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Who Should be on The CW’s Justice League TV Show?
In My Humble Opinion 
by Chris Morris

News hit the internet a while ago that The CW was going to be developing a super hero spinoff show. But from which show; Arrow or The Flash? Well, both actually. And it will be a team show. Kinda like The Justice League…okay, sorry I have to catch my breath, never thought I would be typing that…whew.

News was also released that Brandon Routh (The Atom), Victor Garber (Professor Martin Stein aka 1/2 of Firestorm), Wentworth Miller (Captain Cold) and Caity Lotz (Sara Lance aka Black Canary) are involved with the project. So…WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? Sorry, have to calm down again…whew!

Confusion was some people’s reactions (how can Martin Stein be involved but not Robbie Amell aka Ronnie Raymond or how can Lotz’ version of Black Canary be involved when she died earlier in Season 3 of Arrow?). But the internet salivated at this possibility. Most people jumped to the conclusion that a Justice League show is inevitable. I was more hesitant. With a Teen Titans show already in development for next season, would two DC team up shows be too much? Plus a Justice League movie a few years away (although there is a Flash TV show and movie in development at the same time…)

In my humble opinion? If I had to bet money, I’d say they were developing a DC universe anthology show, where different heroes would be focused on every week. That way they can have Canary flashbacks and Atom adventures in the present day, with team ups here and there.

But that’s not as much fun as speculating about a Justice League TV show is it?

Information also released said that there would be three DC characters introduced who ‘have never been seen in live-action before”. So with the four characters mentioned before, plus another three characters, that adds up to seven, which is usually the perfect number for a Justice League team…no wait..hold on…whew! Let’s not speculate wildly…

But really, isn’t that what the internet is here for? Rampant and base-less speculation? So let’s do that instead. C’mon people, let’s get BASE-LESS!

Going Rogue

Some people on the JL bandwagon seem to miss one major point; WHICH VERSION of the JL will they be focusing on? The Atom suggests classic version, Captain Cold suggests a newer Flashpoint/New 52-style version. They could be mixing and matching too. But without a spy in their writer’s room (if one even exists yet) we don’t know what they are thinking. So again, speculation!

If they are emulating the Classic Justice League (Julius Schwartz/Gardner Fox era), that roster included:

Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Flash
Green Lantern
Aquaman
Martian Manhunter
Green Arrow (joined in issue #4)
Atom (joined in issue #14)
Hawkman (joined in issue #31)
Black Canary (joined in issue #74)
Snapper Carr (teenage mascot)

But what about the clue of three characters who have never been seen in live action before. All the original members have been seen in live-action, Superman, Batman and Green Lantern in their own feature films; Wonder Woman and Flash on their own TV shows (two for Flash); and with Aquaman and Martian Manhunter appearing on “Smallville” (and Aqua having a pilot for his own show).

Arrow

With being introduced into the world of Arrow, The Atom is being brought to live-action for the first time (unless we count the “Legends of the Superheroes” from decades back, or that terrible Justice League pilot from 1990). Hawkman has appeared here and there, mostly as jokes (anyone want a Baby Ruth right about now?) but has only really been interpreted seriously on ‘Smallville’. Canary has been on ‘Smallville’, ‘Birds of Prey’ (portrayed by Lori Laughlin) and of course ‘Arrow’. The only one on this roster that hasn’t been brought to life is the team’s teenager mascot Snapper Carr, and frankly we can sleep easy knowing that, can’t we?

Let’s speculate that neither Superman, Batman nor Wonder Woman will have anything to do with this TV show. Superman has been ‘rumoured’ to be involved peripherally in the “Supergirl” TV show that is ‘rumoured’ to be in the same continuity as Arrow and Flash. But until it happens…well let’s just assume it’s true, cause that’s more fun!

arrow flash

So let’s think about Stephen Amell’s Arrow and Grant Gustin’s Flash as this Universe’s versions of Batman and Superman. Arrow has been called “Nolan-lite” and while I at first I thought they were patterning Flash after Spider-Man, after they made Iris West a reporter I knew Flash was supposed to be Clark Kent, er Superman in this universe. Then Supergirl stands in for Wonder Woman. They could show up in crossovers and minor characters can jump around from show to show and provide links to all three shows.

But that won’t work since of those characters, only Snapper hasn’t been seen in live-action yet. So we have to dig further into the JL history.

