Stephen Amell is Right About the Arrowverse

As someone who has grown up with the Arrowverse, I can’t help but feel an immense appreciation for the incredible impact it has had on the world of superhero television. From its humble beginnings with Arrow to the expansive universe that spans over 567 hours of storytelling, it has been a game-changer in bringing lesser-known DC characters to life and making them household names.

This past week, Stephen Amell, famous for his role in ‘Arrow’, appeared on a podcast about wrestling to publicize ‘Heels’, his Starz drama now available on Netflix. Both Amell and the show’s creator, Mike O’Malley, have been vocal about their aspirations for Netflix to expand ‘Heels” audience, potentially leading to more episodes being produced. Therefore, you may notice Amell promoting the series online quite a bit in the coming days. During this promotion, Amell expressed some frustration over how ‘Peacemaker’ seemed to criticize Green Arrow. While the show was targeting the character, as it did with characters from the DC Extended Universe like Aquaman and Wonder Woman, Amell also felt that ‘Arrow’ itself was being disregarded in the process.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet on YouTube, Amell expressed that our show was somewhat overlooked compared to “Peacemaker” and movies, saying it felt like we were treated unfairly. He understands the limitations of working on The CW and producing TV content, but he also feels that the recent DC adaptations are often associated with the Arrowverse rather than the Snyder Cut. Despite years of criticism, this latest instance seemed particularly harsh.

It’s worth noting that Amell is correct. The Arrowverse often faces criticism for its lower budget and for employing typical elements found in television series produced by networks. However, it deserves more recognition for successfully bringing the DC Universe to live-action on screen.

Fans commonly referred to the interconnected DC Universe of live-action TV shows as the Arrowverse. This universe began with ‘Arrow’, then came ‘The Flash’, ‘Supergirl’, ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’, ‘Black Lightning’, and ‘Batwoman’. ‘Superman & Lois’ originated from the 2020 ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ event series, marking the final show in this multiverse that was initially established on ‘Arrow’.

Some viewers perceive Amell’s remarks as resentment, and it’s not hard to see why – he’s expressing dissatisfaction about the biased treatment his series received…but it had an impressive run of eight seasons and concluded according to his plans. However, that portrayal might be overly critical. It’s worth noting that Amell doesn’t just voice opinions on such matters when they impact him directly, as well.

A notable instance occurred when he stood up for Grant Gustin and the entire team behind “The Flash” back in 2014. The series made its debut on October 7th, drawing one of the largest premiere audiences that The CW had seen in a long time. With good reason to be enthusiastic, “The Flash” quickly became a massive success. On October 15th, Warner Bros. announced a new movie lineup, which included a “The Flash” film featuring Ezra Miller. This meant that the Arrowverse would not be connected to the then-emerging DC Extended Universe, and the cast of “The Flash” were frequently asked about their film plans in interviews.

Amell expressed his disapproval of the timing of the announcement, stating that it seemed to undermine “The Flash” and its lead actor, Gustin, almost straight away following the show’s premiere, and denied them the chance for a joyful celebration.

I felt disappointed when all the DC movie announcements were made on the same day as the impressive ratings for the second episode of The Flash were revealed,” Amell remarked earlier. “I believe that Warner Bros. could have managed the announcement of their DC movie slate more tactfully, especially considering Grant Gustin’s groundbreaking portrayal of the Flash and the record-breaking viewership it attracted. With so many episodes to produce for a superhero TV series compared to a feature film, I feel that Grant deserved more time before another actor was announced for his role. My protective instincts towards Grant are the reason for this.

It refers to a point that emerged during Amell’s defense of the Arrowverse: the resilience, transformation, and perseverance required to bring such projects to fruition.

In the interview for Heels, Amell expressed that he works equally as hard as everyone else. He then explained the challenging nature of portraying a superhero without actual powers in 23 episodes annually. He added that while he doesn’t seek recognition, it might be beneficial to avoid undermining their show.

Stephen Amell is Right About the Arrowverse

The Arrowverse represents the largest live-action shared superhero universe to date, boasting an extensive roster of characters and narratives as well as numerous hours of storytelling. Over the past decade, it has crafted an intricate, interconnected narrative that captivated audiences totaling tens of millions worldwide.

So far, excluding the upcoming last season of Superman & Lois, the entire Arrowverse has run for approximately 34,047 minutes or about 567 hours. In contrast, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including its TV series) covers a period that’s fewer than 8,000 minutes. Regarding live-action adaptations of popular American superheroes, the Arrowverse stands out as the longest and most intricate shared universe by a significant extent.

For many fans, the Arrowverse serves as the ultimate portrayal of the DC multiverse. While there are valid points raised in critiques regarding certain aspects, it’s important to note that viewers of The CW’s superhero series are highly enthusiastic, active on social media, and vocal about their opinions. The Arrowverse brought lesser-known characters from the comics to live-action, which would have been unlikely otherwise. Remarkably, this was achieved at a fraction of the budget required for even a single movie production.

This implies that numerous individuals across various stages of production collectively invested countless hours to bring these shows to fruition, frequently under challenging conditions. Prolonged shoots, night shoots, and filming in Vancouver due to tax benefits often led to scenarios where actors endured freezing temperatures for extended periods to create the series. Strict budgets and a weekly TV broadcast deadline placed immense pressure on stunt teams and visual effects teams, pushing them to perform extraordinary feats with minimal resources.

In the given context, it doesn’t seem surprising that Amell’s observation about viewers associating the Arrowverse with DC rather than Zack Snyder’s Justice League isn’t far-fetched. After all, many of the Arrowverse shows are still popular on streaming platforms, long after the franchise has officially ended.

Is it reasonable for Amell to feel aggrieved about the Peacemaker joke, given that the show poked fun at DC’s heavy hitters? Absolutely. He has every right to be annoyed about the criticism leveled at the Arrowverse during its tenure and the subsequent discussions surrounding it. The controversy resurfaced when Mr. Terrific, a recurring character in Arrow, appeared in the latest Superman film, sparking debates about ‘CW costumes’. However, this overlooks the fact that many of the Arrowverse’s costumes were designed by Academy Award winner Colleen Atwood, whose portfolio includes Chicago, Top Gun: Maverick, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

In a striking turn of events, renowned television producer Greg Berlanti has garnered immense acclaim over the past two decades. At one point, his shows dominated TV screens more than any other producer in history, and he was even honored with the Emmys’ Governor’s Award. This recognition wasn’t solely for his work on the Arrowverse, as Berlanti has been involved in projects spanning from “Dawon’s Creek” and “Everwood” to “Red, White, and Royal Blue.” However, it’s difficult to dispute that the extended period he dedicated to creating DC superhero shows won’t be a significant part of his lasting legacy.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve come to appreciate the Arrowverse shows for what they do exceptionally well – turning characters like The Flash and Supergirl into household names, and introducing casual fans to heroes such as Green Arrow, Black Lightning, The Atom, and others who might have never seen live-action representation otherwise. Amell hits the nail on the head when he says that their success and longevity warrant more than just being the punchline. These shows may not shine like a $200 million feature film in terms of polish, but they’ve certainly made an indelible mark on the world of superhero entertainment.

2024-09-19 21:41

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