At this point, I think of The Flash and Arrow as one mega-super-awesome show, so tied are their mythologies and characters. We first met Barry Allen over on Oliver Queen's turf, after all. (Never forget how clenched that square jaw became while he watched Barry and Felicity immediately hit if off.) And Oliver was right there to encourage his newly empowered semi-protege to exercise his metahuman speed and help people in the pilot episode of The Flash. Oliver and Barry are a lot alike, keeping their sister cities as safe as they possibly can while also dealing with the stress and drama of being a modern day superhero. But they're far from the same man.
The personalities of The Arrow and The Flash set the tone for their respective shows. Things in Starling City are muted. A sense of doom pervades, like Ollie somehow beamed his inner broodiness out to the entire town. (Ray: "How many abandoned warehouses are in this city? No, no, I'm genuinely curious.") Central City is alight with hope. Its colors are as bright as Barry's optimism, and there's time in between metahuman battles to join a bowling league or get a soy latte. (Felicity: "I thought Central City was supposed to be the fun one!")
With so many differences between them, it's no surprise that Barry and Oliver have clashed on a few occasions. But deep down, they recognize each other's good intentions and will always have each other's backs. To help understand these two heroes a little better, let's compare and contrast them with this very scientific Venn diagram. Team Arrow and the S.T.A.R. Labs crew would be proud.
There you have it, folks. A fondness for getting themselves into danger isn't the only trait these two guys share. And no matter whose methods you prefer, you can't deny that Barry Allen and Oliver Queen are both incredibly brave. And incredibly cute. I know that's true, because of science.
Images: Diyah Pera/The CW; Caroline Wurtzel/Bustle
