Arrow: Characters I’d Like To See In The CW’s New Series

The series premiere of Arrow is a little more than three months away, with the pilot episode screening in less than ten days at Comic-Con. Also at Comic-Con, we are sure to hear some more announcements of what to expect from the show’s future. Before we get any confirmed announcements, though, I’d like to voice my own opinion of what characters I would like to see at some point in Arrow’s hopefully long run.

I’ve been reading Green Arrow comics since the early 1990’s, when the book was a “Suggested For Mature Readers” title and the talented Mike Grell was at the helm. I’ve followed the title through the good times and the bad. So, please know this comes from the perspective of a longtime DC Comics geek and therefore, it might be a geekier wish list than you might see in some places.

Some of these characters will inevitably show up on the series for sure; some are simply hopes that might be a little ridiculous. In some cases I even have my own casting suggestions, which may also be unrealistic. So let’s start with the most likely one, and move on from there….

Character: Deathstroke
Why: The pilot episode of Arrow has a very familiar looking mask on the island. I am going to assume that this means Slade Wilson was at one point on the island that Oliver Queen had disappeared to for so many years. While he’s older, he’s a master fighter as well as a very smart man – the perfect recipe for a threatening villain. The whole island connection makes me wonder what his relationship with Oliver had been like in the past. A mentor? A friend? Or was he always an enemy?
Suggested casting: Stephen Lang (Terra Nova, Avatar). Slade Wilson needs to be imposing — sorry, Michael Hogan — and I can’t think of an older actor that has the look down THAT perfectly. But could Arrow afford him, with what already is a pretty large (and good) cast?

Character: Roy Harper
Why: He’s the original “Speedy,” Oliver Queen’s first sidekick of the comics. He’s another one I’d expect to see on the show at some point — perhaps as a contemporary or friend of Oliver’s sister Thea? Just keep him away from cats.
Suggested casting: This one I have no idea on. Obviously, someone younger, closer to Willa Holland’s age. The CW is better at casting hot people than I am, so let’s just leave it there.

Character: Shado
Why: She’s another character that would be a worthy and mysterious adversary to Oliver Queen, and although she hasn’t been in the comics much lately, she’s an important part of the character’s history.
Suggested casting: Maggie Q. Which means this can’t happen for a while, because I hope Nikita is on for a few more years to come. But really. Who wouldn’t want to see Maggie Q and Stephen Amell fight on screen?

Character: Black Canary
Why: Wait, isn’t Black Canary already on the show?!? Well, yes… Dinah Laurel Lance is, but what about her mother, Dinah Drake Lance? Could the show be calling her “Laurel” to separate her from her mother, who, by the way, we don’t see in the pilot at all?
Suggested casting: I’m tempted to say “Lori Loughlin” since she was so awesome as Black Canary in Birds of Prey, but I’ll just leave it as “someone older and, of course, hot.”

Character: Hal Jordan
Why: This one, really, came from folks who had posted to the Arrow forum and Twitter feed. Green Lantern and Green Arrow team-ups are legendary. Yes, it would be hard to do Green Lantern on a TV budget, but maybe the ring could have some TV-induced limitations? Obviously this would have to come at a time when or if Arrow has gone into sci-fi territory.
Suggested casting: Not Ryan Reynolds. He’s a movie guy, plus, seeing a movie character alongside a TV character might be a bit weird, so it might be best to go all new here. Then again… the fact that Green Lantern Hal Jordan is a movie character might preclude him from showing up on Arrow to begin with. If that’s the concern, how about another Green Lantern? John Stewart is a favorite to many who watched the cartoons. Guy Gardner could be a look in the mirror for Oliver who was quite a jerk back in the day. And Kyle Rayner is the GL of “my” generation, and one that would also be fun to see on TV. It’s really up to them.

Character: Batman
Why: We waited ten years for him on Smallville, and eventually someone’s going to have to let us have him. Plus, although he dresses up like a bat, he does kind of fit in to the grounded universe. On the flip side, we already have a rich guy doing good and avenging his city with Arrow, so maybe we don’t need him on TV anymore.
Suggested casting: Obviously not Christian Bale, but again, I’m leaving this one to the casting gods.

Character: Christopher Chance
Why: The Human Target TV series was sadly way too short lived, and although it came from different producers, the character of Christopher Chance from Human Target would totally fit in with the world of Arrow. Also, selfishly, I want to see Mark Valley in the role again. Bonus if Guerrero comes along.
Suggested casting: Mark Valley. Who else?

Character: The Question
Why: You’re going to have the Watchmen/Rorschach comparisons for sure, and having a guy with a blank face on a network full of pretty faces might not work out anyway, but it could still lead to some interesting story. The Question is one of DC’s most intriguing characters, after all.
Suggested casting: Someone who doesn’t mind wearing a blank face.

Character: Eddie Fyers
Why: Former CIA agent who went freelance. TV could portray him any way they wanted, really. But it would be a fun case of stunt casting, because I’d recommend…
Suggested casting: Tom Welling. He’d probably never do it, but to play a non-super character in a different world of heroes could be funny. That, and can you imagine Welling with Eddie Fyers’ mustache?