One of the most prominent additions to Arrow’s third season has been Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, who fans of DC Comics will recognize as the alter-ego of The Atom. However, Palmer’s super-side - which entails shrinking powers - has been sidelined in favor of his corporate connections, especially to Queen Consolidated, the company formerly controlled by Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and his family. However, Routh did reveal that his character would eventually suit up as The Atom, though whether it will be on Arrow or the series’ spinoff, The Flash, was unclear.
As previously said by the actor, The Atom’s shrinking abilities fall more in line with The Flash’s sci-fi tone than Arrow’s realistic crime dramatics. In a new interview with Routh, he teased The Atom’s suit and powers, as well as his involvement with the superhero antics on Arrow.
While speaking with MTV News, Routh mentioned a flashback episode that Arrow executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg were thinking about when the actor joined the series. The episode could focus entirely on Ray Palmer or “just about the day that something happened in his life at the same time that it happened in other characters’ lives.”
Routh also said that while his powers may not be used on Arrow, he would be happy to don a super-suit - one that it appears he’s already seen. Additionally, although Palmer may not have or use his powers as The Atom, he could still be involved in the action on the show in a “superhero-y” kind of way.
Read Routh’s full quote:
“Marc said that if the shrinking was going to happen, it’s more likely to be on ‘The Flash’. But I have no knowledge of a crossover or any of that. ‘Arrow’ is very grounded in reality, so nobody really has any powers. That is a challenging thing, to have you bring a character like the Atom in, with his trademark thing being that he shrinks… But just because he’s not shrinking doesn’t mean that he might not be doing something else, or be involved in some other kind of superhero-y way. I know that there is some type of suit thing happening, though I’m not at liberty to discuss much. But it looks cool, and I would be happy to wear it.”
The actor’s comments are vague enough that they could be taken to mean any number of things for Arrow. For instance, a flashback in Palmer’s life depicting how an event already seen in the series affected his character could allude to the particle accelerator explosion in Central City -- which was the jumping off point for The Flash - or either of the attacks on Starling City in the finale episodes of Arrow’s two previous seasons.
Additionally, Routh’s “superhero-y” comment may refer to Palmer joining the Arrow’s cause in a behind-the-scenes role, similar to Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) or Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) before he became The Flash. However, it could also refer to Palmer’s campaign so far in season 3 to restore Starling City to its previous glory.
In terms of what Routh confirms to be true, it seems to be little more than what we already knew: a suit for The Atom exists, Palmer will - at some point - wear the suit, but his powers probably won’t appear on Arrow. Considering Roy Harper’s (Colton Haynes) long progression from a kid in The Glades to Arsenal, it may be some time before we learn more concrete details about Palmer’s transition to The Atom.
MORE: Flash & Arrow Crossover Plans
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Arrow continues on Wednesday with “Corto Maltese” @8pm on The CW; The Flash continues on Tuesday with “Things You Can’t Outrun” @8pm on The CW.
Source: MTV News