It takes more than just the presence of superheroes to engage a modern audience; superhero dramas also need to tell a compelling story. That's what set Arrow apart from the competition when it debuted all the way back in 2012, and the tale of Oliver Queen's mission to rid Star (ling) City of crime has featured innumerable amazing subplots in the interim years. However, not every great idea managed to make it to the small screen. The creative forces behind Arrow recently revealed one dropped story idea that they originally had for Arrow, and it would have changed the very fabric of the beloved series.
During the recent Arrow panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, we were treated to a ton of great information about the series' upcoming season. However, one of the most interesting details to come out of the panel actually has to do with a plot thread that began all the way back in Season 2. Marc Guggenheim revealed that Oliver Queen was originally intended to be the product of adultery between Moira Queen and the villainous Malcolm Merlyn. The writers of the series played around with that concept for quite some time before deciding that a twist of that nature would feel too similar to the Darth Vader twist from The Empire Strikes Back, and opted to make Malcolm Merlyn Thea Queen's father instead.
We cannot even begin to express how different the show would be if Malcolm Merlyn had been revealed as Oliver Queen's father. The early seasons of the series leaned heavily upon the idea that Oliver's crusade as The Hood, The Arrow, and The Green Arrow have roots in a promise he made to Robert Queen before the Queen Family patriarch blew his brains out. This twist could have made Oliver question everything he thought he knew about his mission as a vigilante, and whether or not his loyalties were even in the right place.
However, as much as we like this idea, we have to say that we think the crew behind Arrow made the right call. This particular twist definitely would seem too similar to the Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker plot thread and feel a bit cliche; I can just see John Barrowman delightfully saying, "I am your father" at some point. Beyond that, the Thea Merlyn storyline has yielded some of the better moments during the show's somewhat lackluster third and fourth seasons, so it would be hard to part ways with that great narrative.
Check out the video below for a little refresher course in how downright mind-boggling that twist felt when we first learned about it in Season 2 of Arrow:
At the end of the day we think Marc Guggenheim and the rest of the Arrow crew made the right call. Oliver Queen has so few absolutes in his life, and we like that he at least can maintain his loyalty to Robert Queen's legacy.
We will keep you posted regarding any and all details related to the upcoming season of Arrow as they become available to us. Arrow will return on Wednesday, October 5; check out our fall premiere schedule for more information concerning all of the most highly anticipated fall debuts.
