In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Marc Guggenheim has opened up about the decision to introduce Barry Allen in Arrow as a jumping off point for his own series on the CW. The full interview can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page, but read on for highlights which include how the writer and producer feels about expanding the DC Universe, the role he plays in that, and how this ultimately affects the grounded world of Oliver Queen.
On How He Feels To Expand DC's Television Universe:
"Honestly, I'm just excited to help be a part of expanding the DC Universe. I think one of the big thing that appeals to me about comics in general is the idea of the shared universe. It's a lot of fun to be able to do that in television, and growing up one of the things I enjoyed was the 'Six Million Dollar Man' and 'The Bionic Woman' and the way those two shows would interact with each other. We're at least a season away from 'Arrow' interacting with 'The Flash," but the potential for that is really exciting for me."
On Bringing More Characters To Arrow And Introducing The Flash:
"I think it is a little bit unique. I don't think we planned it. But at the same time, quite frankly, we didn't plan to expand the DC Universe so much in the first season of 'Arrow.' For example, Greg [Berlanti], Andrew [Kreisberg] and myself never said 'In the first season of this show, we're going to introduce the Huntress and Deathstroke.' We really didn't have that plan. We were hoping to one day get to those characters, but we never thought it'd happen as quickly as it did."
On The Decision To Movie Ahead With A TV Series Based On The Flash:
"Andrew is taking the lead on 'The Flash.' This has been in the works for a while and had been in the works since before Comic-Con. But we made the decision, as these things are announced in a rollout, to take a strategy where we'd announce Black Canary, Bronze Tiger and Brother Blood at Comic-Con. We felt like, 'That's a lot for Comic-Con. Let's save something back for when T.C.A. comes around.' I want to disabuse anyone of the notion that we decided to do Flash after Comic-Con. We're just capable of keeping secrets every now and again."
On How The Introduction Of A Superpowered Character Will Impact Arrow:
"I think a lot of people are justified in asking 'What does this mean for Arrow in terms of its tone?' And my answer is that the trick that we have – and this is a challenge we've discusses a lot and have an awareness of how to face it head on – is the fact that 'Arrow' is like 'Iron Man' where 'The Flash' will be 'The Hulk.' And just as 'The Hulk' coming out did not change the tone of the Iron Man movies, 'The Flash' will not change the tone of 'Arrow.' We're very cognizant of what 'Arrow' is all about, and I think the Marvel movies demonstrate that each piece of a universe can have its own feel. 'Thor' is consistent with the tone of Thor while 'Captain America' is consistent with the tone of Captain America's character. 'Arrow's' tone will remain consistent much in the same way, and we are looking forward to expanding our canvass a bit. And judging from the announcement, I think the fans are looking forward to it as well."
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