The passing of beloved comic book writer and editor Dennis “Denny” O’Neil has touched off a wave of support and tributes on social media, as the comics community grapples with the loss of one of the most significant creators of the last 50 years. Among them is Marc Guggenheim,co-creator of Arrow and one of the credited writers on the 2011 Green Lantern movie. With Green Lantern and Green Arrow, plus Richard Dragon, Ra’s al Ghul, and Talia, Guggenheim has been a prominent voice in helping to shape the public perception of numerous characters O’Neil either created or redefined during his decades in comics.
Calling O’Neil “a titan among titans,” Guggenheim told ComicBook.com that he sees the late writer and editor’s legacy in virtually every DC and Marvel comic published. And, yes, he acknowledged the profound effect that O’Neil’s take on characters like Batman and Green Arrow had on Arrow.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“2020 just keeps taking from us. Today, it’s the man who created the modern day incarnation of Batman,” Arrow co-creator Marc Guggenheim told ComicBook.com. “A legendary writer. A titan among titans. It’s impossible to overstate his contributions to comics, and it’s equally impossible not to see their effects in every page DC and Marvel publish. And, of course, it goes without saying that there is no Arrow if there were no Denny O’Neil. Rest in peace.”
O’Neil and Adams’ contributions to the Green Arrow mythology have been acknowledged by Guggenheim and others involved in the show repeatedly since it launched. Green Lantern/Green Arrow helped establish Oliver Queen as a political firebrand, a characteristic that ultimately led to the story in Arrow where Ollie briefly became the mayor of Star City. He also helped reshape Batman in the ’70s, bringing the character back from the campy, silly version seen in the Adam West show and setting the stage for the Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan films whose aesthetic helped shape the look and feel of Arrow‘s world.
On top of all of that, characters that O’Neil co-created — Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter Talia, as well as Richard Dragon (reimagined for TV as “Ricardo Diaz”) helped shape much of Arrow‘s run. The League of Assassins and Diaz were key antagonists in about half of the show’s total seasons, and so significant to the run that they were shouted out in the final episode of Arrow, when the series ended in January.
