When it comes to DC TV, it’s not just the superheroes and villains that viewers fall in love with season after season. In many cases, it ends up being the supporting players too, including family. From past and present shows that have come and gone from the DC Universe, the have been some incredible mother figures that have guided their kids through the superhero struggles. In some scenarios, the moms themselves have suited up and been a superhero too in their own right, especially in the Arrowverse.
The DC TV universe continues to expand season after season, meaning that more mothers will join the ever-growing franchise on The CW, depending on what kind of show they’re on. Stargirl was the first DC teen drama in a long time which allowed for a family dynamic to organically be part of the show. Should more shows like that come to life, the fans will continue to get to see more amazing mothers. Thankfully, many of DC TV’s moms are still with us and these are the 10 best ones in the Arrowverse, including Smallville.
Iris West
Imagine finding yourself one day opening the front door and discover that you have a grown-up daughter waiting outside who just happens to be from the future. That is what The Flash threw at Iris West-Allen and Barry Allen when their daughter Nora showed up and revealed that she was their future kid.
That is one heck of a challenge for a couple who was in their first year as married. Despite Nora having her issues with Iris due to their relationship in the future, the present Iris still showed that she is a great mother even before having given birth to Nora in this timeline.
Cat Grant
While Supergirl has been without Calista Flockhart’s Cat Grant for several seasons, it doesn’t change the fact that she was one of the show’s best moms. While her relationships with her own kids were briefly explored, it’s the surrogate mother-daughter dynamic with Kara that became a captivating chapter of the series.
If anyone knows tough love and how to show it, it’s Cat, without a doubt. But no matter how much Cat went on Kara, it was hard to not love it as she helped Kara push herself and evolve.
Nora Allen
Who wouldn’t go back in time to save their mother from being murdered if they had super-speed? For Barry Allen, having lost his mom at a young age thanks to Reverse-Flash, it took almost two seasons before he finally traveled back in time to save Nora.
While not much has been revealed about Nora, it’s clear that she was a loving mom worth fighting for across time and space.
Moira Queen
In the case of Arrow, Moira Queen was definitely a complicated woman with a number of skeletons in her closet. But despite all that darkness, Moira was a good mother at heart, even if her methods were problematic.
Despite being killed off in the second season, it turns out that it wasn’t really the end for her. Thanks to Crisis on Infinite Earths, Moira was now alive again as Oliver in this new timeline ended up stopping Slade Wilson.
Jayna-Zod
One of the DC TV shows that sadly didn’t get to live for long was SYFY’s Krypton, a prequel story about Kal-El’s home planet before it blew up. One of the great characters to have come out of the show was Jayna-Zod, mother of Lyta-Zod.
The two Zod women truly had a complicated relationship, but at the core, Jayna was just another mom that went with the tough love approach. The second season saw Jayna getting to overcome her struggles after Lyta choose her son’s side.
Nyssa-Vex
Another mom that deserves to be recognized from Krypton is Nyssa-Vex, whose character ended up getting a big part in the Superman mythology in this universe. While she began as a bit of a rival to Seg-El, Nyssa ultimately became a mother herself as she and Seg had a synthesized child together.
But it was when she temporarily lost him that Nyssa’s true commitment to being a mother came out as she moved heaven and Earth to get him back. In the end, that son ends up becoming Jor-El, making Nyssa Superman and Supergirl’s grandmother in this universe.
Barbara Whitmore
A recent addition to the Arrowverse is Stargirl and that series introduced another amazing mother to the franchise through Barbara Whittmore. It became clear at the start of the series that Barbara didn’t have an easy life with Courtney’s father (who was revealed to be a major jerk) and she had to raise Courtney mostly alone.
Being a single parent is tough and Barbara definitely pushed herself to make sure Courtney had a great life as much as possible. With season 2 coming, it’ll be fun to see more of their dynamic, especially now that Barbara knows that her daughter is a superhero.
Alura Zor-El
Another mother figure that needs to be recognized on Supergirl is Alura Zor-El, and in this case, it goes to both Laura Benanti and Erica Durance as the Smallville star took over the role in season 3.
While viewers have mostly seen Alura as an AI, the later seasons featured the real Alura and Kara together as the Girl of Steel’s mom big sacrifices were revealed. Even in the pilot, Alura making the call to save Kara at any cost shows how incredible she is as a mother.
Lynn Stewart
The heart of Black Lightning is and always will be the Pierce family, no matter what. Even if she doesn’t have super-powers, Lynn Stewart has proven for three seasons that she is one mother to not mess with.
Lynn as a mother has shown how far she is willing to go to protect her family and even if she doesn’t wear a suit, she is definitely a hero in her own right. Lynn grounds the family and it’s hard to imagine what the series would be like without her.
Martha Kent
Before all the Arrowverse shows, there was the 10-year journey of Smallville that saw Clark Kent’s origin story before becoming Superman. Two characters who defined Clark’s life were Jonathan and Martha Kent.
While Jonathan died in the middle of the show, Martha was a part of the show’s heart for 6 seasons, with a few guest spots in the later seasons. In the end, Martha, ultimately, is the best DC TV mom as her role in Clark’s life helped him become the man he is today.
