Throughout all the shows in the Arrowverse there have been many great cameos and nods to the extended DC universe. Some have contributed a lot to the story and become main characters for an entire season, and therefore pivotal to the storyline, while others have been fan-service cameos.
The guest stars on the show have been filled with actors from older DCTV shows and some have come over from other franchises. The Arrowverse has been running for almost 8 years, (with WB just announcing the shows’ return in late April) so it is easy to forget all the great appearances, so since it began, let’s run down the top 10 guest stars to appear across the Arrowverse.
Neil McDonough
Neil McDonough played Damien Darhk, who first appeared in Arrow as the show’s villain for season four. Darhk appeared in around 20 episodes of Arrow and 21 episodes of Legends of Tomorrow. Oliver Queen seemingly killed Darhk but the character returned in Legends before meeting his end and redeeming himself by sacrificing himself for his daughter.
McDonough also appeared in 17 episodes of Suits as Sean Cahill starting as Harvey Spectre’s opposition before siding with the main character. He also provided the voice for Oliver Queen in a Green Arrow video short in 2010. McDonough has also starred in Captain America: The First Avenger as Timothy Dugan, one of the howling commandos alongside Steve Rogers.
Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter had a 4-year run as Diana Prince in Wonder Woman which aired from 1975-1979. Carter then detached from any other DC projects before re-appearing in Smallville as Moira Sullivan, Chloe Sullivan’s mother who was a metahuman (or “meteor-freak” to use the Smallville term). Moira had the ability to control other metahumans.
Carter then joined the cast of Supergirl as President Olivia Marsdin. It was then revealed that she was, in fact, a Durlan, an alien reptile-like species with many abilities. When Durla was attacked, she found refuge on earth.
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes is a professional American wrestler where he dawns the name Stardust. Rhodes appeared as Derek Sampson in Arrow‘s fifth and seventh seasons. In his first appearance, he was a drug dealer supplying the drug Stardust, named after his wrestling alter-ego. In the seventh season, Oliver Queen faced Sampson in Slabside Maximum Security Prison.
Rhodes taunted Arrow star Stephen Amell at WWE Raw in 2015 leading to Amell jumping in the ring and elbowing Rhodes numerous times. Rhodes and Amell fought a second time and Rhodes named his finishing move ‘The Queen’s Crossbow’ after Amell’s character Oliver Queen.
Patrick J Adams
Fans of the legal show Suits will have instantly recognized Adams from his run as Mike Ross. Adams appeared in Legends of Tomorrow in seasons 1 and 2 as Rex Tyler/Hourman, the leader of the Justice Society of America and one of the original members but sadly only in a couple of episodes.
Adams appeared in over 111 episodes of Suits before his character moved away with Meghan Markle’s character Rachel. Adams returned for three episodes in Suits‘ ninth and final season to help save the firm.
Tom Felton
Starring in each of the Harry Potter movies as Draco Malfoy, fans were surprised to see him pop up as Julian Albert in Season 3 of The Flash. Julian, like Barry, was a meta-human CSI specialist and Barry first discovered the two shared an office after Flashpoint – a story arc in the TV show based on the comics where Barry ran back in time to save his mother’s life causing numerous changes to his original reality.
Julian was revealed to be the villain Alchemy who was being controlled by Savitar, the villain for the show’s third season. There was even a reference to Felton’s involvement in Harry Potter when Julian explained that he once had “the philosophers stone” in his possession which is a nod to the British title of the first Harry Potter book.
Mark Hamill
A name that is renowned with multiple fandoms. The actor behind Luke Skywalker played the infamous DC villain James Jesse A.K.A The Trickster alongside John Wesley Shipp who played The Flash in the 1990 TV series. Hammill also voiced the same character as well as The Joker in the Justice League Unlimited TV show, Scooby-Doo Guess Who amongst many other projects.
Hamill returned as The Trickster in season 1 of The Flash where a copycat Trickster, Axel Walker, played by Devon Graye has run rampage around Central City. Barry Allen goes to James Jesse, who has been in prison for 20 years, to ask for help.
John Wesley Shipp
Mentioned above, John Wesley Ship starred as Barry Allen in the 1990’s TV show The Flash as the titular character. The actor then returned in the current show as Henry Allen, Barry Allen’s father who was wrongly imprisoned for killing Barry’s mother Nora when it was in fact, the Reverse-Flash.
Shipp dawned a different Flash costume again as Jay Garrick, one of the other names The Flash has been known as, in season 2 but the producers brought back Shipp’s original suit from the 1990’s show in the ‘Elseworlds’ crossover which aired in 2018. Shipp also voiced Professor Zoom in Batman: The Brave and The Bold TV show in 2010.
Erica Durance
Erica starred alongside Tom Welling in Smallville first appearing in Season 4 Episode 1 ‘Crusade’. Durance reprised her role in the remaining seasons of Smallville before re-appearing in Supergirl in the Arrowverse as Alura Zor-El.
Durance has appeared in another 12 episodes across the Arrowverse as well as the Crisis on Infinite Earth’s crossover where she came back as Lois Lane where it was revealed she and Clark had had two daughters. Durance took to her social media to post an image from the Smallville Kent Farm, confirming her involvement in the crossover where she recaptured the magic of her Lois Lane portrayal.
Tom Welling
Tom Welling was best known for his brilliant 10-year run as Clark Kent/Superman in The CW show Smallville. Fans heard whispers that Welling was going to reprise his role in the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ crossover and the news was confirmed not long after.
Many fans expected to see Welling’s character utilize the full array of powers that he gained in the final episode of season 10 of Smallville when he learned to fly, however, the producers went down the exact opposite route of giving Clark Kent a family with Lois Lane which convinced him to give up his powers. Welling gave his stamp of approval for the way his character was handled in the crossover.
Ezra Miller
Coming in at number 1, appearing in the latest Arrowverse crossover ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ was none other than Ezra Miller. For the few fans who may not know, Ezra plays Barry Allen/The Flash in the DCEU and appeared alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman.
Miller appeared in Arrow‘s crossover episode after the multiverse was destroyed meaning that Barry Allen’s from other universes shouldn’t even exist anymore. Miller and Gustin shared a very brief but thoroughly entertaining exchange that delighted fans where Gustin’s Flash gave Miller’s Flash the idea for his superhero name. A movie with Miller’s Flash is still in work over at Warner Brothers.
