I’m not sure if it’s because the DC TV people love John Barrowman, or because he has compromising photos of Greg Berlanti, but the actor will not only be returning as a series regular on Arrow, but also on Flash AND Legends Of Tomorrow too!
This news follows the reports from a couple of weeks ago, that announced Wentworth Miller would also get a series regular deal across all 4 of the DC/Berlantiverse shows.
Barrowman’s character Malcolm Merlyn first appeared as a recurring role in seasons 1 & 2 of Arrow, before being upped to series regular in season 3. Malcolm is the epitome of a frenemy, having started as the major antagonist in season 1, he’s gone on to help, and also hinder, Team Arrow as suits his purpose. He is father to Oliver’s sister, Thea Queen and the currently deceased Tommy Merlyn (although, with Flashpoint effecting the whole Berlantiverse, it’s entirely possible he won’t stay that way!). Malcolm became the new Ra’s al Ghul for a time, and also a member of H.I.V.E., but is really only ever out to protect himself, and occasionally his family, if those goals align with his needs…
This practice of having some of the secondary characters sign multi-show contract may become common place for the DC shows. “What it really emulates to us is the comic books themselves, where there really are a cast of characters,” commented head honcho Greg Berlanti after Miller’s deal was done in May. “In success, we hope to continue with other characters finding their way across all the shows.”
It’s an incredibly smart move. If you’re building a connected universe, it will allow the characters to pass freely from one show to another each week without having to negotiate new terms each time.
We love stories about John Barrowman, mainly because we get to use this David Tennant gif…
Arrow, The Flash, Legends Of Tomorrow & Supergirl will all return in the Autumn on Sky 1.