It might not be the perfect show, but season 5 of Arrow has largely benefited from the glorious canning of Olicity, which singlehandedly destroyed the past two seasons with its Gossip Girl-inspired soppy love story. The noticeable improvement in the storyline aside though, it’s hard to ignore the constant criticism that this series pinches more than a few ideas from Gotham City.
Sure, there’s no Batmobile or Robin here (thank the powers that be for that), but there’s certainly enough Batfluence to go around. From the villains to the grim tone, there’s a hint of Bruce Wayne in everything that Oliver Queen does and encounters in Star City. Whether you think this is a good thing or a lame pastiche is really up to you. Just don’t deny that the spectre of the Dark Knight looms over this show season after season.
As Arrow reaches the end of its fifth year now, we take a look back at the blatant Caped Crusader influences that have made their way into the series so far. As always, we welcome your thoughts and opinions on the topic, so please sound off in the comments section down below once you’ve finished reading.