10 Years Ago Today, the Arrowverse Beat the DCEU to One of Its Biggest Team-Ups (& Teased 1 Character It Couldn’t Use)

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Looking back, the Arrowverse feels even more impressive. When it was airing, it was easy to focus on small flaws with so many DC shows on TV at once. But now, as DC works to establish its future in television, the Arrowverse stands out as a real accomplishment – a groundbreaking attempt to create a shared comic book universe on the small screen.

Exactly ten years ago today, the Arrowverse television series boldly tackled a well-known DC Comics storyline – and many fans believe they succeeded where the DC Extended Universe films haven’t. Some even think the Arrowverse version was superior.

Arrow’s “Suicide Squad” Episode Aired 10 Years Ago Today

Many fans consider Season 2 of Arrow to be a highlight of the show, and for good reason. The season’s main story arc explored Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) complicated past with Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett), a highly skilled mercenary who returned as the dangerous villain Deathstroke. This conflict brought to light more of Oliver’s troubled history, including his time with Sara Lance and Slade on the island of Lian Yu, and Team Arrow’s involvement with the secretive A.R.G.U.S. organization and its leader, Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson).

The storyline involving Gholem Qadir became central towards the end of Season 2, particularly in the episode “Suicide Squad” which aired on March 19, 2016. The episode focused on A.R.G.U.S. targeting Qadir, an Afghan businessman and drug lord secretly connected to Damien Darhk’s H.I.V.E. Years earlier, John Diggle and his wife, Lyla Michaels, had rescued Qadir during a dangerous operation. Because of this, Waller recruits them to infiltrate Qadir’s operation and stop him from selling a lethal nerve agent.

Waller creates a team to support Lyla and Diggle on their missions, using a group of former criminals. These individuals previously fought Team Arrow but were then forced to join Waller’s “Task Force X”—a disposable unit she sends on dangerous assignments. The initial Arrowverse Suicide Squad included Floyd Lawton/Deadshot (played by Michael Rowe), Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang (Nick E. Tarabay), Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White), and Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel (Sean Maher). Despite hints to the contrary, one character didn’t ultimately join the team.

“Suicide Squad” Teased Arrowverse Fans With The Best Harley Quinn

John Diggle is deeply upset to learn that Deadshot is joining Task Force X, because he believes Deadshot killed his brother, Andy. This causes a heated argument with Lyla about prioritizing the mission. During their fight, Harley Quinn overhears and unexpectedly offers to help.

Although we only see her from behind while she’s in her cell, it’s clearly Harley Quinn. The filmmakers even went the extra mile, bringing in voice actress Tara Strong to record her short line: “Do you cuties need some counseling? I’m a trained therapist!”

Tara Strong originated the role of Harley Quinn, essentially creating the character when she first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s. Many devoted fans consider Strong the definitive voice and personality of Harley, meaning actresses who followed, like Margot Robbie and Kaley Cuoco, had to live up to the high standard she set. It’s also worth remembering that the Arrowverse had significant restrictions, particularly preventing the use of any characters or elements from the Batman universe.

Viewers of Arrow had grown accustomed to the show seeming like it was subtly shifting towards a darker, Batman-inspired version of the Green Arrow. However, the creators had to be careful not to borrow too much from Batman’s story due to copyright restrictions. Cameos like Harley Quinn’s appearance in the “Suicide Squad” episode were small hints that the show’s producers also wanted to include a wider range of DC characters.

Arrowverse Did Better With Its Suicide Squad Than the DCEU Did

In March 2016, an episode of the TV show Arrow featured the “Suicide Squad.” Later that year, in August, Warner Bros. released the movie Suicide Squad (2016), aiming for a fresh take on superhero films. The movie follows Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) who recruits a team of supervillain prisoners—including Deadshot (Will Smith) and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney)—for a dangerous secret mission. In exchange for reduced prison time, these villains agree to participate. To ensure their obedience, Waller implants tiny bombs in their heads, giving her the power to kill them instantly if they disobey. Led by Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), a military operative working with Waller, the squad attempts to stop Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), a powerful witch, from unleashing dark magic on the world. However, the villains are untrustworthy, constantly trying to escape Waller’s control, and must also contend with the unpredictable chaos caused by The Joker.

Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad was a major success, but she initially faced pressure to copy the voice and mannerisms of Tara Strong, who voiced the character in animated form. Fortunately, Robbie developed her own unique take on the role, which led to her reprising the character in The Suicide Squad (2021) and starring in the spinoff Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Robbie’s Harley Quinn has become a defining character in DC films, and many fans are hoping she’ll continue to appear in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. While we wait to see if that happens, it’s worth remembering how Arrow helped launch the Suicide Squad franchise and set the stage for its growth.

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2026-03-20 01:41