Arrow: Easter Eggs and DC Comics References in Suicide Squad

More than most episodes of The CW's Arrow, "Suicide Squad" was always going to owe quite a bit to the DC Comics source material. After all, not only is the Squad a DC Comics team, but it's a TEAM. That means each of those characters come with backstory and baggage. Some we got into, some we didn't...but there's a fair sampling of DC history (and a little of Arrow's own) on display this week. So let's get right to it...

Alexi Leonov We haven't seen this guy in a while, but the Pratva agent who works with Oliver this episode (and ends up dead for his trouble) is actually a recurring character from episode one. Alexi appeared in both "Lone Gunmen" and "Vertigo" last year, most notably helping Oliver to track down a gunman who tried to kill Diggle. That gunman? Turned out to be Deadshot. Eventually they brought him down, and...well, welcome to the Suicide Squad, Floyd. The Ostrander Suite That's where Dig and Lyla were sleeping together when Amanda Waller found them. John Ostrander, of course, is a veteran DC Comics writer, best known for his run with Tom Mandrake on Suicide Squad.

The earthquake machine Apparently Qadir is the one who tried to buy the Markov machine in "Tremors." That ties him not only to Diggle (who saved and then apprehended him) but to Suicide Squad member Bronze Tiger, who was apprehended by Arrow and Roy Harper while trying to steal the device. After that? Welcome to Task Force X, Ben Turner. Khandaq manufacturing plant The chemical agent went through a manufacturing plant in Khandaq, eh? Well, that's pretty interesting. In the DC Comics Universe, Kahndaq is a country located in the Middle East between Egypt and Israel on the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula; it is the homeland of the anti-hero Black Adam. Markovia Another fictional DC Universe location, Markovia is a kingdom ruled over by the hero Geo-Force. His sister, Terra, once had an affair with Slade Wilson after being brainwashed into betraying Roy Harper and the Teen Titans for him. While it's unlikely we'll see them in their comic book form (not only did Brion already die as a powerless scientist, but they're pretty super for Arrow, although never say never), Brion Markov's name and powers (control of seismic energy) were turned over to the device used to attack Starling City in the season one finale. Harley Quinn Any doubt that Cassidy Alexa's cameo appearance in this episode represented the first Arrowverse appearance of Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn) evaporated when the phrase "I'm a trained therapist!" escaped from the holding cell next to Amanda Waller. While that particular shot (seen above) didn't make it into the cut of the episode (maybe for time, maybe it was specifically done as a promo shot to get people talking, etc.), we certainly saw enough of a tease of the character that fans who didn't know it was coming already were pretty excited about it on social media.

The Identity Crisis mask The scene depicted above echoes a shot from Brad Meltzer's best-selling comic book miniseries Identity Crisis. In that story, Deathstroke is retained as a bodyguard, protecting Dr. Light (whose civilian identity is rumored to make a cameo in the upcoming Flash-themed episode "The Man Under the Hood"), and ultimately gets an arrow in his (already missing) eye from Oliver for his trouble. At the end of the miniseries, Oliver hears a sound behind him on a rooftop and, when he turns to confront it, finds Deathstroke's mask, an arrow through the eyehole, and a note that says "This is yours. We're not done." Message sent, certainly... H.I.V.E. The group that ordered the death of Diggle's brother is one that has a long history in the DC Universe, and who has connections to Deathstroke and Brother Blood, to boot. The fact that David Ramsey, who plays Diggle, told us this week that we haven't heard the last of the H.I.V.E. story yet, it's worth mentioning, especially since Deadshot name-dropped them.

Floyd Lawton, Family Man As despicable as members of the Suicide Squad can be, Floyd Lawton is often depicted as having a moral compass that revolves around his family in the comics. We see a tease of that here, learning that everything he's done has been for the benefit of a daughter he loves but never gets to see, and that his money all goes into a blind trust for her. Gholem Qadir Not only was the story of Diggle saving Qadir told in Season One's "The Odyssey," but elements of his Afghanistan experience were touched upon in the Arrow digital comics series, too.

Film of Shado This isn't strictly speaking an Easter egg, but it's worth noting: we checked with Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim, who confirmed that video of Shado is home movies taken by Yao Fei. Which is good; otherwise I was a bit puzzled as to where he got a video camera on the island.