Arrow The League of Assassins Thread

[godisawesome]

I figure these guys as a group are going to be an integral subplot for this whole universe, especially with one Al Ghul headed into a live action appearnace in Arrow.

So, we've seen Al-Owal and his henchmen, including the Assassin who seemed to know Sara personally before she killed him, we've got Malcolm, who seems to have crossed a line that requires Ra's to personally seek his permanent death, and we've got Nyssa coming to town with a vested interest, implied to be somewhat personal in bringing Sara back under her family's thumb.

So, anybody got any ideas why Malcolm has made himself persona-non-grata with these guys? I mean, Moira says they've got a code that he broke, but what the heck did he do?

Was his attack on the Galdes just a little too random? Was he supposed to target the rich as well as the poor? Was his failure to report back seen as him going AWOL? Or does Ra's Al Ghul, patriarch of DC's First Family of Evil, feel Merlin should leave Thea alone?

 

[The Shape]

Also, how do we know that Malcolm even had permission to use the Lazarus Pit(s) to "resurrect" himself?

Many more questions need to be answered, like how dead Malcolm even got his body to a pit to revive himself.

 

[Boy Scout]

They're making it sound like he never actually died in the first place. I can't wait for them to go into detail about exactly what happened to him after Oliver stabbed him and what he's going to do in the future, because so far, I'm not really impressed with what they're doing with him.

 

[Sawyer]

I questioned whether he was even dead to begin with.

 

[Hunter Rider]

The potential is huge, I am interested to see what other assassins we see show up and I wonder who got Malcolm to the pit in the first place, as even if he wasn't as dead as Ollie thought, no way he could get himself half way across the world in the condition he was in.

Moira made it clear that what Malcolm did with the Glades was against the code of the LOA, in what way exactly is yet to be seen but I like the hook that Merlyn is now essentially on his own and could be stuck in the middle of the Team Arrow vs LOA war. I also wonder if killing him could be a way for Sarah to pay a debt to the League and be allowed to leave.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Out of curiosity, does anyone else prefer "League of Shadows"?

Not that I'm knocking the fact that they used the term from the comics, but I've always found "Shadows" to be my preferred name for the League. I'm assuming if they used the term here, there'd probably be some people thinking it'd mean they were connected to Nolanverse. Even though, I've seen it used in Young Justice.

 

[godisawesome]

"Shadows" adds some ambiguity to their cause and M.O. "Assassins" is more of an overtly villainous name. It also gives you a better excuse to include killers like Shiva in their numbers, characters who may lack the dedication to Ra's Al Ghul but are dedicated to the art and perfection of killing.

It seems to me that Sara's wanted back for something besides simply being a member. If Ra's were to be actually in this show at some point, I could see them using a young actor and using Chuck Dixon's Ra's and BC love story as a set up. But I can't help but think they'll be more creative than that.

 

[Coconut1214]

I don't know about a Ra's/Canary love story, they also said the child of Ra's wants her back. And we now know that child is Nyssa. So I think Sara's connection may be with Nyssa over Ra's (don't know if it's romantic or not) but it could also be Sara became like a daughter to Ra's and a sister to Nyssa during her time with the League.

 

[godisawesome]

If they play it that route, I really want some complex, deeply emotive characters involved. Honestly the Al Ghuls work best when they play a could-be-your-family angle towards the heroes.

It's much better than them just being dyed in the wool melodramatic villains.

 

[Boy Scout]

I questioned whether he was even dead to begin with.

Oliver stabbed him in the heart, he passed out with his eyes open, and literally everyone who mentioned him before his "resurrection" said that he was dead, with no room for interpretation. I can't imagine that Oliver (or Diggle or the police) would have just left him on the roof to rot. That just wouldn't make any sense.

Out of curiosity, does anyone else prefer "League of Shadows"?

Nah.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Just seems too on the nose, or narrow to me. The League is so more nefarious than simply killing people. I think that's the reason I prefer "Shadows".

Now, I prefer "League of Assassins" over "Society of Shadows", I believe was the name that was used in BTAS. It almost sounds like a bookclub dedicated to horror novels with that name.

I dunno, just thoughts on the wordplay used with that group that I find interesting.

 

[Coconut1214]

If they play it that route, I really want some complex, deeply emotive characters involved. Honestly the Al Ghuls work best when they play a could-be-your-family angle towards the heroes.

It's much better than them just being dyed in the wool melodramatic villains.

It would be interesting to have Ra's appear and have Sara's loyalties tested. She wants to be reunited with her family, but the person she's become is more connected to the Al Ghul's. She basically said she was reborn with the League into the person she is now. The Sara her family remembers is dead. So I do think they should work with the Al Ghul's being Sara's new dad and older sister.

It will give the villains some more depth.

 

[godisawesome]

The League actually having some serious depth in their characterization would be awesome. Malcolm got a hell of a lot more interesting when his madness was revealed and his care for Tommy was made clear, if also deconstructed. Deadshot actually became watchable when they gave him a kind of cowboy personality.

Ra's and Nyssa actually wanting Sara back because she's "family" could be a nice twisted surprise.

 

[Boy Scout]

Just seems too on the nose, or narrow to me. The League is so more nefarious than simply killing people. I think that's the reason I prefer "Shadows".

Now, I prefer "League of Assassins" over "Society of Shadows", I believe was the name that was used in BTAS. It almost sounds like a bookclub dedicated to horror novels with that name.

I dunno, just thoughts on the wordplay used with that group that I find interesting.

I understand what you're saying. I have no problem with "League of Shadows"; I just think "League of Assassins" sounds cooler.

It would be interesting to have Ra's appear and have Sara's loyalties tested. She wants to be reunited with her family, but the person she's become is more connected to the Al Ghul's. She basically said she was reborn with the League into the person she is now. The Sara her family remembers is dead. So I do think they should work with the Al Ghul's being Sara's new dad and older sister.

It will give the villains some more depth.

Agreed. Having her be tempted to rejoin them, even after doing everything she could to get away from them, would make for a very compelling storyline. It might also reveal a special connection she might have to her brother-to-be...a brother-to-be who just might have an unhealthy obsession with bats...

The League actually having some serious depth in their characterization would be awesome. Malcolm got a hell of a lot more interesting when his madness was revealed and his care for Tommy was made clear, if also deconstructed. Deadshot actually became watchable when they gave him a kind of cowboy personality.

Ra's and Nyssa actually wanting Sara back because she's "family" could be a nice twisted surprise.

Agreed.

Damn. You guys are really making me excited for what the future might bring! t:

 

[godisawesome]

Yeah, let's be honest. The more these guys appear the more the fans are going to be expecting some mention of Gotham, other vigilantes, or heck, even just a casual complaint by Nyssa about her sister's "beloved."

 

[DrRocket]

I think the league will work behind the scenes in this season and feature more promptly in season three

 

[godisawesome]

I figure the League is tied to Sara more than anything else. So as long as she's a main attraction, they'll be around.

If they become a multi-season threat, than somebody from Gotham had better show up!

 

[Coconut1214]

I'm hoping that Sara went to Gotham for help with the League. Or Bludhaven.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I'm actually curious if they're willing to hint at a Batman Begins-esque connection between Bruce and the League. Prior to Batman Begins, for me atleast, it always seemed on the surface that the League was always a homegrown, impenetrable legion that didn't really recruit. It may have something covered in the comics, but I never saw it. The concept of the League taking in strays, and remolding them into unstoppable tools of destruction is really interesting. And there's so many nods, that just a mention of a "Man from Gotham" who betrayed the League or something would be seem possible. Even if they can't deliver.

Arrow was in Bludhaven last season, wasn't he? I could see another trip to Bludhaven happening.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

As for the name, they're not often even called the League of Assassins anymore, usually the Assassins League. The only reason I would like a move to the League of Shadows is to differentiate from the Assassin Order of Assassin's Creed.

As for the League itself, I hope they don't delve too far into it. They're fundamentally linked to Batman. Namedropping Ra's is fine, but I'd only ever maybe like to see Dusan Al Ghul and, of course, Nyssa.

 

[godisawesome]

Alright. We have Nyssa.

Nice mix of vaguely Asiatic themes to her costuming.

 

[DrRocket]

^ can't wait till she starts shooting those arrows of hers

 

[Herolee10]

Alright. We have Nyssa.

Nice mix of vaguely Asiatic themes to her costuming.

The irony here is that I could now actually buy Ken Watanabe's fake version of Ra's Al Ghul being her father.

 

[Loki882]

The extended promo for episode 13 really teased the idea that Sara and Nyssa were lovers at one point. Sara specifically says that Nyssa wants Sara to come back TO her, not WITH her.

 

[Loki882]

As for the name, they're not often even called the League of Assassins anymore, usually the Assassins League. The only reason I would like a move to the League of Shadows is to differentiate from the Assassin Order of Assassin's Creed.

As for the League itself, I hope they don't delve too far into it. They're fundamentally linked to Batman. Namedropping Ra's is fine, but I'd only ever maybe like to see Dusan Al Ghul and, of course, Nyssa.

No, if they hadn't actually name dropped Ra's, then that might have worked. But since they've been mentioning him by name, he HAS to appear at some point. The audience is going to want to see this guy and they'll be disappointed if they don't.