Grant Gustin looked back on the Arrowverse’s landmark crossovers with fondness during a Q&A at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2025, recounting the energy and camaraderie of filming across The CW’s sprawling shared universe. His remarks underscore how those multi-episode events are among the most cherished moments for fans of the superhero TV era that spanned more than a decade.
A shared universe that began with Arrow in 2012 evolved into a sprawling roster that included The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning. The annual crossover became the crown jewel of the lineup, delivering huge team-ups, dramatic clashes, and emotional reunions that drew in viewers week after week. Gustin recalled the dynamic magic of working with Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) and Stephen Amell (Arrow), noting that their differing personalities helped create a unique on-set energy that made those weeks memorable. “You’d go from Stephen’s super-intense focus to Melissa’s lighthearted charm, and somehow it just worked,” he said. “That’s what made those weeks so special.”
The Arrowverse’s ascent was a bold experiment for network television. What began as a single show built a shared universe, and by the height of its popularity, six series were running concurrently with their stories interwoven across crossovers that fans eagerly anticipated each year. Among the standout events were Crisis on Earth-X, Elseworlds, and the monumental Crisis on Infinite Earths, which brought together dozens of heroes and villains in sprawling, multiverse-spanning narratives. For actors, these events meant long hours, complex stunts, and intense filming schedules, but they also offered a rare sense of belonging to something larger than a single series.
The finale of The Flash in May 2023 did more than close Barry Allen’s chapter; it marked the end of the Arrowverse’s formal era as a connected network-wide universe. While individual shows such as Superman & Lois and Stargirl continued to air, they did so in a looser continuity, separate from the central Arrowverse tapestry the crossovers had linked for years. Fans have continued to revisit the era through streaming and home media, with Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow available for binge-watching across Netflix and other formats.
For Gustin, the legacy endures not just in the stories told, but in the relationships formed along the way. “It was a special time,” he reflected. “We didn’t just make TV — we built a universe together.” That sentiment captures the enduring appeal of a project that, for a long while, felt larger than life and, for many fans, remains a benchmark for how interconnected storytelling on network television can look and feel.
Summary for readers:
– The Arrowverse grew from Arrow’s 2012 start into a shared TV universe with six shows at its peak.
– Annual crossovers were a defining feature, celebrated for their scale and character moments.
– Grant Gustin emphasized the on-set energy created by leads like Stephen Amell and Melissa Benoist.
– The Flash’s 2023 finale effectively closed the Arrowverse’s connected era, though some related shows continued in a looser form.
– The legacy lives on through streaming and home media, preserving the crossover magic for new and longtime fans alike.
A hopeful note: the Arrowverse era demonstrated the power of collaborative storytelling, leaving a template for future interconnected universes where fans can celebrate shared destinies across multiple series. The friendships forged and the creative risks taken during those crossover years offer a positive blueprint for future winners in the superhero television space.