The CW first kicked off their DC Comics shared television universe with Arrow in 2012, with The Flash following in 2014, and the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow set to officially launch in January 2016. Although the CW’s DC universe has grown to include three series, it goes beyond live-action. Earlier this year, The CW announced an animated series, Vixen, that is also part of the world even though it airs on the network’s web platform, CW Seed.
In the past, The CW has used Arrow as a springboard for its other series - Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) first appeared on the show before receiving his spinoff in The Flash - though Legends of Tomorrow characters were introduced on both The Flash and Arrow, specifically during the network’s recent crossover event. However, although Vixen didn’t appear on Arrow before headlining her own series, she’s now set to make the jump from animation to live action.
TV Insider is reporting that Mari McCabe a.k.a. Vixen will appear in Arrow’s fourth season, to be played by the character’s voice actress, Megalyn Echikunwoke (Damien, The Following). Vixen’s first season included six episodes and followed the titular superhero who has the ability to mimic the powers of any animal thanks to a totem imbued with magical powers passed down through her family. Marc Guggenheim, executive producer of Arrow and Vixen, spoke about the hero’s transition from animated series to live-action:
To help bring Vixen into the CW’s DC TV universe, the series co-starred Arrow and Flash characters Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), Barry Allen (Gustin), Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), who were all voiced by their live-action counterparts. Mari McCabe will arrive in Star City during Arrow’s 15th episode of season 4, which is tentatively set to air on February 24th.
“We’re not only thrilled to be further expanding our DC television universe by bringing in the live-action incarnation of the CW Seed hit, Vixen, we’re immensely excited that Megalyn will be revisiting her role as Mari McCabe.”
It’s unclear as of yet how many episodes Echikunwoke’s Vixen will appear in - whether she’ll show up for a one-off appearance like Matt Ryan’s John Constantine earlier this season or a longer, more developed arc. It also remains to be seen how Arrow will handle Vixen’s powers in live-action, since the effect of the animal the character is mimicking appearing behind her may not translate effectively from animation. Of course, Arrow may interpret her powers differently and showcase them in a way that’s more true to the tone of the series.
That being said, Vixen’s appearance will certainly be a new way to tie in the animated series to the larger CW DC universe and is sure to be compelling for fans of the CW Seed show. Still, with so many questions surrounding the character’s live-action iteration, it remains to be seen whether the Vixen hero works better on Arrow or her own animated series.
Next: Arrow Midseason Finale Review
Vixen season 1 is currently available in its entirety on CW Seed. The Flash will return on Tuesday, January 19, 2016, while Arrow will return on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 and Legends of Tomorrow will see its series premiere on Thursday, January 21, 2016.
Source: TV Insider
