Arrow: Vixen Is On The Prowl
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Our Carmel Agnant looks at the much anticipated arrival of Vixen on the set of CW's Arrow.
A new character will be pulled from the DC Comics family and thrust into the DC TV Universe today. That character is Vixen. The intriguing hero will make her debut on the CW’s Arrow. It's no surprise that the Arrowverse is expanding, but bringing Vixen on board is unexpected in a special way.
This isn’t the first run the CW has with Vixen. The network created a self-titled animated web series that premiered last summer and was featured on the CW Seed.
DC TV Universe giant Greg Berlanti and writer Marc Guggenheim produced the show. It surrounded Vixen revisiting her past as well as providing a brief look into her origin story. Grant Gustin and Stephen Amell reprised their roles in animated forms respectively as the Flash and Green Arrow. They weren’t the only ones. Emily Bett Rickards kept her role as Felicity Smoak and Carlos Valdes played as his character Cisco Ramon. The main character, Vixen, was voiced by Megalyn Echikunwoke who will also appear as the live-action character on Arrow.
The preview for the next episode of Arrow, which is titled “Taken”, shows Oliver Queen determined to get back his son William, who was kidnapped by H.I.V.E. leader Damien Darhk. The next scene includes a voice over that may be from Felicity or Laurel that introduces Vixen as “a hero from Detroit”. The preview also shows Vixen in a secluded area facing off with multiple guys. It highlights the fact that a new hero is looking to handle business in Star City.
The question is will she be here to stay or is she just a passerby?
DC All Access host Matt Lieberman is encouraging fans to watch, saying that the episode “will change everything”. He hinted at a possible appearance of Constantine. If Constantine does happen to appear, it would be his second time. Lieberman also said that the episode “is a game changer for season four and the series at large.” From the preview for “Taken”, it seems that Vixen will make her way into the show in a big way.
There is great buzz about Vixen, but just who is this hero?
To start off, her real name is Mari McCabe. She was first seen in Action Comics #521, alongside Superman. McCabe, in the comic books, was originally born in Africa and wields the power of the Tantu Totem. This artifact holds the power of all animals, which means that McCabe can summon the abilities of any animal she chooses. That same Totem may be the reason that will bring Constantine back to Star City.
Vixen is a powerful character but her presence in the past was not enough to be a stand-alone character like Wonder Woman or Supergirl. In fact, it is common to see her as part of teams like the Justice League. Her first animated series that was featured on the CW Seed gave her a bigger presence. Now, Arrow will be a platform that may propel her into bigger things.
The appearance of the comic book character will be the very first time fans would see her in a live-action role. This can mean a lot for Arrow. Oliver Queen can be getting more help in keeping Star City safe. Damien Darhk, who is now one of the most powerful villains Oliver will be facing, is a man of dark magic. Vixen has ties to mystic abilities that can assist Oliver in defeating Darhk. She may also have a future in The Flash because anything that happens in Arrow effects the whole Flarrowverse.
The highly-anticipated Arrow episode “Taken” will premiere on Wednesday, February 24th at 8 pm EST.
Carmel Agnant is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow us on Twitter: @ComiConverse