John Barrowman Will Now Be A Series Regular In The CW’s DC Television Universe
By Steve Lam
John Barrowman has been elevated to series regular status across The CW’s DC Television Universe.
Face it, the character of Malcolm Merlyn is someone we all love to hate. How many times in Arrow Season 4 has he done something that basically ruins the life of Thea, and then, afterwards, tells her that he did it because he cares and loves her? That’s some really strange fatherly tough love. However, we can’t deny that this morally ambiguous character is definitely a presence on the show.
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Get ready, because his presence will now grow even more to encompass all of The CW’s DC Television Universe shows. TVLine is reporting that John Barrowman has now been lifted to series regular and will appear on Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and the newly joined Supergirl.
Barrowman isn’t the first to clinch this mega-crossover deal. Wentworth Miller—who plays fan-favorite Leonard Snart / Captain Cold in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow—also signed a similar contract. Though Snart sacrificed himself to save his team at the end of Season 1, the character will be appearing across the television universe. How that will be done and what direction the story behind his “death” will take remains to be seen.
This probably won’t be the last time we’re going to see a character become a staple across all shows in the DC Television Universe. Greg Berlanti—the producing wizard behind all the current shows—stated in May, right after announcing Miller’s new status, that he wanted to mimic the comic book medium:
"What it really emulates to us is the comic books themselves, where there really are a cast of characters … In success, we hope to continue with other characters finding their way across all the shows."
When Arrow was first conceived, fans had no idea just how large the show would become. After spawning two spin-offs in the same universe and another one in an acknowledged separate universe, the motto of “anything can happen” is truer than ever.
Next: Arrow: Josh Segarra Cast As The Vigilante, Hinting At A More Grounded Season 5
The CW’s The Flash Season 3 will premiere on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
The CW’s Arrow Season 5 will premiere on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
The CW’s Supergirl Season 2 will premiere on Monday, October 10, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
The CW’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 will premiere on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST.