The arrival of Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, in the DC Extended Universe may be good news for a lot of fans, but there are some who believe that it's bad news, at least partially, for one particular reason. They believe that the supervillain's introduction on the big screen means that he can no longer appear on the small screen in The CW's Arrow.
There are a couple of reasons behind the notion. Last year, Willa Holland, who portrays Thea Queen in Arrow, revealed that they had "big plans" for Harley Quinn, but were told to step back by the DC execs as Suicide Squad was in the works.
Then, earlier this year, executive producer Marc Guggenheim insisted that Deathstroke is "currently tied up in another DC project", and that it’s unlikely that he would return in Arrow.
However, titular superhero actor Stephen Amell thinks "that's not how that works"! While speaking at a Salt Lake City Comic panel (via Comic Book), the Canadian actor says:
Diane Nelson and Geoff Johns – the people at Warner Bros. on the feature side, the people at Warner Bros. on the television side – are all in the business of making the best products for fans. Just because there may or may not be a Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe doesn't mean Manu Bennett can't exist on our show.
Amell concludes by saying:
There is no in-fighting, there is no war between the two factions. It's all a collaborative effort and – in the grand scheme of things – I think the television universe has done just fine for itself.
Amell is surely one of those who would love to see Manu Bennett's character return in Arrow. And during the panel, he doesn't hesitate to confess that his favorite villain on the show is Deathstroke.
However, actor David Ramsey (John Diggle), who accompanies Amell at the panel, has different favorites. He says that Kelly Hu's China White and Michael Rowe's Deadshot are his favorite baddies in Arrow.
During the panel, Stephen Amell is asked about how he would feel if Green Arrow is recast for a DCEU installment. According to what the actor has heard, there are no plans of introducing the Emerald Archer in a movie at this point. And even if the character does make his way to the DCEU, Amell "would not be upset", as he believes that he doesn't have "a right to Oliver Queen".
You can check out the full Q&A panel below!
