The rights to certain characters are always a tricky game for the CW; appearances from some fan-favorites on their superhero programs are always on and off the table due to decisions from the top brass at DC, most recently witnessed
last week in relation to
Deathstroke. While an appearance from
Batman seems highly unlikely, the network hasn't been shy in dropping a few hints about the Dark Knight.
Most recently,
Arrow's sixth season made a direct reference with Oliver Queen mentioning
Bruce Wayne by name in a press conference, drumming up some possibility amongst fans that we could at least get an appearance from Batman in his civilian identity. Even
Gotham star David Mazouz had
his own ideas to bring his version of Wayne to the Arrowverse. However,
Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim has cautioned that the shows are just having a bit of fun with their references.
"No, I love a good Easter egg, and I love doing the occasional name drop," Guggenheim told ComicBook.
"You know, we name dropped Hal Jordan at the beginning of Season 3, but it's really just fun for us. I think in the Arrowverse we have our own Justice League and the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batman ... these are all characters that are either spoken for on the movie side and/or other shows. There's a Bruce Wayne on Gotham."
"Over here on the CW, we're sort of a mischievous lot, and we enjoy the occasional Easter egg," Guggenheim said.
"And our partners at DC are very tolerant of our mischief. But that's really all it is. Just good nature, good fanboy mischief."
Of course, you can never really say never, seeing as the network was able to get permission for
Superman to appear. But for now, it seems that an appearance from the Caped Crusader is not in the cards.
About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.