Spoilers ahead for Suits LA episode 4, “Batman Returns.”
Harvey Specter made hisSuits LAdebut in episode 4, titled “Batman Returns,” which gave the show the perfect opportunity to reference Ted Black actor Stephen Amell’s most famous role.Suits LA’s leading role is Amell’s biggest project sinceArrowcame to an end in 2020, and while he has done other things since ditching the Green Arrow costume, it is difficult not to associate the actor with the iconic role of Oliver Queen. Naturally, many were expectingSuits LAto referenceArrowin some way, but the show might have wasted its best opportunity yet.
Ted Black is a very different character from Oliver Queen, even though Stephen Amell did get to play “Mayor Green Arrow” in the CW series.Suits LAreferencing a DC superhero would not be a surprise considering how many timesSuitsreferenced Batman, Superman, and other pop culture icons. With episode 4 being called “Batman Returns,” it seemed reasonable to assume that there would be a reference to Green Arrow as well. Unfortunately, that is not quite what happened.
Harvey’s Suits LA Episode 4 Debut Includes DC Superhero References
Harvey Is Batman, Ted Is… Superman?
Harvey Specter’s return inSuits LAmight not have been what many were expecting. Rather than Harvey showing up to the rescue in present-day LA,Gabriel Macht reprised his role as the belovedSuitscharacter in two flashback sequencesset in 2010 New York. We got to see Harvey playing with the DA’s baseball team, which included Ted Black. While Harvey was no longer working at the DA’s office at that point, he was still hanging out with his old peers. Harvey described Ted as the only other person he can see being called “Batman” other than him.
Matt Letscher, who played Eobard Thawne in his original form in the Arrowverse, plays Ted’s father inSuits LA.
This was followed by Ted Black stating that he, not Harvey, was Batman, leading into a fun bit in which they kept arguing over who was the main hero and who was the sidekick.Ted suggested that he could be Superman to Harvey’s Batman, but Harvey argued that Ted was more like a Robin figure. This mirrored the interactions between Harvey and Mike in the original series, with the two often describing themselves as “Batman and Robin.” Of course, Harvey was Batman, while Mike, the firm’s boy wonder, had no choice but to be the sidekick.
Suits LA Could Have Referenced Green Arrow — Stephen Amell’s Best Role Thus Far
Stephen Amell Played Oliver Queen For Almost A Decade
Suits LAepisode 4’s DC references, which included mentions of Batman, Robin, and Superman, gave the show the perfect opportunity to referenceArroworganically. To be fair, Ted Black was wearing a green sweater when he was talking to Harvey about what their superhero personas would be. Still,Suits LAcould have gone all in and dropped some sort of reference to Green Arrow. Considering thatOliver Queen is a charming masked vigilante just like Bruce Wayne, “Green Arrow” could have been one of Harvey’s suggestions for Ted Black’s superhero nickname.
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Althoughnamedropping Green Arrow might have been a little too on the nose, the fact thatSuits LAwas suddenly referencing DC superheroes made it difficult for me not to think an Oliver Queen Easter egg was coming. The joke honestly wrote itself, but I understand ifSuits LAdidn’t want to go there. Regardless, seeing Amell referencing Batman and Superman five years afterArrowin a totally different show was fun, even more so considering that Oliver Queen interacted with a few Supermen and multiple Batman-related characters in the Arrowverse.
Luckily, Suits LA Still Has Time To Reference Green Arrow
Suits LA Should Have Plenty Of More Pop Culture References
“Batman Returns” will surely not beSuits LA’s final chance to reference Green Arrow. With Gabriel Macht set to appear in two more episodes, there should be plenty of opportunities for Harvey and Ted to keep arguing about who is Batman and which DC superhero the other one can be. While it is a bit odd to hear Harvey describe him and Ted as Batman and Robin considering this was originally used for his relationship with Mike, it works in the context ofSuits LA.Harvey and Ted are very similar, so they will both want to “be Batman.”
Michael Keaton, who starred inBatmanandBatman Returns, is Harvey Specter’s favorite Batman.
Additionally,Suits LAis about the world of entertainment law and tackles how Hollywood works. The newSuitsshow has referenced multiple movies, actors, and even Warner Bros. already, meaning it could easily continue to namedrop other superheroes, franchises, and famous IPs. Whether there was a show calledArrowstarring an actor who looks just like Ted Black in the universe whereSuits LAtakes place remains to be seen, but I hope that the show eventually drops a couple of Oliver Queen references here and there.
Suits LA
Cast
Suits LA follows Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor who now represents influential clients in Los Angeles. As his law firm faces a critical juncture, Ted must navigate the challenges of a role he once disdained, balancing moral dilemmas with the demands of high-stakes legal battles.
