Hey youtubers it's Charlie this week for my bonus Arrow video I wanted to talk about my
top 10 characters from season 2. I'm excluding Oliver and most of Team Arrow, just because
they would hog half the list and there were a bunch of new characters that deserve to
be mentioned. I'm still catching up after being out of town, so instead of doing separate
Flash video this week I'm just going to do a quick update on some new info.
If you're finding me for the first time I do Marvel and DC videos every week. Be sure
to subscribe to get everything. Feel free to leave me suggestions for bonus topics about
any of the comic book tv shows or movies.
So before we do Arrow, the big Flash update is that the producers confirmed John Wesley
Shipp was playing Barry Allen's father, Henry Allen. He's going to be in several episodes.
In the comics his character dies in prison, so either the show will just use him in a
lot of flashbacks or they'll change the comic story so he can be alive in present day. Either
way it's confirmed.
Now, let's talk about the best Arrow characters, starting with number 10 - Doctor Ivo
Such a huge villain from the comics, I got really excited when I heard he was going to
be on the show. They opted to dial him way back from his comic book persona and make
him more of a tragic villain at the end of his rope. They did humanize him eventually
teasing his daughter and wife. But the biggest easter egg was the Amazo Boat. Amazo for those
who don't know is a Justice League villain, he's like DCs version of Ultron with a few
differences. Amazo can mimic anyone's powers. So think of the future Sentinels from Days
of Future Past.
I was a little disappointed they didn't tease the Amazo Android, but because Season 2 was
all about the mirakuru serum I understand why they kept a lot of comic book stuff out.
Everyone also started wondering if he was secretly Felicity's father. I think, given
what the producers have said and the way things went down, that's not the case and Felicity's
dad will turn out to be someone even cooler.
Ivo on the other hand could totally have been doing other types of research we just didn't
see. The way I think about comic book stuff is like this. If you don't see it on the show
and none of the actors or producers ever talk about it. There's still a chance it could
happen in a future season. So we could totally see an android down the line. Until someone
says definitely not, it's still floating around in an imaginary closet.
9 - Brother Blood
Kevin Alejandro really came into his own in the second half of the season, they turned
the demonic aspects of the character from the comics into metaphorical ones. Brother
Blood talked about wearing the mask as a way to conquer his demons. On the show he ended
up becoming more of an analog for The Scarecrow from The Dark Knight Trilogy. A scientist
with a formula. Before we learned all the details about the
mirakuru I actually thought the League of Assassin's was helping him just because of
the fear toxin in Batman Begins.
A lot of you guys asked me if he maybe secretly survived being stabbed by Isabel and all I
can say is until the producers confirm he's dead or we see a severed head. He can always
come back. Think of it as comic book logic.
8 - Malcolm Merlyn
I think the real crime on Arrow this year was that John Barrowman didn't get more episodes.
And based on what's going on in Season 3 it sounds like the writers agree. John Barrowman
was upgraded to cast regular for Season 3 meaning he's going to be in most of the episodes.
Like more than half of them which is 12 or 13.
Even though he only appeared a few times, he's one of the most memorable actors playing
one of the biggest Green Arrow comic book villains. He's essentially meant to be a foil
to Oliver. Like the darkest timeline version of Oliver.
So when we start talking more about Oliver's Journey in Season 3, we'll be able to figure
out some of what Merlyn is doing.
So far my biggest prediction is that Oliver will be in rebuilding mode all season and
going back to basics. The focus on the first couple of episodes will be the core team arrow.
Stephen Amell said Oliver and Laurel really haven't addressed the big WTF secret identity
in the room yet. So that makes me think she's not going to formally become a member of Team
Arrow till later in the season.
That means Merlyn is probably in rebuilding mode too and Thea is just the first member
of his new team. Thematically I always like it better when each character has an opposite.
Like Oliver and Malcolm. I think we can call Thea Roy's new opposite. I'm sure he'll be
really happy to learn about that.
7 - Sin
How can you not love Roy and Sin during the second half of the season. I was bummed she
didn't get more episodes too, and that she was kept out of the loop on everything. She
didn't know anything about the mirakuru, Sara never told her about the League of Assassins
and they never really addressed what her character would be doing now that she was on her own
again.
It was only implied, but I think we'll see more of her helping Roy with missions. I'd
really like to see her become a formal member of Team Arrow by the end of Season 3. Plus
there's always the possibility of the Young Justice spinoff. She could totally become
a part of that if it ever happens. My favorite Sin moment was her and Roy trying
to fight crime on their own.
6 - Roy
My opinion on his character did a major 180 from the beginning of the season to the end.
That's just the magic of a character arc. Laurel was on one too. But I like Roy's more.
