Warning: spoilers ahead for the latest episode of NBC's Powerless.
NBC's new comic book series Powerless has only been on the air for a few weeks, but it has already included some pretty epic references to DC Comics superheroes. The latest episode - fittingly titled "Sinking Day" - revealed just how closely Aquaman and Atlantis are tied to Emily and the rest of the crew at Wayne Security, and it came as a pretty big surprise. As it turns out, Ron is not just a head engineer with an enthusiasm for all things superhero. He's an Atlantean himself.
"Sinking Day" opened on Emily, Ron, Teddy, and Wendy watching a news broadcast that was reporting an attack on Atlantis. A villain assaulted the underwater city only a week before their Sinking Day holiday, which commemorates the sinking of Atlantis. The broadcast also explained that Atlantis is the home of both Aquaman and "character actor William H. Macy," prompting Ron to reveal that he too is from Atlantis. Emily was under the impression that Ron was from Atlanta, but he corrected her by saying that Donald Glover is actually the one she's thinking of from Atlanta.
Ron's Atlantis connection was a fun way for Powerless to tie a character into Aquaman's story without actually featuring Aquaman, and the broadcast format allowed the show to include another couple of DC Easter eggs in the very first minute of the episode. It named Black Manta as the bad guy who attacked Atlantis, and it revealed that the reporter was a woman named Gail Simone. All things considered, Powerless packed a bunch of laughs and comic nods in a very short amount of time.
The entire episode featured nods to Atlantis and Aquaman, although none had me laughing nearly as much as Ron's matter-of-fact admission that he's an Atlantean. Although Aquaman himself never appeared, we should count ourselves lucky that Powerless gets to go so far with teasing the introductions of major DC superheroes. We probably won't even get references to Aquaman on Gotham or Wonder Woman on Arrow; anything is possible with Powerless.
We can't 100% rule out the possibility of a big hero like Aquaman or Batman appearing on Powerless, although if they do, we can bet that they won't look the same as the Aquaman and Batman of the big screen. Something tells me that neither Jason Momoa nor Ben Affleck have the time to do a guest stint on a freshman NBC sitcom. Still, it's fun to imagine how the characters would react, and it may help pass the time until Justice League premieres on the big screen in November.
Tune in to NBC on Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET to catch new episodes of Powerless. Who knows? Maybe Ron is only one of Emily's co-workers who hails from a mystical land. I'm holding out for somebody with an epic Themyscira background myself. If you haven't checked it out already, take a look at our breakdown of the 8 coolest DC Comics references in the series premiere.
