The CW show ‘Arrow‘ spotlights Oliver Queen, known in the comics as Green Arrow, but has drawn in elements from all over the DC universe from Black Canary to Anthony Ivo to Deathstroke to… well loads of character, most famously The Flash. Also of particular interest, Ra’s al-Ghul has emerged as a major menace this season, with his League of Assassins becoming an increasing presence in Starling City. Add to that The Huntress, Bronze Tiger, the Dollmaker and Deadshot and it almost seems as if the show is based in Gotham City! There has even been speculation that since Black Canary and The Huntress have both been established that it was only a matter of time before the Birds of Prey would assemble.
But what are the odds of Batman himself appearing? With so many Bat villains and allies appearing, how do you logically omit the Dark Knight himself?!
Well on the publicly-maintained IMDB, this synopsis popped up for episode #2.21 (the 21st episode of the second season):
“Oliver gets a business opportunity from a famous billionaire in the neighboring Gotham City.”
Well, OBVIOUSLY we know what that means! Holy Cameo, Batman! That’s bigger than The Flash!
Well… except it’s not true. It was just someone either messing with fans or expressing their wishful thinking.
On his official Facebook page, ‘Arrow’ star Stephen Amell made things short and sweet:
No. Not maybe. Nothing coy. Just no.
Is a Batman appearance impossible? It may be. I mean there has to be a reason why he never appeared on ‘Smallville’. And I know the rights to DC’s trinity, including Wonder Woman are complicated, which is why she wasn’t available to be part of the Justice League in either ‘Batman Beyond’ or ‘The Batman’ and why neither she nor Superman appeared on ‘The Brave and the Bold’ until close to the end of the series.
And with so much attention going to Ben Affleck as Batman in the next big DC movie, Warner Brothers may not want to detract from that.
But with Warner Brothers getting fully behind their DC franchises, maybe those knotted rights are more likely to be untangled. There have been rumors that DC may want to tie their TV and movie universes together, but I think they can exist on their own and WB should try and make both as fulfilling as they can and allow all characters to be utilized in each medium.
But if Batman is off-limits, Steven R. McQueen has expressed interest in playing Nightwing. He’s got those WB pretty boy looks and appears to have significantly bulked up since he was on ‘The Vampire Diaries’. And since both Oliver and Barry Allen are younger here than in the comics, I think Nightwing might make a better fit. And since The Huntress and the previously mentioned villains were free for use, what about the former Robin?
So, sorry folks. No Batman on Arrow, but could we see an alternative?
Source Blastr