10 DC Characters That Secretly Debuted In TV Shows

Marvel may currently reign supreme at the film box office, but DC has been winning on the small screen front for quite some time. Aside from the interconnected Arrowverse that DC has spent years building, the company has also launched its own streaming platform, DC Universe. There are some DC shows that are quietly doing their own thing, as well as others that served as a launchpad for the superhero TV landscape as we know it.

Unless you have a whole lot of time on your hands, chances are, you haven’t kept up with every DC Comics character to debut across all of these live-action shows. Don’t worry, we’ve kept track of some of those that have been a bit harder to spot.

10 Connor Hawke

Connor Hawke was created by Kelley Puckett and Jim Aparo. He made his first appearance in 1994. The character was the son of Oliver Queen and Sandra "Moonday" Hawke. Like his father before him, Connor would go on to one day don the mantle of Green Arrow.

Connor has also showed up in the Arrowverse, although with some major differences. Appearing in Legends of Tomorrow episode “Star City 2046”, he did indeed become the Green Arrow in Oliver’s absence. However, he was John Diggle’s son and only changed his name because he was ashamed over his inability to save his father’s life.

9 Fever

Before launching Doom Patrol, DC Universe introduced the entire team in an excellent episode of Titans. You no doubt spotted the core members, but who was the Chief’s new patient? Her name is Shyleen Lao. In the comics, she is better known as Fever and is one of Doom Patrol’s more obscure members.

A more recent addition to the team, Fever debuted in 2001. She was created by John Arcudi and Tan Eng Huat. It remains to be seen if Lao was meant only as an Easter Egg for the larger DC Universe or if she will become a recurring character on Doom Patrol. Difficult to say, since she was almost an entirely different character altogether.

8 Superboy

Many unexpected versions of beloved characters showed up on Smallville over the course of its ten-year run. Unless you stuck with the series until the very end, you might not know that one of those heroes was Conner Kent, aka Superboy. Although he debuted as Alexander Luthor, Conner made his first appearance during the show’s final season, portrayed by several different actors.

Like his comic counterpart, Conner was a clone created from the combined DNA of Lex Luthor and Superman. His lineage was an early 2000s retcon, but the original version of Superboy was created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett in 1993. He has been a vital part of the Man of Steel’s mythology ever since, despite playing a very minor role in Smallville.

7 Komodo

You may remember Komodo’s all too brief appearance in Arrow, but considering the lack of both screen time and character development, it’s difficult to recall seeing Ollie’s archenemy. Simon Lacroix appeared for a single season 3 episode and hasn’t been seen since.

Lacroix is a relatively new member of Green Arrow’s rogues gallery. He was created in 2014 by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino during their excellent New 52 run. Komodo was once a protégé of Robert Queen, at least until he betrayed and murdered him. He even framed Oliver for the crime. Sadly, Arrow’s version of the character may as well have been called “archer enemy #27”. Perhaps one day he’ll return, but it seems unlikely.

6 Solomon Grundy

If you’ve stuck with Gotham, you obviously know that Solomon Grundy was introduced back in season 4. If not, you might be surprised to learn that not only does the tragic villain exist in the series, but that he’s actually been around since the pilot episode. The season 3 finale shocked fans by revealing that Butch Gilzean’s real name was none other than Cyrus Gold.

Named for the 19th century nursery rhyme, Solomon Grundy debuted in 1944 thanks to Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman. As is Gotham’s way, his origin was different from that of his comic counterpart’s. Much like discovering that Skye was actually Quake on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., this reveal completely caught viewers off guard.

5 Dollmaker

Of course, Supergirl fans will recognize one of Kara’s closest confidents, Winn Schott. Viewers will also remember the extracurricular activities favored by his villainous father, Winslow Schott Sr., aka Toyman. What not all fans may know, however, is that in the comics, Toyman’s son followed in his creepy footsteps, becoming one of several villains to don the mantle of Dollmaker. His name was Anton.

This iteration of Dollmaker was another product of DC’s New 52, created as a foil for Supergirl during the run drawn by Jamal Igle and written by Sterling Gates in 2011. While this may have been the destiny of Schott’s progeny in the comic, it’s probably safe to say that his onscreen counterpart will continue to choose a path of heroism.

4 Adam Strange

Those who have been watching Krypton will have already been introduced to a live-action Adam Strange, but to be fair, with so many DC shows already on the air, many fans have yet to catch this Superman prequel. Viewers wouldn’t be shocked to see some of the characters populating the series, but few were expecting Adam Strange.

Adam Strange was created by Julius Schwartz and Murphy Anderson in 1958. He was the human champion of the planet Rann, which was also introduced in the show. Oddly, Krypton’s iteration of Adam Strange often seems to share more in common with Booster Gold than his actual comic counterpart.

3 Lady Shiva

Before Birds of Prey became an upcoming feature film, it was a largely forgotten TV series in the early 2000s. Despite being canceled after a mere thirteen episodes, the show retains a cult following to this day. Many viewers know that aside from its core characters, Birds of Prey featured a live-action adaptation of Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harley Quinn. However, there were other noteworthy debuts as well.

Long before she was set to appear in Gotham’s final season, Lady Shiva showed up in Birds of Prey, although she had precious little screen time. Sandra Woosen was created by Dennis O’Neil and Ric Estrada in 1975. Aside from being both villain and antihero in the comics, she is the mother of former Batgirl, Cassandra Cain.

2 Accelerated Man

The Accelerated Man showed up in season three episode of The Flash, “Attack on Central City”. Viewers were treated to another blink and you’ll miss it appearance the following year in “Therefore She Is”. Neither were terribly informative.

The Accelerated Man was created by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Grant Morrison in 2015 and little is known about the character beyond the fact that he is the Flash of Earth 19. The Accelerated Man’s may have gotten very little screen time on The Flash, but his comic book history is equally brief. There is little to no explanation given for the character in either medium and only those extremely well versed in the mythology of the Scarlet Speedster likely caught the reference.

1 Green Lantern

Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, was created by Gil Kane and John Broome in 1959. There are many heroes that fans would love to see join the Arrowverse, but aside from the Dark Knight himself, few are as hotly anticipated by fans as GL. However, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that the most famous Lantern has already appeared.

There were plenty of clues that Hal Jordan was part of the Arrowverse, from references to Ferris Air to Coast City. Barry even mentioned a Ferris Air missing test pilot on The Flash. However, Arrow’s 4th season confirmed his existence once and for all during a flashback at a Coast City bar. It was nothing but a name tag, but hopefully, someday soon, fans will see a lot more of Green Lantern.