It was Arrow's Oliver Queen who started the DC TV renaissance at The CW, ushering in a shared universe of superhero series that keeps growing by the year. The character's legacy was meant to live on in Green Arrow and the Canaries, a spinoff show set up by the backdoor pilot episode of the same name from Arrow's eighth and final season. However, now that The CW has officially passed on Green Arrow and the Canaries, the Arrowverse as it's been since its inception is done.

Green Arrow and the Canaries was slated to center on Oliver and Felicity Smoak's daughter Mia, who would have picked up her father's mantle in Star City circa 2040 and fought crime in a very similar way to him. A vigilante with no special abilities other than their grit and skill at using a bow and arrows has been fundamental to the Arrowverse (hence the name) from the get-go, so it only made sense to keep the tradition alive with a show focused on Oliver's offspring. Instead, the franchise will now continue to dip further and further into the realm of metahumans and super-powered individuals.

RELATED: Arrow: Who Was the ORIGINAL Felicity Smoak in Comics?

That's not to say there's no longer a place for heroes without super-powers at The CW. Indeed, Batwoman Season 2 will introduce Ryan Wilder, a character who, like her predecessor Kate Kane, is aided by a Batsuit that enhances her abilities, yet still relies on her courage and martial arts talents to fight crime. Interestingly, when Batwoman entered development, some speculated it meant Arrow was on its way out, given the shows occupy a similar niche. However, with Green Arrow and the Canaries no longer in the works, it seems Batwoman will essentially replace Arrow as the Arrowverse's gritty crime drama, even if that wasn't the original intent.

Still, the Arrowverse has already drifted a ways away from its original form. Between The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning, the majority of the franchise's superheroes are now metahumans or aliens, save for the few characters who made their debut in the earlier, more grounded seasons of Arrow like Sara Lance. Meanwhile, Tyler Hoechlin's Superman is getting his own show this year with Superman and Lois, a series about the titular couple that will similarly move the franchise deeper into the territory of beings from other planets and individuals with super-human capabilities.

RELATED: Superman & Lois: Everything We Know About The Arrowverse Spin-Off (So Far)

Arrow Season 2 Sara and Oliver

In a way, the Arrowverse's evolution reflects the changes to the larger DC superhero media landscape over the last decade. When Arrow premiered in 2012, director Christopher Nolan had only just concluded his Dark Knight trilogy, which featured a relatively realistic portrayal of Batman and his world. Considering Zack Snyder carried over Nolan's grounded approach to the DC Extended Universe's Man of Steel a year later, Arrow was in line with the tone and style of DC's live-action projects at the time. Of course, the DCEU's movies have become far more fantastical and colorful since then, much like the present-day Arrowverse.

If anything, Green Arrow and the Canaries' death makes it all the more fitting The CW quietly renamed its DC TV universe the CWverse last year. Arrow will always be the show that kicked off the franchise, but at this point, it's as much a relic of the past as Tony Stark is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The CW's rebranding of the property is not only a way of acknowledging this, but it's also a reminder that the Arrowverse as it was is over and a new one has emerged in its place.

Green Arrow and the Canaries, a spinoff series of Arrow, would have starred Katherine McNamara, Katie Cassidy and Juliana Harkavy reprising their roles as Mia Smoak, Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake, respectively.

KEEP READING: Future State: An Arrowverse Hero Reveals His SHOCKING New Form