Characters we would love to see in Arrow

I must say I'm enjoying Arrow.  While it may not be fantastic I am finding it to be highly enjoyable, even if the writing can be hit and miss the overall narrative has me intrigued.  As many of you know Green Arrow has encountered a plethora of characters in the past, ranging from the Huntress (which recently featured in the most recent episode of the series) to Batman, and there are a certain number of characters I’d love to see in the future.

What we've seen already

So far Arrow’s not been afraid to incorporate lesser known characters from the DCU into the show, having already featured the likes of Huntress, Deathstroke, Deadshot and China White, Firefly is also being flung into the mix in the tenth episode, with all of them having key roles in the overarching story-line.  We've had name drops towards character like Speedy (Thea's nickname) and some slightly more annoying ones, as with Laurel (Dinah) Lance's law firm being C-N-R-I (you see what they did there too?).  There's been a new take on the villainous archer Merlyn, and also a new interpretation of the Royal Flush Gang.

Characters we'd like to see:

The Question (Vic Sage)

Being the Question fan boy that I am, it would be impossible to leave off the brilliant Charles Victor Szasz off this list.  Vic Sage resides in Hub City, one of the most dangerous and violent areas of the DC universe, and is an investigative Journalist for the local news station.  Vic adopts the identity of the Question in order to expose corruption and fight crime where he sees it.  Vic is also very competent in hand to hand combat, having been taught by Richard Dragon, and has been able to match Lady Shiva in the past.  The Question has crossed paths with Oliver Queen before, having teamed up with him to attack the corrupt mayor of Hub City along with Batman and Blue Beetle.  Not only has the Question met with Oliver, he also made a massive impact on the Huntress too, having protected her, and being her first ally.  Sage could be brought in to expose the Triads, while at the same time questioning Ollie’s body count and evaluating his tactics.  I think it’s about time the Question made his live action début now; He’s a very interesting character, and the way he plays off others is always a joy to see, not to mention the fact the character generally rocks and deserves to have his own show.

Essential Reading: Zen and Violence, Epitaph for a Hero, 52.

Blue Beetle

Another of the Charlton Comics characters picked up by DC, Ted Kord possesses great intellect (being one of the most renowned minds in the DCU) and utilises both gadgets and martial arts to fight crime.  While Kord isn't particularly known for working with Oliver Queen, I do believe Kord could bring a comedic element to the show, while tying in to the Arrow mythos.  Kord doesn't even have to don the suit, but the character I feel would assist Ollie, perhaps developing new types of Arrows and equipment for Oliver, and one day even assist him in the field as Blue Beetle.

Essential Reading: Infinite Crisis

Prometheus

The polar opposite of Batman, being brought up by criminals, his parents were gunned-down by law enforcement officers, and ever since then Prometheus vowed to “Annihilate the forces of justice” wherever he saw it.  Prometheus affected Oliver greatly during his time on the Justice League, having maimed Roy Harper brutally and destroyed half of Star City; Prometheus was killed by one of Queen’s arrows after surrendering himself to the Justice League.  Prometheus could raise the tension of the show; entering Starling City to take out the ‘Hooded Man’ he’s heard so much about, and in the process establishing a new base of operations in ‘Starling City’ (why they didn't call it Star city we’ll never know).

Essential Reading: Justice League: Cry for Justice

Catman

Catman is a fantastic character, as shown by Gail Simone’s brilliant Secret Six (if you haven’t read it you really need to), and possesses a rich history.  Catman is a intelligent warrior, an anti-hero, and compared to many other villains he is depicted as being quite a noble and heroic character.  Catman has been known to disagree with many heroes, believing many to be arrogant and that they abuse the powers given to them.  This belief brought Catman to confront Oliver during Secret Six in regards with Dr Light (who had aided Merlyn and Deathstroke in defeating Oliver previously).  This could be the driving factor for Catman to appear on the series, seeing Oliver arrogantly taking out who he wants could bring Blake to Starling City, to confront him.  Or they could push Catman down more of the Villainous route, as an antagonist that can let the audience sympathise with the character, portraying him as the honourable villain.

Essential Reading: Secret Six: Six Degrees of Separation, Secret Six: Dans Macabre

Roy Harper

The original Speedy, Roy Harper’s relationship with Oliver Queen has been a tough one.  Originally Queen’s sidekick, after discovering that Harper was addicted to Heroin, Queen punched Roy and left him on the street.  After successfully withdrawing from his drug addiction, Harper confronted Queen and the two stopped working together.  Roy adopted the new identity of Arsenal and fought alongside with Nightwing and others in the Outsiders, eventually leaving due to complications in the team.  Harper then went on to join the Justice League under the title of Red Arrow.  Much of this history has been changed with the New 52, most notably how Queen and Harper stopped working together (to which currently remains un-revealed), and has now joined the outlaws, a group led by Jason Todd.  Considering that Arrow seems to be giving the  title of ‘Speedy’ to Oliver’s sister, the show could introduce Roy as someone who has been inspired by Oliver’s actions, eventually proving his worth and working alongside Queen as Arsenal.

Essential Reading: Justice League: The Tornado's Path, The Outsiders: The Sum of all Evil, Red Hood and the Outlaws: Redemption

Barbara Gordon (Oracle)

The first Batgirl, Barbara was left crippled by a bullet from the Joker (but I'm sure you're all pretty aware of that) and adopted the identity of Oracle, providing assistance to Batman and the bat-family when needed.  Eventually Babs went on to work with the Birds of Prey, coordinating and helping others in the field.  With the inclusion of Huntress in the show (a key member of the Birds of prey), it could be appropriate to add Oracle, serving the function of adding critical assistance to Ollie and Helena in the field.  With the inclusion of Oracle in the series many doors could be opened to include certain members of the Bat-Family, maybe allowing Nightwing to eventually make the leap to the silver-screen.

Essential Reading: Batman: The Killing Joke, Birds of Prey: End Run

Brick

Brick made his comics début in Green Arrow, being created by Judd Winick and Phil Hester during their run on the character.  In the comics Brick is a strong meta-human with 'brick' like skin that makes him virtually invulnerable.  At first, Brick was an enforcer for the various gangs that operated in Star-City, but as his aspirations grew so did his gang, and in the wake of the attacks that took place in Star-City Brick came to blows with Green Arrow, with Queen only just managing to best the character.  Like Bane added to the Dark Knight Rises, Brick could bring an intimidating physical presence to the show, challenging Oliver not only intellectually but also physically.

Essential Reading: Green Arrow Vol3

So these are just some of the characters we'd like to see in the future!  There are probably a few that we've missed out, but these were some of our most wanted.  While the probability of these guys appearing on Arrow are mixed, it would be silly for DC not to take advantage of this medium and spread out lesser known characters to the casual audience.  I'd be very happy to see any of these characters in the show, (especially Question) as long as not too many drastic changes are made to the characters.  Alternative interpretations are great, but only as long as the basic traits that make the characters enjoyable are kept.

Do you guys have any characters you'd love to see done in live-action?  Sound off and let your voice be heard!