The Birds of Prey, as a team, are likely off the table for Arrow (what with a big-budget movie coming up and all), but that woin’t stop them from doing a Birds of Prey-inspired episode later in the season.
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During an interview with TVLine, showrunner Beth Schwartz said that it would provide a role for Laurel Lance, whose redemption arc has been one of the most persistent aspects of the last two seasons.
“We are doing a Birds of Prey-inspired episode, that Laurel (played by Katie Cassidy) will be involved with,” Schwartz said.
The interview stopped short of naming any of the other female heroes or antiheroes who might work with Black Siren, although given their history in the comics, it seems obvious to bring back The Huntress (Jessica de Gouw), who last appeared in the season two episode “Birds of Prey.”
(Yeah — remember that?)
“I think that the way this episode ends just puts her in a whole different position and a different head space as well and I think it’s opened up a whole new set of possibilities for her,” de Gouw said after that episode. “She was so set on one path for such a long time and now it’s been realized and it’s not what she wanted and so it just frees her up for an entirely different life.”
Of course, since Mary Elizabeth Winstead is playing Huntress in the movie version, it’s hard to say whether Helena will be off the table, too.
Black Canary (Juliana Harkavy) seems like a safe bet, as does Felicity, operating in her capacity as not-Oracle.
At the same time as they are rolling out a not-Birds of Prey episode, they are also rolling out the Ghost Initiative, which is very similar to the role the Suicide Squad served during their outings before the movie universe took those characters off the table.
Fans will be able to check out the new status quo, and the Ghost Initiative, starting on Monday when Arrow comes back from its winter hiatus.
Arrow airs on Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT, before episodes of Black Lightning on The CW.
