Brandon Routh Teases The Atom’s Costume On Arrow, Plus New Images From Season Premiere

With Arrow‘s hotly-anticipated third season now less than a month away, the CW is starting to ramp up the show’s marketing campaign. Today, a host of new images (courtesy of Green Arrow TV) were released featuring star Stephen Amell in and out of his iconic green hood, Peter Stormare as the new Count Vertigo, Colton Haynes as his new vigilante alter-ego Arsenal, and Superman Returns alum Brandon Routh as a different DC Comics superhero: Ray Palmer a.k.a. The Atom.

Speaking of Routh, he recently talked with The DJ Tanner Show and confirmed that he won’t just be playing The Atom’s billionaire alter-ego, but will in fact suit up as the size-changing hero at some point. He revealed that he’s already finished his work on the first six episodes of the season and has yet to don the suit, but he has seen some concept art, which means that his heroic transformation is certainly on the horizon.

Here’s what Routh had to say about the suit and how it compares to the costume he wore in Superman Returns:

“It’s a totally different suit and I haven’t been in it yet, I’ve only seen drawings. It’s a very different character and I really can’t say too much about what the suit’s going to look like – just that it’s very different and I don’t believe it has a cape, which doesn’t really surprise anybody if you’ve seen The Atom in the comics.”

So, it sounds like the suit will at least closely resemble the one worn by Palmer in the comic, though it will likely get the “gritty realism” treatment that the other Arrow costumes have been given thus far. Even The Flash, who’s getting his own spin-off this year, got an updated and more “realistic” costume than the bright red spandex that the character wears on the page. My guess is that Routh’s costume will go a similar route and tone back the bright red and blue tights for something a bit edgier.

If you’re worried that the character of Ray Palmer will be taken too seriously, don’t worry. Routh assures that he brings a sense of fun and comedy to the series, while creating a bit of romantic drama as well:

“[Being on the show is] a cool opportunity; it’s a cool show with a huge following. They do a great job of grounding the show. Having my character on there – he has a lot of different elements. I get to come on there and [do some] comedy in a pretty dark world. My character, Ray Palmer, interacts with Felicity mostly in the episodes I’ve shot so far and it’s just a lot of fun. I have a great time working with Emily [Bett Rickards]. I think it’s going to add it a whole new element to the show that I think fans will like, whether they dislike Ray getting into the middle of the Oliver/Felicity relationship or not.”

What do you think of Routh’s comments? Are you excited to see the former Man of Steel on Arrow? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and be sure to take a look at the new stills from the season premiere below.

Arrow returns on Wednesday October 8th, 2014 on the CW.