SPOILER ALERT: If you're not caught up on Arrow or Crisis on Infinite Earth, this article contains spoilers!
It was recently made official that Oliver Queen is dead (for real this time) after sacrificing himself in one of the final chapters of the Arrow-verse crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” With that, after eight seasons, Arrow has come to an end Stephen Amell, a fan-favorite of TV superhero actors, retires from playing the Green Arrow.
However, that does not mean that the Canadian actor has to be done with playing superheroes altogether. There is still a vast plethora of costumed vigilantes from Marvel, DC, or other publishers that have yet to find a home on (or could be brought back to) the big or small screen whom Stephen Amell would be perfect to play.
Just which comic book character should be Stephen Amell’s follow-up to Oliver Queen? I thought of six possible names that you may or may not have heard of, but the actor could do some justice to in an adaptation.
Blink
Blink is the ironic title that con man Lee Hyland gives to himself since he does not possess the ability of sight, an affliction of his since birth. However, by simply touching another human being, he is able to see through that person’s eyes, a gift he typically uses for personal gain until he crosses paths with Batman, who enlists his help in preventing a murder in a 2002 issue of Legends of the Dark Knight.
With Batman’s cinematic legacy extending once again, this time played by Robert Pattinson under the direction of Matt Reeves, DC has more chances than ever to introduce the Dark Knight’s lesser-known characters to the big screen and Blink is a character intriguing enough to deserve the live action treatment. Casting Stephen Amell would give the actor an opportunity to stretch his legs on a DC character far different from master archer Oliver Queen. Not to mention, he seems like the type who could rock a fedora.
Nova
The success of Guardians of the Galaxy proved that Marvel’s cosmic properties translate pretty well to celluloid. Also proven to be successful in comic book movies are characters with tragic backstories, of which Richard Rider (the birth name of lone galactic justice seeker Nova) is both. After Rider became the lone surviving member of the Nova Corps, he became imbued with the powers of his fallen brethren and adopted their collective title to wage a one-man war on the greatest evils known to space, even taking on Galactus at one point.
The character also has close ties to the Guardians of the Galaxy, whose cinematic craftsman, James Gunn (also a big Nova fan), has hinted at using him in Vol. 3, which would spark great opportunity for some awkward comedic jealousy from Star Lord given that, in the comics, Nova and Gamora are pretty hot and heavy. In addition to all of this, not only would playing Nova allow Stephen Amell to do a space movie, he would join the club of actors who have played in both DC's and Marvel's sandboxes.
Roger
Stephen Amell is the kind of actor with a movie star look that Hollywood would typically want to keep away from extensive makeup, which is exactly why he should give it a try, and do so with a character just irreverent enough to really turn some heads. What I had in mind was a character of Dark Horse Comics named Roger, an unusually large breed of homunculus, which is a synthetic creature comprised of blood and herbs stewed in manure.
Since his first appearance in the Wake the Devil miniseries of the Hellboy comics, Roger has become a trusted ally to the big red guy and a fan favorite of artist Mike Mignola's creations whose sole appearance on screen was a fleeting glimpse of him in a jar in the first Hellboy movie. While it may sound unlikely that we will ever get another installment after the ill-fated David Harbour reboot, if the future proves otherwise, I would recommend giving Roger a proper introduction and Stephen Amell a proper induction into the Dark Horse legacy.
Hercules
Thor is not the only figure of mythology to get a comic book deal, but between the two of them, Hercules is the one who has existed in more than one comic book universe, with his 1944 debut into DC comics predating his Marvel run by almost two decades, but even that was not his first comic book appearance. What I am essentially saying is, Stephen Amell could be the most transcendent comic book actor in history by playing the son of Zeus.
Whether it would be a reintegration into the DC universe or an introduction into the Marvel Universe (which could lead to some fun bickering with Chris Hemsworth over who is the better god), Stephen Amell, whose abs practically made Arrow the hit it became, could be the actor to finally give Hercules a proper live action portrayal on the big screen. Furthermore, in addition to his godly abilities like super strength, the Greek figure is [apparently a master archer](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Hercules_(Earth-616), so Amell obviously has that in the bag.
Peacemaker
The biggest way that Stephen Amell can bounce back into comic book glory after Arrow is to trade in his bow and arrow for a weapon that causes a little more damage and fill the shoes of a character who is a little more damaged than Oliver Queen. A good candidate, as well as a character primed for his own movie, is Peacemaker, a superhero so dedicated to creating peace that he is willing to kill for it.
Born in Austria as Christopher Schmidt before becoming "Smith" after immigrating to America, Peacemaker made his [first appearance in DC comics in 1966](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/ChristopherSmith(New_Earth) as a Vietnam War criminal put on parole and onto a secret project to develop an elite, terrorist-fighting organization, which the voice of his dead father convinced him to accept. On that note, I should mention that Peacemaker also suffers from schizophrenia, as well as bipolar disorder, which has been known to drive him to bouts of violence and has him convinced that the souls of his victims live inside his helmet. Like I said: totally primed for his own movie.
Nathan
The Arrow-verse began with Stephen Amell, arguably making Oliver Queen the collective characters' de facto leader. If the actor wants to venture into comic book territory post-Green Arrow, perhaps into something that is more of a fundamental group effort, he should be the one put in charge. How about as Nathan, the leader of the Next Men?
Originally a Dark Horse property in 1986 before transitioning to IDW Publishing, the Next Men are a mismatched group who managed to break free from the government project that made them superhuman and go on the run as crimefighters, led by Nathan, who has infrared and x-ray vision, but is unable to close his eyes and wears a special pair of glasses (similar to X-Men's Cyclops) to protect them. One "skill" that all the Next Men share is the ability to transfer their powers to other people sexually, which is a plot point too crazy to not be put on TV or the big screen.
Oliver Queen is a great character and Stephen Amell's portrayal of the sharpshooting vigilante made Arrow one of the best superhero series on TV, but has earned the right to breathe life into some fresh comic book blood that he can really stretch his acting range with. Perhaps the superheroes I have listed above are irreverent enough to achieve that.
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