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The Mark Shaw version of Manhunter worked with the Suicide Squad under Checkmate, an organization with ties to the Suicide Squad and frequently run by Amanda Waller, whom Arrow star David Ramsey recently revealed to us will no longer be running A.R.G.U.S. or the Suicide Squad at the start of Season Three. There’s no guarantee he’ll work with either Waller or Checkmate, though; THR reports that he’ll have “strong ties” to Diggle. They add, “When the character makes his Starling City entrance, he will be an A.R.G.U.S. operative in Corto Maltese who crosses paths with Diggle. In comic lore, Mark has a connection to the Suicide Squad.”
While Mark Shaw had not been Manhunter for some time prior to the reboot, he had appeared regularly during Marc Andreyko’s critically-acclaimed run that featured Kate Spencer as its title lead. Shaw, who had been mentally “programmed” as part of the Manhunter program, resurfaced in that book as an antagonist — not quite a villain, but a killer with a deranged mission. At one point, he was offered the mantle of Azrael but did not accept. In the New 52, he has appeared just once — as a U.S. Marshal dubbed “one of the best manhunters” on the planet.
Spencer, of course, was a character in Arrow‘s first two seasons — but only in her civilian identity. Kate Spencer appeared as the district attorney and was killed during the Season Two finale.
“We wanted a few deaths that would be ‘impactful,’” Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim told ComicBook.com at the time. “To our way of thinking, that meant killing off familiar, established characters. Kelton in ‘City of Blood’ and Kate Spencer in ‘Streets of Fire’ are — well, were — among the few ‘recurring’ faces that we’ve established. It’s always hard to lose a character, even a minor one, but we felt that it would raise the stakes of the assault of Slade’s army if it wasn’t just nameless ‘red shirts’ among the casualties.”
Asked whether they had ever considered giving Spencer her Manhunter identity, he responded, “Manhunter would definitely be a DC character who would fit well in the world of Arrow. I’m also a big fan. Never say never.”
Guess so.
