Arrow is currently in the middle of its eighth and final season as the Stephen Amell-led series has only a handful of episodes left before it wraps up. The series that created the Arrowverse may be ending, but a spin-off is currently in the works that would keep the Arrow side of Greg Berlanti’s franchise alive. The CW previously announced that a female team-up series featuring Oliver’s daughter Mia (Katherine McNamara) as well as the two Black Canaries, Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) and Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy) is in the works. A backdoor pilot is set to be included in the final season that will take place in the ninth episode.
Later on, it was revealed by executive producer Marc Guggenheim that the spin-off is appearing to be titled Green Arrow and the Canaries. The series will follow Mia as the new Green Arrow while aligning herself with the two Canaries. While the project currently has a pilot order, chances are the series will join the other Arrowverse shows in the 2020-2021 TV season. Plot details are limited for the time being as there is no telling if the series will take place in the present or in Mia’s timeline in 2040. Currently, Mia is stuck in 2019 with her half-brother William (Ben Lewis) as well as their ally Connor Hawke (Joseph David-Jones.)
With the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, the following episode on Arrow might indicate where the spin-off will take place. As the 5-hour event approaches, these are 5 reasons why the series should be set in the present as well as 5 reasons why it should take place in the future.
WHY THE PRESENT: Star City 2040 Was Arrow’s Story
Since season seven, the Star City 2040 arc felt very much like an Arrow story. With Mia and her team having time-traveled into 2019, it could be seen as the perfect sign as to why that plot should be done. Season seven told an overall story of what had happened to Star City in 2040. To a degree, they managed to wrap things up a lot in that season alone. While new stories can certainly be introduced in Star City 2040, is it needed? Perhaps it is better to leave that timeline behind once Arrow concludes.
WHY THE FUTURE: Seeing Older Versions of Arrowverse Villains
While fans have gotten to see a big range of DC villains across the shows, how many have been from the future? There have only been a handful amount such as The Flash’s Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) and Legends of Tomorrow’s Vandal Savage (Casper Crump.)
If the show were to take place in a 2040 setting, this could be a way to meet older versions of past Arrowverse villains. How would the show tackle meet a future version of the Rogues from The Flash? There’s a lot of potentials that can be used for the many villains we have met across all the shows.
WHY THE PRESENT: Avoiding the Deathstroke Gang
One of the mixed aspects of the eighth season of Arrow currently is the Deathstroke gang. The idea of Deathstroke is that it’s mainly Slade Wilson’s (Manu Bennett) thing and not something that gets shared between multiple people. With the Future Team Arrow stuck in 2019 and supposedly already altering the future of 2040, it’s hard to tell if the Deathstroke gang will still be a thing in that timeline. But if the spin-off were to continue in the present, they could ultimately avoid having to use that gang again as recurring villains.
WHY THE FUTURE: Seeing Older Versions of Arrowverse Heroes
Similarly to the villains of the Arrowverse, having the spin-off series take place in the future could let fans see older versions of the heroes. There are still plenty of heroes that we have yet to see in a future setting. With the exception of a voice message of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), not even The Flash has explored the idea of a Barry from 2040.
If the spin-off continues the flashforwards storyline that Arrow started, it opens up the door for actors from the other shows to appear as older versions of themselves.
WHY THE PRESENT: The Canaries
Both Laurel and Dinah have been seen in the future as part of the Canaries Network. But what viewers never got to see, at least last season, is how they got to that point. With the timeline likely changing everything in 2040, will the Canaries Network still exist? For Green Arrow and the Canaries, Laurel and Dinah will be just as important to the story as Mia is. Following them in the future would take away a lot of opportunities from their present versions. It’s especially important for Laurel that her story gets to be told from today as she just got redeemed after two seasons of back and forth with what side she was on.
WHY THE FUTURE: Not Every 2040 Character Can Be Stuck in the Present
There could be a way for the show to have the cake and eat it too. With the new series aiming to tell a powerful story with the three women in the spotlight, there are still a few 2040 characters remaining.
William and Connor are still in the present and might possibly still be in the past after Arrow has ended. Since everyone from 2040 can’t be in the present, perhaps sending Connor and William back to 2040 and check in with them every once in a while could be a solid idea.
WHY THE PRESENT: Less Complicated For the Crossovers
It would be a massive twist if Green Arrow and the Canaries were not involved with the future crossovers. But because the other shows will continue to be set in the present, it would be difficult to connect the spin-off to the crossovers if it’s set in 2040. To expect all the other shows decide to make a massive time-jump would be jumping the shark for the Arrowverse. That’s another reason why the female team-up series should continue to tell its stories from the present so it makes crossovers easier to pull-of.
WHY THE FUTURE: Meeting New DC Heroes Who Are Future Based
If Green Arrow and the Canaries were to play out in the future, it does open another door for new DC characters. But these would be characters that are famously known for being active in future timelines of the DC Universe. The series could allow Mia and the Canaries to run into new heroes that have yet to appear in the Arrowverse. Imagine seeing Batman Beyond, Bart Allen, or Booster Gold (just to name a few) show up for an episode or two?
WHY THE PRESENT: A Complex Journey for Mia
With Mia being one of the three characters to lead the spin-off, she comes with a unique perspective by being from 2040. If the series allowed the story to be kept in the presence, it could do a lot of for Mia’s overall character journey. How would she deal with being stuck 20 years away from her timeline? How would Mia blend in with the rest of the heroes in this timeline? Since she is taking over as the Green Arrow from Oliver, having her in the present by keeping the Emerald Archer’s status active would be another way to honor her father. Given that she is finally getting to know him in the present, her new role will have even more meaning once the spin-off kicks off.
WHY THE FUTURE: Seeing Star City 2040 Post-Crisis
It’s safe to say that the universe is going to look extremely different after Crisis on Infinite Earths. With worlds likely merging and history being rewritten, fans will be getting a new Arrowverse, in a matter of speaking. The biggest appeal of having the new show set in the future would be to see the Arrowverse from post-Crisis lenses. The version of 2040 that Mia left behind wouldn’t be the one that she necessarily returns home to. That alone would give the series a refreshing way to explore the future compared to how Arrow has done it in the last two years.
