Over the last eight years, what started with Arrow has turned into one of the biggest TV franchises of all time, and all of it rests on the shoulders of some of DC Comics' greatest heroes. These characters have fought evil and saved the world a number of times. When it was necessary, they came together to fight off alien invasions and a number of crises in the Multiverse, from the evil versions of themselves from Earth-X to the horrific destruction caused by the Anti-Monitor.
But with so many heroes, not all of them can be the greatest. For each one that saved the world, there are a few who put their heart into it but never really stood out from the crowd. There are great heroes, the kinds who become icons, but there are also heroes who help save the day, but never make a big impact on their own. Here are some of them.
10 Most Important: Green Arrow
The one who started it all, Oliver Queen led a life of luxury until he was shipwrecked on the island of Lian Yu where he had to learn to protect himself from powerful foes. When he returned to Starling City - later renamed Star City - Oliver Queen became first became the Hood, then the Arrow, and finally, Green Arrow. His work paved the way for more costumed heroes to stand up and fight against evil.
As the oldest and most experienced hero, Green Arrow was the one the other heroes went to for advice, even as he found himself standing amongst friends who could run faster than light or lift mountains without breaking a sweat. In the end, Oliver Queen gave his life to save the Multiverse, making him not only the father of the Arrowverse, but its patron saint as well.
9 Least Important: Killer Frost
A founding member of Team Flash, Caitlin Snow is a brilliant bioengineer who has helped keep Central City and the world safe. Ronnie Raymond, the love of Caitlin's life and the hero known as Firestorm, tragically died to save all of reality when a singularity opened above the city, but still, Caitlin continued to work selflessly to help others.
When Caitlin first discovered her powers and became Killer Frost, her second identity made her a villain, but in time they began to work together. And while Killer Frost has been a helpful member of Team Flash, it is Caitlin who has really made a difference.
8 Most Important: Flash
Barry Allen was a hero before he was struck by lightning and doused in chemicals, giving him the ability to run faster than the speed of light. All the powers did was give Barry the ability another way to help people as Flash. As Central City's hero, Flash has become the de facto leader of the Arrowverse heroes whenever they come together to handle any galactic threats.
Flash is not a perfect hero. When he went back in time to stop his mother's murder, he created a new reality known as Flashpoint, and when he left that reality, he found that things on Earth-1 had been changed. Some of those changes, like the death of Cisco Ramon's brother, have weighed on Flash ever since.
7 Least Important: Ragman
With the mystical rags of the Devarim, Rory Reagan became the hero Ragman. Rory was the only survivor from the town of Havenrock, which was destroyed by a nuclear missile. He arrived in Star City looking to find out who was responsible for the destruction of his home, and soon joined Team Arrow. When Rory learned that Felicity Smoak was the one who redirected the nuclear missile to Havenrock, he forgave her. Not long after, Rory gave up the superhero life, choosing to help those in need in another way.
6 Most Important: Black Lightning
Originally on a different Earth in the Multiverse than many of the other heroes, Jefferson Pierce gained his electric powers when he was given an altered vaccine by his father. As a young man, Jefferson became the hero Black Lightning but, after a decade of fighting crime, he retired from the superhero life to be with his wife and children.
Jefferson once again became Black Lightning when a gang called The 100 kidnapped one of his daughters. When the Crisis on Infinite Earths threatened the Multiverse, Black Lightning helped destroy the antimatter cannon and stood with the other heroes in the final battle against the Anti-Monitor.
5 Least Important: Speedy
The younger sister of Oliver Queen, Thea Queen found herself embroiled in the world of superheroes, although she never felt comfortable being a part of it. Thea came to learn that her real father was Malcolm Merlyn, the villain known as Dark Archer, who trained her to become a skilled fighter and marksman.
Thea fell in love with Roy Harper, the man who would become Green Arrow's sidekick, Arsenal. When Arsenal left Star City, Thea took on his mantle, and while she wanted to be called Red Arrow, her brother decided her hero name should be Speedy, her childhood nickname. Thea worked as a hero for a time, but quit Team Arrow shortly after, realizing that the superhero life wasn't right for her.
4 Most Important: Supergirl
When Krypton exploded, Kara Zor-El was sent in a separate ship to protect her baby cousin Kal-El. Kara's ship was knocked off course, and by the time she reached Earth, her little cousin had grown up to become Superman. Like her cousin, Kara had superpowers, but for years she kept them hidden. Finally, she revealed herself to the world to save a crashing plane.
Originally from Earth-38, Supergirl acted as the hero of National City and saved the world on a number of occasions. She first learned of the Multiverse when Flash visited her Earth and the two quickly became close friends. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, where Supergirl served as the Paragon of Hope, Kara found that her Earth had combined with others to be a part of Earth-Prime.
3 Least Important: Hawkman
Carter Hall, the reincarnation of the Egyptian Prince Khufu, arrived in Central City looking for his reincarnated love, Kendra Saunders, to protect her from the immortal Vandal Savage, who had killed the lovers in every incarnation of their lives. Carter revealed to Kendra that they had the power of flight and together they became Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were founding members of the Legends of Tomorrow, but Hawkman was tragically murdered by Vandal Savage during an early mission. The Legends later found the reincarnated Carter Hall, and Kendra chose to leave the team and spend her life with him.
2 Most Important: Sara Lance
Sara Lance was having a secret affair with Oliver Queen and was with him on his family yacht when things went horribly wrong. Oliver ended up stranded on Lian Yu, and Sara was believed dead. In truth, Sara survived and joined the League of Assassins. When Sara returned to Starling City, it was as the Black Canary, a title she would not keep for long.
Sara is a founding member of the Legends of Tomorrow and became the team's leader when Rip Hunter left the group. As the leader of the Legends, Sara has saved the timestream a number of times and served as the Paragon of Destiny during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
1 Least Important: Elongated Man
A disgraced Central City police detective, Ralph Dibny became a private investigator and ended up getting superpowers when he was one of seventeen people on a bus that was exposed dark matter particles. Ralph met Team Flash when they worked to protect him from the Thinker, and soon after he became the hero known as Elongated Man.
While working with Team Flash, Ralph was mainly focused on a case he had taken on to find the debutante Sue Dearbon. As it turned out, Sue wasn't missing - she had gone undercover as an arms dealer to protect her family from Joseph Carver, the CEO of McCulloch Technologies.