their respective allies, join forces to repel The Dominators, a malevolent alien race. It followed two earlier crossovers, "Flash vs. Arrow" and "Heroes Join Forces," and its strong ratings prompted the CW to greenlight a fourth crossover event, 2017's "Crisis on Earth-X!".
These popular television events were then followed by Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths. The latter set up the series finale of Arrow, "Fadeout," which marked Amell's final appearance as Oliver Queen. Despite the departure of one of its biggest stars and the end of its flagship sub-franchise, the Arrowverse itself continues on via The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman and Superman & Lois.
Arrow isn't the only CW show to come to a close. Supergirl and Black Lightning both wrapped up in 2021 and rumors persist that Gustin is looking to exit The Flash after the show's upcoming ninth season. The actor reportedly signed a one-year contract despite being offered a multi-year deal, which some fans have taken as a sign he's ready to hang up Barry Allen's scarlet spandex for good. This remains pure speculation as neither The CW nor Gustin himself have issued any formal statement regarding his future in the role.
The outlook for Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman is even less certain. Audiences are still awaiting official confirmation that the CW has given the thumbs up for additional seasons of either show. Further fuelling fans' anxiety is the network's apparent focus on new standalone DC shows, like Naomi and Gotham Knights, over projects set within the Arrowverse. That said, Superman & Lois was recently renewed for a third season, which suggests the Arrowverse still has some life left in it yet.
Source: Twitter