Legends Of Tomorrow: Stephen Amell Will Play Older, Dark Knight Returns-Inspired Oliver Queen

So far, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has been all about visiting the past, but where there’s a time machine, there’s generally a reason for it to end up in the future. When Rip Hunter and his team do eventually head to 2046 later this season, they’re going to run into one familiar face from DC TV and another that comic book fans have been anxious to see.

SuperHeroHype revealed that Stephen Amell will appear in episode 6, playing an older, battle-damaged version of Oliver Queen. He’ll be joined by his comic book son, though it remains to be seen if that relationship is the same on television.

Executive producer Marc Guggenheim gave the details, along with some info on the inspiration behind Oliver’s look three decades from now.

"Every once and a while, we do an episode where the 10-year-old me has to pinch himself. We’re not only introducing our version of Connor Hawke to our universe, we’re going to meet the 2046 version of Oliver Queen, and Stephen Amell is going to be reprising his role from Arrow. As an added bonus to comic-book fans, Oliver is missing his left arm and will be sporting a goatee, in a nod to the character’s appearance in the seminal Dark Knight Returns. We think this episode features some of the coolest things we’ve ever done."

Guggenheim is referring to the Oliver that readers know from The Dark Knight Returns (and is pictured above from the animated adaptation of the famous comic book series), who still manages to wield a bow despite missing an arm. He actually plays a pivotal role in the climactic showdown between Batman and Superman, firing a kryptonite arrow with his teeth that weakens the Man of Steel.

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Hawke is Oliver Queen’s son and his successor as Green Arrow in the pre-New 52 continuity of DC Comics. He grew up in an ashram not knowing his father, though he later took over his heroic mantle when Oliver died saving Metropolis from a plane carrying a large bomb. Connor later joined the Justice League and continued on as Green Arrow even after his dad returned, but the New 52 relaunch earlier this decade has done away with the character aside from an Earth 2 version, now deceased.

Arrow fans know that Oliver already has a son via ex-girlfriend Samantha Clayton, though his name is William as the creative team intentionally stayed away from making that character Connor Hawke or tying him to the Green Arrow legacy — at least so far. How the Legends version of Hawke is connected to Queen could be addressed in the upcoming episode or saved for a later date.

Next: Legends of Tomorrow: Who is Rip Hunter?

New episodes of Legends of Tomorrow air Thursday nights at 8 pm on The CW. An air date for episode 6 has yet to be announced but should take place in late February or early March.