If you had to introduce Super Powers/Metahumans into this show how would you do it?

[smallville fan]

What the title says.

As previously stated before, it was established that this universe is very much a reality based world where people have no powers, and gods, aliens, Atlantis, Amazons etc do not exist.

The challenge here is how you could introduce these concepts into the very much real world of the Arrow tv show.

Go.

[ZIPBAGS]

Why does Arrow and even the Batman movies so against having a superheroes with superpowers? Yes, I know it's supposed to be based on a realistic world. But, honestly could any person be so skilled like in Arrow or Bats? You can still keep it realistic..but, with superpowers...Marvel movies proved that.

With regards to your question. The easiest one to start with would be Canary and her sonic scream.

[smallville fan]

Originally Posted by ZIPBAGS

Why does Arrow and even the Batman movies so against having a superheroes with superpowers? Yes, I know it's supposed to be based on a realistic world. But, honestly could any person be so skilled like in Arrow or Bats? You can still keep it realistic..but, with superpowers...Marvel movies proved that.

With regards to your question. The easiest one to start with would be Canary and her sonic scream.

I totally agree. With Batman and Arrow they always seem to have a thing against people with superpowers and put a little too much praise for non-powered heroes to the point where they get overrated. They're only human too.

But how would you incorporate her powers?

[DrCosmic]

I think having one source of super powers would be best for a show trying to keep it grounded, not just realistic, but make sure that these characters never transcend mundane concerns... and don't break the budget.

I would do a riff on Alphas, where there is a company that makes some biological implants that dramatically improve human functioning, epic vocal chords for Black Canary, Vertigo ability for Count Vertigo, and a few others as needed. Unfortunately, once the super powers rule is broken, it's kinda like 'why can't we have more' and then come the guest spots and whining about why not make it more like the MCU and less like Batman Begins...

[godisawesome]

Two ways to do this in my opinion: subtly mix in the ideas of some ancient powers, super soldier steroids, and keep the powers limited to stuff that seems relatively tame: sonic scream, super strength, enhanced agility, and extreme healing(not regenerating; keep the scars and a needed down time to recover), and limit it to that. Characters who could easily appear with only some minor adjustments: Deathstroke with powers, Manhunter, Vandal Savage(play up the idea that he may be Cain and simply forgot and changed as time went on), Brick, etc.

Alternatively, and I'd only do this if the Warner Bros was prepared to launch multiple spin offs on possibly some kind of cable channel, aliens and the meta gene. Not mutations, not green glowing rocks, but a high concept biological weapon that either kills humans or activates a dormant gene that causes incredible powers to be released. Tie in the idea that aliens have been observing Earth as a possible source for slaves, and have the final reveal be Superman.

Former's much more likely than the latter.

[BH/HHH]

I think this would all depend on how long the show lasts, if it goes on for too long I think they will inevitably bring in metas but I'm kind of torn on it. I think I'd just rather have the show stay grounded and be a solid four or five seasons with an end. My personal hope (I know it won't happen) is that Arrow will spin off into features and they finally make a version of Supermax (if they don't do it as a seasons story arc or something). On the other hand though there would be something freaking cool about Vandal Savage pulling an Arrow straight from his chest. So I think I'd rather it not last too long and stay as is but I'm nit totally against Meta's.

[smallville fan]

Originally Posted by godisawesome

Two ways to do this in my opinion: subtly mix in the ideas of some ancient powers, super soldier steroids, and keep the powers limited to stuff that seems relatively tame: sonic scream, super strength, enhanced agility, and extreme healing(not regenerating; keep the scars and a needed down time to recover), and limit it to that. Characters who could easily appear with only some minor adjustments: Deathstroke with powers, Manhunter, Vandal Savage(play up the idea that he may be Cain and simply forgot and changed as time went on), Brick, etc.

Alternatively, and I'd only do this if the Warner Bros was prepared to launch multiple spin offs on possibly some kind of cable channel, aliens and the meta gene. Not mutations, not green glowing rocks, but a high concept biological weapon that either kills humans or activates a dormant gene that causes incredible powers to be released. Tie in the idea that aliens have been observing Earth as a possible source for slaves, and have the final reveal be Superman.

Former's much more likely than the latter.

That sounds like an awesome way to introduce everything that is the DC Universe into the Arrow-verse.

Keep them coming guys

[ZIPBAGS]

They could always incorporate this version of Green Arrow into the upcoming Justice League movie. Even if its a cameo.

[Ultra Nolanite]

Bring in Star Labs and have them do stuff or something.

[DaveMoral]

Show a news clip of GL, from the movie, saving the day in Coast City. Maybe some kind of reference to Gotham City on the news too. "Gotham Police still searching for the Batman 2 years after the murder of Harvey Dent." Arroe could easily serve as a bizarre bridge for all these things.

I'm just crazy things. But it could be funny, a news show does some feature about the Hood, and the previous costumed vigilante sightings in Gotham(referencing the Nolanverse), something about GL in Coast City, and the goings on in Metropolis. Not in a million years would it happen, but it could be done.

