‘Stargate SG-1’ and ‘Smallville’ actress Teryl Rothery recently confirmed that she had joined the second season of ‘Arrow‘ in a 3-4 episode story arc. She has now revealed that she will be portraying Jean Loring, a character with ties to the comic book sources. This is how she is described:
“JEAN LORING is a savvy attorney from the DC COMICS UNIVERSE who would do anything for her clients. Jean makes her way onto “Arrow” as a longtime friend and legal counsel to Moira Queen, who is on trial for her role in the destruction of The Glades, but soon finds herself pulled into the scandalous lives of the entire Queen family.”
Beyond being a tenacious attorney, Jean Loring has other comic book connections. She was, for many years, the girlfriend and later wife of The Atom, the size-shifting alter ego of scientist Ray Palmer. Jean was never the best-handled supporting cast member in comics, though. At her wedding, her bridesmaids were Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Black Canary and Supergirl in their secret identities, indicating that apparently Jean didn’t have any friends or family herself. Then in the 80s, Jean cheated on Ray, resulting in their getting divorced.
Worst of all, in the punch-in-the-face miniseries ‘Identity Crisis’, Loring went crazy and murdered fellow super-wife Sue Dibney in a desperate attempt to lure Ray back to her side. This resulted in Jean becoming the super villain Eclipso for several years.
Let’s hope the writers of ‘Arrow’ are kinder to her than Brad Meltzer (who penned ‘Identity Crisis’) and the other comic creators have been.
The big question here is, will Jean Loring be flying solo or will there be references to Ray Palmer/The Atom? (“Ray and Jean” were referenced last season on the episode ‘The Undertaking.’) Is there a chance the shrinking hero could show up at some point? The more super heroes the better, if you ask me!
What do you think of Jean Loring appearing on ‘Arrow?’ Do you think Rothery is the right choice to play her? Are there any other supporting characters from the DC Universe that you think would work in Starling City? Leave a comment below!
