What Arrow's Bruce Wayne Mention Means

Screen Rant

Arrow's Bruce Wayne Mention Opens Up Possibilities

By Derek Stauffer

Published Nov 8, 2017

Arrow shocked fans by name-dropping Bruce Wayne in a season 6 episode - and if star Stephen Amell gets his way, it won't just be an Easter egg.

Arrow delivered a treat of a Batman Easter egg for fans in the episode "Tribute" - and there might be more to come. When faced with accusations that he's the Green Arrow (again), Oliver Queen name-dropped Bruce Wayne. At a press conference Oliver implied that it was just as ridiculous that Bruce Wayne would be the Green Arrow as Oliver. It was the most direct reference to the Batman mythos yet from a show that has already included several hints, clues, and even homages to Batman.

Now, Arrow star Stephen Amell is hinting that the name drop will prove to be more than a simple reference. While there are no plans for Batman or Bruce Wayne to appear in Arrow season 6, or beyond, Amell did explain that the possibility is now open. It’s also a possibility that the actor would like explored, and he might have the pull to make it happen - since the original reference was all his idea.

Screen Rant attended a press event for Arrow, where Amell explained that in the original script, Bruce Wayne didn’t appear at all, but it was simply some (real-world) famous person name-dropped. Amell saw this as an opening to sneak in a reference to Bruce Wayne. After clearing it with the head executive producer for the Arrowverse, Greg Berlanti, Amell just had to get permission for someone higher up - which he received at a party during San Diego Comic-Con:

“I ended up in a four-way conversation with Peter Roth, Diane Nelson, and Kevin Tsujihara all at the same time. I was like, 'Guys! I have an idea. I think it would be fun, I think it would open the door to a lot of possibilities.' … I had this holy trinity of Warner Bros. Television and DC and Warner Bros. overall in front of me, and I pitched this idea, and I've got all my follow-up points, and Kevin Tsujihara just goes, 'Yeah, sure.' It's like, 'Really?' and he said, 'Yeah, that sounds fun. Do that.' So we did it, and I didn't actually believe that it would make it until I actually saw it in the locked cut."

Ideally, Amell would like to see Bruce Wayne appear one day on the show. He even envisions a scenario where Bruce and Oliver don’t get along well. The heroes wouldn't necessarily be rivals, but they’re certainly wouldn't be best friends either. In the actor's mind, Arrow could tell a compelling tale with Bruce Wayne at the center.

Amell’s right, having Bruce Wayne on Arrow would not only delight more than a few comic book fans; it could offer the chance for some fantastic stories. Oliver is the head honcho vigilante in the Arrowverse (the universe even bears his name), so it would be fascinating to see Oliver come up against an older, or at least more established hero, like Batman. There’s certainly a precedent set in the comics of Green Arrow and Batman butting heads.

As fun as it would be, it’s probably not all that likely. The casual way that Amell’s idea to reference Batman was approved suggests that it’s not meant to be much more than a passing reference. If any larger plans had a chance of happening, there probably would’ve been far more discussion.At the very least, as Amell explained himself, the door on Arrow is now open.