[BH/HHH]

Originally Posted by ZIPBAGS

They could always incorporate this version of Green Arrow into the upcoming Justice League movie. Even if its a cameo.

agreed, I really think they should aim for four to five seasons then try a movie spin off. I could imagine a movie wouldn't need a massive budget.

[storyteller]

Well magic doesn't exist. Once you get into magic all bets are off.
Nobody flies. Every power has a cost so you can't keep using it. So if someone has super strength then they get tried very easily or could suffer a heart attack.

I think the basic Captain America augmentation at first. Probably start moving into Alphas territory.

[godisawesome]

I'd want to avoid having the government or a business being the main excuse for superpowers. It gives the producers too many ways to both limit the powers being shown and make sure they waste their storytelling abilities on sub-par effects. If you've got a budget, I think you should try and use the Jaws principle for the big heroes; the flyers or big budget powers are suggested most of the time out of frame or through subtle deployment in cool ways. Use all the small scale effects for major appearances, like Savage's immortality, Brick's super strength, etc.

Way I see it is like this: a meta gene bomb gets activated by some powerful outside force- if not aliens than slightly less fantastical villains like Savage and Ra's Al Ghul- to both cull their own new powered henchmen and demonstrate the bombs lethality to those whose meta-gene doesn't activate fast enough. If you use the immortals, it would fit their regular goals of taking over the world(OF COURSE!) for Savage and providing Ra's with champions for "saving" it. Since the bomb has a wide dispersal, and since Arrow and others can foil the plan at a certain stage, newer metas would have more wild card personas and affiliations.

Now all the new heroes and villains can show up with the same randomness as Smallville with a better explanation.

And I'd push for some kind of admitted alien involvement for two reasons: you can have Green Lantern show up now, and I think a good money shot would feature the heroes stoping the meta bomb but captured by the bad guys when a farm boy suddenly takes a blast full force. Superman is then revealed.

[S. Grundy]

I would have done it in the beginning, gone for five years and the world changes a lot more than he would have expected. He reads about other vigilantes/heroes in other cities, and figures that's his best cover to do what he has to.

[smallville fan]

I always liked how Heroes introduced the Superpowers concept in a realistic fashion. Maybe that route would work?

[Justin]

The reason that they are against Super powers is in general that doesn't sell as well to the mainstream. There are always exceptions of course, but these more grounded "vigilante" stories tend to do better at the cinema and on TV than the super power ones do. It's more acceptable to the mainstream like this. My dad enjoys Arrow. He would just dismiss someone throwing Ollie around with his mind, but likes to see him fight a guy with knives using a bow and arrow.

You mention heroes, which was all the rage, but got cancelled when the powers became things such as feeling musical notes and the power of tattoo's. Like it or not, it became silly once it was finished with it's main cast as have shows such as the Xmen in the past.

As for how it would be introduced, i just wouldn't and I think they'd be silly, but if they did then they should go really small and still believable. Like someone who had an accident or something. Vertigo being able to do things with his mind would be on the verge of believable given what happened to him for example.

I understand this is a comic book site, but what some of you are asking is an entirely different show. It isn't going to happen given Arrow has a reasonably successful formula as it is, which is essentially a detective/vigilante/teen melodrama. Arrow's budget is really really small as well, I believe I read they are on half the budget most shows with a similar audience figure have. That would have to get a lot larger to carry off super powers effectively.

[bes628]

I love the realistic takes on Arrow, and Batman. But without the metahumans, you're pretty much taking away half of the fun of the characters and cool story lines.

[TheHighlander]

Make the power implied... not shown.... or not so obvious.... like... "luck"....

Canary could be that every time she comes around people start jerking with their ears canals and loose attention on what they are doing... it could be subtle and be attributed to luck.

[Dark Raven]

I suggest that Laurel Lance decides to take up opera singing in her spare time (or maybe she's always had a passion for it which we haven't seen). Then when she hits the high notes she might be able to shatter glass and even be shrill enough to make people block their eardrums. It wouldn't, of course, be as powerful as the actual sonic scream, but it would still be based in reality and something that would work in the context of the show.

As for it becoming more powerful, well maybe she'll wear something similar to Ollie's voice changer, where instead of altering the sound of her voice, it augments and amplifies it. A real operatic high note if amplified greatly through a speaker would still be extremely piercing to the human ear. So it won't be a real superpower as such, but just a human ability enhanced through technology.

As for Count Vertigo, he wouldn't really have the vertigo ability, but maybe he disperses the drug in the form of a gas which makes everyone around him experience vertigo and imbalance symptoms.

And Hal Jordan could use holographic technology miniaturised into a small ring.

[NosfeRomas]

Or you could just put them out there.

Season 3+. Maybe after a time skip. Have a news broadcast of idividuals with strange abilities and make a story where Ollie ivestigates such a case, assuming of course we have finished with the whole "you have failed this city" thingy, it should be more Denny ONeal with Ollie being a straight up liberal trying to defend the little guy.

They could start with Black Canary, have Laurel being in trouble and while fighting back she could scream and suddently wow her super awesome sonic scream.

Also though newspapers, news broadcastings and Felicity refrences to Superman (Man of Steel Sups) can pop up. And start building up the JLA from there.