By (Spoiler alert ahead.)
Dear Warner Brothers,
You don’t know who I am, but that’s okay. I’m just another avid comic fan who is excited about the prospect of a cinematic universe that could possibly counter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a fan who straddles the line, reading equal shares of Marvel and DC, I couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of a Shazam movie, or a Green Lantern/Flash team-up, or a badass Wonder Woman movie starring Gal Gadot that would make Clash of the Titans look like an Asylum film.
That all being said, you have a wonderful opportunity on your hands and, as an enormous fan, I beg you: DO NOT BLOW IT. That opportunity, of course, is to merge your film universe with the surprisingly rich world of Arrow. Why? I’m glad you asked…
First off, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is bloated. There are just too many characters. You’ve already got Superman, who got his own movie, but you’ve got to introduce Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg (or at least pre-horrific accident Vic Stone) and apparently Aquaman. That is 5/7th’s of the New 52 Justice League to cram into one movie, and that doesn’t even count the bad guy (or bad guys, because let’s be real, this is a comic book movie sequel). To say that it’s an unwieldy amount of big name characters to cram in to one film is putting it lightly.
What about Green Lantern and Flash? Well, there’s a Flash that will be gracing the small screen this Fall on your channel, the CW. That’s awfully convenient. Even more than that? He is spinning out of a universe rich with developed B and C-list characters that. And not just Flash, either! The centerpiece of your small-screen shared universe is Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. He was one of the first heroes to join the original incarnation of the Justice League in the 60’s, and there’s no reason the star of Arrow couldn’t be considered for a spot on the team at some point.
Better yet, TV actors are cheaper than big names like Ben Affleck or Henry Cavill, so in a movie like Justice League that will undoubtedly cost a gazillion dollars, being able to not only save some money but to have well-established characters a good chunk of your fanbase will be familiar with really can’t hurt.
And, not to besmirch anybody’s good name (*cough Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. *cough*), but having a small-screen tie-in to your cinematic universe full of characters we know from the comics is a smashing idea. Why have a group of original characters who are little more than archetypes dealing almost solely with movie-verse themes and issues and the occasional D-list villain when you can have a team of characters that are recognizable and pre-established in other media fighting bad guys that are similarly pre-established? And, honestly, by the time Justice League actually comes out, who knows how many shows you’ll have populating your shared universe.
Finally, the best part? The real kicker? It’s still early enough in your cinematic world’s development that this suggestion is completely feasible. To my knowledge, nothing has been done in Arrow or Man of Steel that contradicts either’s lore!
I cannot think of one reason not to do this, Warner Brothers. Arrow has already built such a rich universe, one that led to a Flash spinoff of all things, that fusing it to your nothing-if-not-ambitious (if the rumors about your film slate are true) plans for a cinematic universe can only result in one much stronger universe for us all to enjoy!
And let’s be honest: your distinguished competition is already leaps and bounds ahead of you. Having a little super-speed to catch up can’t hurt.
Love always,
Sean Walsh