Almost homeless dude gets injected with super serum, goes crazy, survives and becomes member
of a mini Justice League. If only it were that simple in real life.
My favorite Roy moments were training with Oliver and when he was first trying to figure
out his powers after episode 10.
5 - Nyssa Al Ghul
One of the best new female characters on the show. She was a master assassin that could
match Oliver in a fight, had the might of Ra's Al Ghul at her back and in an interesting
twist, was one of the only LGBT characters this season.
She was so awesome, there is no way the show is not bringing her back.
My favorite Nyssa moment was actually a funny one, it was at the end of the season when
she met Felicity and they had a little stand-off moment. It almost looked like she was looking
at Felicity as sex object like she was sexually attracted to her.
Tumblr, I'm going to task you with making that reaction gif.
4 - The Canary
Caity Lotz had the hard task of stepping in between Laurel and Oliver as a romantic foil,
but I got so excited when I saw her for the first time. I took the first half of the season
to figure out where her character was headed and yes I do wish she could have spent more
time teaming up with Oliver on missions. She also had this really funny relationship with
Felicity that went from distrust to mutual respect.
There was a brief moment when I thought she we going to out Felicity Felicity, but spoiler
alert, that's impossible. There is only one quirky tech genius on Team Arrow and she went
to MIT.
Sara can always come back for League of Assassins or Laurel tie-ins, but for the most part I
think Caity Lotz is off the show. I'm really happy that they left her character's exit
very open-ended. As in, she didn't die.
Passing that black canary jacket on to Laurel is heavy foreshadowing.
3 - Amanda Waller
Hands down biggest new non-villain badass on the show. I say non-villain, but she's
really a neutral figure in the DC Universe. She serves the government ultimately, so sometimes
that takes her against superheroes. She tied up a few big plot threads from season 1 and
started a few brand new ones in season 2 that will largely inform the Hong Kong flashbacks
in Season 3.
She's like one of those Halo characters the show will probably never kill just because
they're too interesting. Stephen Amell also confirmed one of our biggest theories. Amanda
Waller was that woman with the Red Shoes behind the whole Edward Fyers China plot. They were
trying to decimate China's economy.
One of the biggest things I'm looking forward to in Season 3 is the Hong Kong flashbacks
telingl the story of Oliver and Waller's relationship.
2 - Barry Allen
Never has a new character so naturally become a member of Team Arrow. Just talking about
the character first, Barry was the perfect call to action for Oliver in the first half
of the Season. He's the one that gave him that Green Arrow mask. Like he helped Oliver
make a giant leap forward in his hero's journey.
Obviously there's all the spinoff stuff going on too. Based on the pilot episode, the CW
is saying that The Flash will be one of the best new shows they've had in the last 10
years. There's a lot of reasons for that, but having a very fun and positive lead character
like Barry Allen makes it a lot easier to make a show people can get excited about.
Grant Gustin did an amazing job, before his cameo on Arrow I only knew him from Glee.
And on that show he was something of a villain. I don't see a lot of villain inside Barry
Allen, but I'm interested to see how he adds some complexity to the character.
I think of him as being tortured, but if we're comparing grumpy superheroes. Oliver would
win hands down. Barry is this hyper active superhero fanboy. And look at how brightly
lit all of the scenes in the trailer are. This isn't going to be noir like Arrow or
Gotham.
1 - Deathstroke
Manu Bennett is an amazing actor and he had two full years to develop his Slade Wilson
character. The Deathstroke persona didn't really develop until season 2. And even then,
it really didn't manifest until halfway through the season.
He's going to go down in Arrow history as one of the all time best villains, which creates
some issues for season 3. How do you top Slade? He was like Macbeth on steroids.
I'm really hoping that the show uses him as like a Hannibal Lecter character next season.
Like Oliver goes to him for help with whoever ends up being the new villain. I actually
asked you guys to submit your fan art of Slade as Hannibal so High Fives to Sumit Shetty.
Very cool.
I'll probably do more fanart submission videos for other stuff in the future for anyone who's
interested.
So I realize I had to leave ton of awesome characters off this list, but let me know
who your favorite was in Season 2 and what your favorite scene of theirs was.
I'm still catching up after being out of town for 4 days, but tomorrow I'm doing my regular
Arrow/Flash Q&A and a Maleficent Review if I can see it early enough. Be sure to subscribe
to get everything. Otherwise that second thursday video will be Marvel or Star Wars that I missed
yesterday. I'm definitely doing a Maleficent Review before Saturday though.
Right now click here to learn more about Arrow Season 3 and the Flash and click here for
my X-Men Days of Future Past Review.
Thanks for watching, see you guys tomorrow. High Fives!