A while back, I wrote an article titled
10 Cameos For The CW's Arrow. Since then, some of those characters (Ted Kord, The Question, Nightwing) mentioned have cropped up in discussions with the show's various executive producers. Now, another character from that list is being discussed by Arrow EP Andrew Kreisberg, the villainous Onomatopoeia. Initially discussing the character, Mr. Blank who is played by Angel-alum J. August Richards, Kreisberg reveals that they almost decided to use Onomatopoeia instead.
[Mr. Blank's] a very cool new villain to add to our rogues gallery. Originally, we were going to try to do Onomatopoeia, a villain from Kevin Smith’s run [of New Earth comics], but Kevin apparently said in an interview that there was no way to bring that character to television and film — and after a while we agreed with him! [Mr. Blank's] an innocuous assassin, somebody who has strength and power but is just sort of there in the background. That’s how we came up with the name, because he’s not really anything or anyone."
Onomatopoeia made his debut in
"The Sound of Violence" a three-issue 2002 storyline from DC Comics' Green Arrow title. The villain is a serial killer that targets vigilantes and has a very distinctive characteristic in that he has the added psychological disorder of perfectly imitating noises around him such as dripping water, footsteps and gunshots. Here's Kevin Smith's quote about his character that Kreisberg was referencing above:
RELATED CONTENT:
Ted Kord Appearing On The CW's ARROW?
ARROW Episode 19 'Unfinished Business' Poll & Discussion
ARROW Episode 18 'Salvation' Poll & Discussion
Arrow (CW) Trailer by All Thats Bueno
Running Time: 60 min
Release Date: October 10, 2012
MPAA Rating: Tv-14
Starring: Katie Cassidy, Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Byron Mann, Colin Donnell, Colin Salmon, Paul Blackthorne, Emily Bett Rickards, John Barrowman, Roger R. Cross and Willa Holland
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Characters: George Papp (character) and Mort Weisinger (character)
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be – flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle – while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.