Arrow star Stephen Amell has expressed interest in returning to the DC Universe someday, only this time as a villain. The actor has portrayed Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, on the CW superhero series since 2012.
It was recently announced that Amell would be suiting up one last time when Arrow returns for its shortened eighth and final season. Regardless of whether Green Arrow manages to survive the experience - which, Oliver's death seems very likely - Amell has stated that he wouldn’t mind returning in some capacity if a future story called for such an appearance. Next year will be the end of an era for the CW in more ways than one. Not only is the show that spawned the entire Arrowverse concluding, but Supernatural, an even longer-running series, will be wrapping up The Winchester brothers’ epic saga with season 15. This will undoubtedly be an adjustment for those involved, and Amell and Supernatural's Jared Padalecki have already been joking about forming a support group for soon to be unemployed actors.
During a panel at MCM London (via Comic Book), Stephen Amell opened up about his feelings on someday returning to the DC Universe. The actor revealed that he would be open to the idea on one condition: that he could play a villain this time around. Amell explained, “I’d like to play a villain. If I’m going to play a DC character again, it has to be a villain. I like villains.” When asked if he had a preference, the Arrow star didn’t hesitate. He stated, “General Zod. I watched Superman II with my kid the other day, and it was the best.”
Amell is talking about Terence Stamp’s iconic performance as the famed villain in the 1980 superhero classic, Superman II. The character has already been introduced into the DCEU with Michael Shannon playing the part in Man of Steel back in 2013. However, with Henry Cavill apparently hanging up his cape for good, it would seem that the Last Son of Krypton will eventually see a new incarnation, which could potentially make way for another iteration of Zod. One of Superman’s biggest bads, Zod has also appeared in Smallville, Krypton and briefly, in Supergirl.
It’s telling that Amell would only return to DC as a villain and General Zod is certainly an unexpected choice. After playing a hero for so many years, it makes sense that the actor would want to try something different. Of course, imagining Amell as a DC character other than Oliver Queen will be difficult at first, as he has come to define Green Arrow for the better part of a decade. That being said, the Arrow star has proven his acting chops over the years and he certainly has the talent to pull off such a role.
Source: Stephen Amell (via Comic Book)