‘Arrow’: Could Oliver’s Prison Buddy Be Hiding a DC Comics Secret?

Arrow returned tonight and gave fans a cold, hard look at what life is like for Oliver Queen behind bars and while the former Green Arrow is surrounded by menacing villains he put behind those very bars, Oliver isn’t totally alone. He has at least one would-be friend in prison, a friend who just might be hiding a significant DC Comics secret.

Spoilers for tonight’s Season 7 premiere of Arrow, “Inmate 4587”, below.

As an inmate of Slabside, Oliver (Stephen Amell) is trying to keep to himself to get through his time and, hopefully, get early release. That doesn’t stop the criminal element in prison however, and it also doesn’t stop a small, meek-seeming inmate named Stanley from attempting to befriend Oliver. Oliver rebuffs him and even allows Brick (Vinnie Jones) and Derek Sampson (Cody Runnels) to brutally beat Stanley instead of getting involved. Later, with Stanley back in his cell, Oliver explains that he is trying to keep a low profile and Stanley reveals that he’s in prison for murders he didn’t commit and seems genuinely scared about his prospects going forward.

Now, the idea of someone in prison claiming they are there for crimes they didn’t commit? Not a surprise, but what might be surprising is the possible tie to DC Comics Stanley has. You see, in Kevin Smith’s Green Arrow run, specifically the “Quiver” story arc, there are a couple of Stanley’s that have pretty major significance — Stanley Dover and his grandfather, also named Stanley Dover.

In the Green Arrow run, the younger Stanley is friend and sort of ward of a large red monster the boy calls Spot, but Spot is no ordinary creature. Spot is actually the Beast with No Name, a creature who was once one of the evil demons of Hell, but unlike other demons had a pure heart and escaped. A powerful creature, Stanley’s grandfather — we’ll call him Stanley Sr. for clarity — tried to use dark, satanic magic to claim the monster and use him for his own nefarious plans. However, instead of drawing the monster to him, Stanley Sr. instead drew the monster to the then infant Stanley, setting up the bond between the child and Spot.

When Stanley was older, however, the boy revealed Spot to his Stanley Sr. Upon recognizing the old man’s evil, Spot fled. Angry and desperate to draw Spot back out, Stanley Sr. kidnapped the child, trapped him in a glass prison, and then carried out all kinds of atrocities and torture, such as the murder of other children and torture, in an attempt to lure Spot out as the beast would surely protect his child. Ultimately — and it’s a long story that involves Stanley Sr. trying to steal Oliver’s body — the evil old man is defeated with Spot literally eating him and sending him back to hell.

Oh, and for the really keen DC fans, “Stanley and His Monster” was a backup feature appearing in the old DC funny animal comic The Fox and the Crow starting in 1966.

While we don’t expect to see a big red monster roll up on Slabside any time soon, the fact that Arrow‘s Stanley claims to be in prison for murders he didn’t commit could actually fit with the Stanley and His Monster scenario. If this Stanley is a grown up version of the comics character, it’s not impossible that someone could be trying to lure out Spot for their own evil purposes and might have framed Stanley for murder as a way to endanger him. If Spot is a protective creature, sending his human to prison would seem like a solid course. It’s an idea that doesn’t feel quite as insane if you take into consideration that Legends of Tomorrow is dealing with all kinds of escaped magical creatures, either.

If Arrow‘s Stanley really is a take on Stanley and His Monster, it’s a clever, deep cut reference and one we have to admit is pretty cool.

What do you think? Is inmate Stanley connected to Stanley and His Monster? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Arrow airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.