So who’s next? The Satellite Era! Add to the roster:

Phantom Stranger
Elongated Man
Red Tornado
Hawkgirl
Zatanna
Firestorm

firestorm

Now this is more like it! Only Firestorm and Zatanna have been brought to life, Firestorm recently on The Flash and Zatanna on ‘Smallville’, of course. Zatanna and Phantom Stranger may be a problem as they both may belong in the “Constantine” TV universe, but that might be cancelled soon so whatever. So now the roster, taking out everyone who has appeared already in live action and anyone with their own shows, looks like this:

The Atom
Black Canary
Firestorm
Snapper Carr
Phantom Stranger
Elongated Man
Red Tornado
Hawkgirl

But that includes four characters who have never been in live-action, so take out Carr and add Captain Cold…

The Atom
Black Canary
Firestorm
Captain Cold
Phantom Stranger
Elongated Man
Red Tornado
Hawkgirl

So how’s that roster look? Technically, that’s eight members, but if Cold is going to be a member, after starting out a villain, he shouldn’t be added right away; he should have to earn his spot on the team. I have yelled from rooftops (well not really) that Ralph Dibny aka Elongated Man needs to be on The Flash TV show. If Cisco hadn’t turned out to be a great character, I would be so mad at the show and their writers for not including Mr. Dibny. So I definitely want him involved. The Phantom Stranger was technically a full-time League member but rarely appeared, plus a show like this might want to stay away from the mystical, so I’d vote him out, IMHO.

phantom stranger

But we are missing one last Justice League team that ties into the Satellite Era – The Detroit League! They were considered terrible, lead by Aquaman, Ralph Dibny, Zatanna, Martian Manhunter and the newcomers were:

Vibe (Cisco Ramone, yes the same as the character on Arrow)
Steel (not the cool John Henry Irons version)
Vixen
Gypsy

This era has made a comeback, thanks to Geoff Johns, as Vibe, Vixen and Gypsy have all been given new lives (not so much Steel, as bringing him back would just confuse people). So with Vibe appearing on The Flash and Vixen getting an animated CW show that is in continuity with Arrow and The Flash, shouldn’t she be included? She’s never been represented in live-action. Here’s the roster now:

The Atom
Black Canary
Firestorm
Elongated Man
Red Tornado
Hawkgirl
Vixen
Gypsy

ARROW

 

That’s an eight person roster. Red Tornado, like Captain Cold, should start out as a villain and earn his way onto the team. And while we are at it, who says Caity Lotz will be playing Black Canary? As mentioned before, her Canary is dead on Arrow. Sure they have had Stephen Amell come back from the dead, seemingly thanks to the Lazarus Pit (or more of those super-herbs from Season One), but Sarah Lance does seem to be dead. Couldn’t Lotz play Hawkgirl or Gypsy? Dye her hair another colour, have her wearing the Hawk-helmet half the time, people will accept her as a character other than Black Canary eventually, especially with Katie Cassidy playing that character on Arrow. So now here’s the roster:

The Atom
Firestorm
Elongated Man
Hawkgirl
Vixen
Gypsy

That’s only six members. Who have we missed? The JL had several honorary members during this era. Adam Strange, Metamorpho, Black Lightning. What about Katanna, because, well, she has been introduced on Arrow this season? If it were me, add Katanna and Adam Strange. Metamorpho would be cool but costly on VFX, and they will already have Firestorm and presumably lots of super villains on each show. Black Lightning would be great for some diversity but there always seem to be legal hassles over his licensing. And while we’re at it, switch things up, add Steel but the John Henry Irons version. So now the roster is:

The Atom
Firestorm
Elongated Man
Hawkgirl
Vixen
Gypsy
Katanna
Steel
Adam Strange

That’s nine members. Have Adam Strange be the new Snapper Carr, only in this day and age he’s not a teenage mascot but a UN liaison. And he can be a temporary member, being Zeta-Beamed away in episode #6 to make way for a reformed Captain Cold. Have Steel start out as someone who makes weapons for bad guys but has a change of heart and becomes a hero (or maybe this character belongs on the Supergirl show?). So much speculating…must stop…cannot compute all the awesomeness…

So that covers 26 years (or so) of Justice League history. Is that all the speculation to be had? No, that just brings us up to Crisis on Infinite Earths and the mid ‘80’s. There’s lots more to come…

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