Stephen Amell: ‘The Joker Could Come To ‘Arrow’ In DC Crossover

Superhero franchises are the hottest commodity in Hollywood right now, and Marvel are doing an excellent job of keeping their TV and film universes connected. While they dominate the genre with every hero connected to The Avengers, and let the brooding Daredevil and Jessica Jones go to work on the small screen, DC have begun to ramp up the pressure on their comic book rivals, and it’s only a matter of time until they follow suit. Thus far, DC have kept the film and TV universes separate from one another — but they could all be about to change.

One of DC’s most popular shows on TV is Arrow, a modern take on Oliver Queen’s Robin Hood-esque superhero. Based in Starling City, the show is only a stones throw away from another legendary DC hero, Batman. With the regular appearances of Batman foes such as Ra’s al Ghul, Firefly, and Deathstroke in Arrow itself, surely it’s only a matter of time until we see a big-name crossover occur in the Arrowverse, right?

Well, according to star Stephen Amell, it could happen at any time.

Speaking to Comic Book, while partaking in an interview at the recent Heroes & Villains Fanfest convention, Stephen Amell was asked about a potential crossover with the Batman franchise in the future. The question came fresh on the news that DC has a big year ahead of them in 2016, and a crossover is possible what with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ushering in the Justice League movie, a group that counts Oliver Queen among its members. Let’s not forget that Suicide Squad — a group heavily featured in Arrow season 2, and a movie featuring the return of The Joker — will also be hitting cinemas that year, so seeing the crossover mentioned is no surprise.

“Well, I mean, the short answer is yes, of course. Within the DC Universe, if they are in the DC Universe, if you were to ask if Iron Man could come to Arrow, I would be like, ‘Well, no, probably not. But of course, The Joker could come to Arrow, Batman could come to Arrow, Superman could show up on The Flash. There’s a whole myriad of options because again DC and WB have a slate of films coming up, and those films happen, and maybe Arrow’s still around when they’re done. Or maybe there’s a change and people are just like, ‘You know what, let’s invest in something that’s doing well for us.’ So you never know.”

While fans would love to see Batman or The Joker appear in Arrow, or vice-versa, it’s wishful thinking at present. Remember, The Flash is the perfect DC companion to Arrow, and both characters have interacted in several episodes of both shows, but Barry Allen has been recast for the big-screen version of The Flash, a decision met with a mixed reaction, not least from Amell himself. Both series have been highly successful thus far, with multiple seasons behind them, but the change of face for the movie version speaks volumes. Whether or not DC classes their TV spin-offs as less important than the movies remains to be seen, but don’t expect the two to merge any time soon.

However, the fans can dream, and Amell is clearly one of them. When asked who would win a fight between Batman and The Arrow, Amell simply stated,

“What do you want me to say? Well, Batman’s more experienced and his costumes cooler, and Arrow’s just a ripoff, so Batman would win for sure. No, I would win, absolutely.”

Wishful thinking, yes, but watch this space. With 2016 bringing big things to the DC Cinematic Universe, don’t expect this story to disappear into the night completely. After all, with Arrow deep into its fourth season, and the heavy fanbase behind them, not to mention DC’s imminent rise to stratospheric levels in modern cinema, something clearly has the potential to give. Could Batman v Arrow happen?

Season 4 of Arrow is currently airing on the CW in the U.S. and Sky 1 in the U.K.

[Image via DC Comics]