In the comics, the Green Arrow is a snarky, charming rogue who fights on behalf of the common man. But on Arrow, Oliver Queen is a brooding, vengeful vigilante very similar to another DC superhero, Batman. And on Thursday, in the latest episode of Arrow — “Fallout” — series, Oliver Queen actually name-dropped Batman’s alter-ego, Bruce Wayne. Outside of actual comic books, this means there are now three different versions of Batman running around right this very second.
Mild spoilers ahead for Arrow, season 6, episode 2.
As Oliver is under renewed public suspicion that he is the Green Arrow, the Star City mayor makes half-hearted explanations straight from Anthony Weiner’s playbook, waving off the photographic evidence made public as doctored or photoshopped. (In a twist, the photo was actually doctored, which can only lead Oliver to this season’s great mystery villain.)
In his public statement to the press, Oliver Queen brings up Bruce Wayne. “They could have put Bruce Wayne’s head on that body. Has Bruce Wayne left Gotham to hang out in Star City recently? No.”
It’s… a weird defense, but that’s not the point here. The point is that, finally, the Arrowverse has a Bruce Wayne in this continuity. Previously, the only evidence hinged on a future newspaper article about “Wayne Tech” as seen in The Flash, but with Barry Allen frequently messing with the timeline the whereabouts of any Bruce Wayne was left unknown. Until now.
In terms of live-action, visual media, there are now three Bruce Waynes. There’s Ben Affleck in Justice League, there is David Mazouz on Gotham, and now, the unseen Bruce of the Arrowverse. Supergirl once alluded to her cousin Superman working with a vigilante with lots of gadgets and “demons,” but without an actual name, Kara could have been talking about, like Midnighter.
But Arrow! Somehow, “Fallout” — which was also a general improvement over last week’s lackluster season premiere — has made an actual Batman reference the least important thing. Because of the scrutiny on Ollie, as well as his fear of disappointing William with whom he’s trying desperately to connect, a drastic shake-up occurs within Team Arrow. Once again, John Diggle (David Ramsey) will suit up in Oliver’s duds, and unlike the last several times Diggle swapped glocks for arrows, it looks like it’ll be a more permanent thing.
Arrow airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
If you liked this article, check out this video that reveals a new reason for why Bruce Wayne became Batman.
