[SPOILERS for those not caught up on Arrow season 4 ahead.]
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Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) has been a formidable foe for our heroes on Arrow. With the vast H.I.V.E. network behind him, an endless supply of resources and assassins, plus mystical powers of his own, Darhk thus far seems impossible to defeat. While Team Arrow may occasionally thwart his immediate plans, his ultimate nefarious goal remains hidden and frustratingly on schedule.
In the episode “Code of Silence”, Darhk enlisted a deadly demolitions team to systematically bring down any building his enemies were in. This not only put Thea (Willa Holland), Captain Lance (Paul Blackthorne), and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) in extreme danger, it nearly sealed the fate of a crowd of innocents attending Oliver’s political debate with Darhk’s wife Ruvé Adams (Janet Kidder). Since blowing up Oliver didn’t work out as planned, it looks like he’ll be moving on to Plan B in the next episode.
Thanks to Malcolm’s (John Barrowman) helpful betrayal, Darhk will be using Oliver’s newly discovered son William (Jack Moore) as leverage. As the latest teaser for Arrow episode “Taken” shows, Felicity gets to find out about William at the same time she and her fiance learn the boy has been kidnapped by their archenemy. The trailer also reveals they’ll be getting some help from “Detroit hero” Vixen to rescue William and take down Darhk.
Me and my bad ass stunt women/pro fighter @rochelle_okoye. The mastermind behind #Vixen’s moves! #sotuff A photo posted by Megalyn E.K. (@megalyn) on Jan 22, 2016 at 6:26pm PST
Character Mari McCabe becomes Vixen through the power of the Tantu Totem, worn on a necklace she inherited from the parents she never knew. The totem gives her the ability to draw on the abilities of animals, giving her the right amount of strength, speed, or agility just when she needs it. The official synopsis for “Taken” reveals that she’ll also be able to use her animal connections to find Darhk’s secret location.
The DC heroine can currently be seen in animated form on the web series Vixen, available on streaming service CW Seed. The voice actress Megalyn Echikunwoke (also known as Megalyn E.K.) will also take on the live-action role on Arrow. You can get a closer look at the costume in E.K.’s Instagram above, and the presence of a stuntwoman means we’ll definitely be seeing her “kick ass,” as promised in the video clip up top.
The original Arrow promo image of Vixen shows a ghostlike image of a wolf hovering next to her, similar to how the web series animates her different manifestations. The CW has done pretty well with a low effects budget, so hopefully the live-action scenes can incorporate this imagery in a non-cheesy way. CW President Mark Pedowitz has indicated Vixen might go on to join the Legends of Tomorrow team, and that decision will likely depend on how well the character comes across in this installment of Arrow. We’ve only gotten a tiny clip of her, but so far she seems pretty amazingly badass.
Arrow returns with episode “Taken” on February 24, 2016. Vixen will continue on CW Seed later this year.
Source: The CW
