Is Batman Coming to ‘Arrow’?

Back when Arrow first kicked off the DC TV Universe, fans immediately associate the show’s depiction of Green Arrow as a sort of bootleg Batman. Arrow eventually overcame that stigma to earn its own place in DC canon, but many fans have always maintained that the show would be a perfect launchpad for Batman to join the Arrowverse.

Well, thanks to a major name-drop in a recent episode of Arrow, we now have confirmation that Bruce Wayne is an official part of the Arrowverse mythos. With that major reveal, the bigger question has once again gained major prominence in discussions of the Arrowverse’s future.

So, is Batman coming to Arrow? Let’s break down the situation…

Bat-Denial

It may seem like a no-brainer to have big DC Comics characters like Batman to appear in DC TV series like Arrow, but DC and Warner Bros. have been notoriously fickle about how and where their major characters are used. 

A few years back, Arrow star Stephen Amell revealed that Batman Arrowverse discussions had been taking place within DC/WB, but that he was told from higher-ups that they wanted to keep big movie properties and TV properties separate, as the DC Films Universe was taking shape.

That mantra has been largely maintained throughout the DC TV Universe’s expansion, though it may have changed, now, as the DC Films Universe has gone through its own growing pains. Back when Amell spoke to executives about getting Batman on Arrow, Ben Affleck was poised for a big breakout in Batman v Superman. Given how poorly received BvS was, and all the current uncertainty about Affleck’s future in the role, it’s not inconceivable that DC/WB has loosened the reigns on character use – and there’s plenty of recent evidence that suggests as much. 

Superman Did It

DC fans with long memories will remember that there was a time that Superman was barred from the DC TV Universe, which was a primary reason that the Supergirl TV series was launched. However, by the time Batman v Superman was out, and Supergirl was moved to The CW for season 2 (after a turbulent season 1), DC/WB was all too willing to let actor Tyler Hoechlin suit up as The Man of Steel. 

End result? Fans largely embraced the TV version of Superman, without that depiction tripping up Henry Cavill’s role as Superman in the DC Films Universe. With that experiment yielding solid results, there’s little reason to think that the studio would be risking anything by bringing Superman’s best friend (and sometimes rival) into the mix, as well.

The Arrowverse shows have already teased the existence of Bruce Wayne through several carefully placed Easter eggs over the years, preparing shows like Arrow for an easy introduction of Bruce Wayne. As Stephen Amell has previously pointed out, Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne are too similar (wealthy industrialists who moonlight as vigilantes) to not meet up at some point. Seeing Batman and The Green Arrow meet, and fight, and then unite, would be the sort of event that would bring all kinds of new eyes to the Arrowverse. 

The only hiccup here may be Gotham; Fox’s alternative take on Batman’s younger years had a strict no-costume policy, that prevented it from actually using the costumed version of Batman on the show (except for maybe the finale). While it’s unclear if Fox still has that as the gameplan (young Bruce Wayne has started suiting up as an early Batman prototype), DC and WB may not allow the Arrowverse to steal attention away from both Ben Affleck’s movie Batman, and their popular TV incarnation of the character.

For fans of the Arrowverse, there is no question: we want to see some Batman in the mix! Here’s hoping it happens. 

Catch Arrow on Thursday nights @ 9/8c on The CW.

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