‘Arrow’ Producers Tease DC References, Possible Justice League Appearance?
Debuting its second episode tonight, 'Arrow' certainly has its work cut out for it in proving the show's sustainability beyond its bullseye pilot. In particular, 'Arrow's' "Honor Thy Father" will introduce the first external DC character into the mix, Kelly Hu's "China White," the first of many DC characters we've heard about in recent months. But the larger question remains, just how big are 'Arrow's' executive producers willing to go with their DC adaptations? Does a "no powers" rule preclude the characters from even existing?
The world of The CW's 'Arrow' may not have people flying around in brightly colored capes, but executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg haven't forgotten that they're still in the DC universe. So while it's been written at length that we're unlikely to see Batman or Superman any time in the near future, that isn't to say that Gotham City or Metropolis couldn't be name-dropped, or even visited on the series.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kreisberg explained that the show's rash of DC characters displayed over the first season wouldn't be the only allusions to a larger DC universe, one that might some day play host to the "biggies" of the superhero community.
DC has been incredibly supportive and so open with us playing in their sandbox that we really do have a lot of access to some of their great characters...
One of the things we've done, mainly because we're fans, is we've thrown in a lot of Easter eggs for the hardcore fans. If you're a big fan of the DC Comics universe, you'll see a lot of familiar names and places: Big Belly Burger, which is a hamburger chain from the Superman comic books makes a regular appearance on our show and we have a Big Belly Burger franchise as one of our standing sets.
You'll still hear about characters from those worlds and from those cities. We're imagining a DC universe without super-powered characters but that doesn't mean that in our parallel universe that there isn't a Metropolis or a Gotham City.
Berlanti similarly stressed to the magazine that DC characters needed careful preparation and purpose in order to be included in The CW's Stephen Amell-led series, but as time goes on, they might hit some of the larger characters. Even Amell himself, who had joked that he'd love to encounter Terrence Stamp's General Zod, made mention of the fact that fans have pushed to see Hal Jordan, alter-ego of Green Lantern, prior to receiving the ring that gives his powers.
'Arrow' continues tonight, but what do you think? Is the series in need of more big-name DC characters, or have they struck the right tone thus far?