The Arrowverse doesn't have free reign over all of the DCU, and so many characters are off limits. So many of the characters they CAN use are obvious stand-ins for who would normally be the bigger names. Of course, many characters are an expy/copy of the bigger names to begin with.
In General
- Oliver and Barry are quite similar to Batman and Superman with Kara herself seeming to feel the role of Wonder Woman
- Mark Hamill's Trickster is not unlike the Joker.
- The Atom for Blue Beetle. Enforced by Executive Meddling, as the writers had planned to use Blue Beetle. Mostly in Arrow. In Legends of Tomorrow, The Atom finally gets the powers he is famous for.
- The Legends themselves seem to play the role of The Justice League or for that matter any other super team.
Series
- Arrow:
- Tommy Merlyn is this for Harry Osborn, being the main character's more carefree, outgoing best friend who comes from a rich family, is involved in a love triangle with said best friend, and is a "Well Done, Son" Guy towards his father, who just so happens to moonlight as a supervillain.
- In the comics, Felicity Smoak is a software executive and Ronnie Raymond's stepmother. In the show she's a support hacker to an urban vigilante whose handle starts with "O". She's essentially the Arrowverse version of Oracle minus her background as Batgirl. She even ends up in a wheelchair following an attack by a villain and later gets a spinal implant that allows her to walk just like Babs.
- There is a common fan theory that John Diggle is the Arrowverse version of John Stewart. He has Stewart's military background, general personality traits and his stepfather's surname is also Stewart.
- And like Smallville's, this characterization of Green Arrow demands some explanation to Batman.
- The Flash (1990):
- Nightshade is based on the original Golden Age Sandman, right down to the Gas Mask, Longcoat costume and the use of a specialized gun that renders his foes unconscious.
- Pollux, Barry's clone in the episode "Twin Streaks", was essentially the show's Reverse-Flash. He also has roots in Speed Demon and the Blue Trinity, all early speedster foes of Wally West who got their powers via lab experimentation.
- Omega to the Terminator in "Alpha".
- The Flash (2014):
- Much like how Arrow exaggerates the Green Arrow similarities to Batman, The Flash exaggerates the similarities to Superman. It's most notable when it comes to his interactions with Arrow, they typically don't have the same "The Cape vs. The Cowl" dynamic that Batman and Superman have.
- Sherloque Wells is just a French Sherlock Holmes, and everyone in the show is aware of this. He also is from Earth-221, had a partner named Watsune, and has a love interest named Renee Adler.
- Scott Evans is essentially Jonah Jameson, a newspaper editor who hates a superhero and frames every story he reports to make them look bad.
- Legends of Tomorrow: Rip Hunter in general demeanor, mythology and wardrobe borrows liberally from The Doctor of Doctor Who. His actor Arthur Darvill has a history with that franchise as well.
- Supergirl (2015)
- Cat Grant is based on Miranda Priestley. In fact, the casting call actually stated outright that the role needed a Miranda-type character.
- The Maxwell Lord of this series seems to be much more clearly based on Lex Luthor from the comics than on Maxwell Lord from the comics. We even get an iconic scene of Superman confronting Lex outside his office window (Lex being smug in his untouchability and Superman not being able to do much at the moment) as seen in multiple adaptations reproduced here with Supergirl and Max.
- We seem to be getting a “Lex Luthor wannabe of the season” setup. Season One has Max Lord, who turns out to be less evil than we thought (still willing to go pretty damn dark, but the worst he’s suspected of always turns out to not be him, and he does help sometimes.) while in season two, Lillian Luthor, Lex’s mom, turns out to be worse if anything. As for season three, enter Morgan Edge. We're left to wonder if he's a Lillian or a Lord, until he proves to be every bit as evil as Lex (but not as good at getting away with it.) Then comes season four, where the real deal shows up midway through and proves that none of the pretenders to the throne were anywhere in his league.
- Within the overall Arrowverse if Barry and Oliver are Superman and Batman then Kara is Wonder Woman as noted by her ability to inspire the best to people. Bonus points for Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman from the 1970s TV series) is part of the show.
