DC Showcase: Green Arrow

DC Showcase: Green Arrow is an animated short film released on September 28, 2010 as a bonus feature on the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Blu-ray and Special Edition DVD. An extended version was included on the DC Showcase Animated Original Shorts: Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam DVD and Blu-ray released on November 9, 2010. The original cut was officially uploaded to YouTube for free viewing on July 18, 2013.

The short was written by Young Justice writer/producer Greg Weisman, who has stated the short is "canon adjacent," meaning a similar but distinct version of the events in the film happened in the Earth-16 universe.^[1][2]

Logline[]

Green Arrow protects a young princess from assassins while waiting for Black Canary at the airport.

Synopsis[]

Oliver Queen is stuck in traffic trying to reach Star City International Airport. He listens to the traffic update on the radio; Sylvester the Sky Man explains the traffic jams are due to the security arrangements surrounding the arrival of Princess Perdita of Vlatava. Irritated, Ollie calls Dinah, reaching her answer phone, and tells her he'll meet her in baggage claim. Ending the call he berates himself for not telling her he loves her, as he takes a small jewellery box out of his pocket. He finally reaches the car park, but as he looks to the taxi rank, he sees a familiar face getting out of a cab. The facial recognition software on his phone confirms it is Merlyn.

In the arrivals area, a crowd gathers around a cordoned off area as Perdita and her security detail descend an escalator. Assassins posing as photographers shoot the security detail with their "cameras", but before they can kill Perdita, a smoke arrow hits the ground, and Green Arrow swings down on a rope. Arrow quickly knocks out two of the assassins, and introduces himself to Perdita. As more assassins emerge from the smoke, Arrow takes Perdita up the escalator, but finds two more gunmen waiting for them. After taking cover by one of the arrival terminals, Arrow uses a sonic arrow to shatter the windows and knock down the attackers, before firing a zip-line down to the ground. He and Perdita land under the wing of a plane, and Arrow quickly turns and shoots a pair of arrows back at the gunmen, hitting both in the shoulder. As Arrow and Perdita make a run for it, one of the gunmen contacts Merlyn, giving him the green light.

Arrow and Perdita almost run into the path of a plane. When they duck back, Arrow hears an arrow being fired, and pulls Perdita out of its path in the nick of time. Arrow sees Merlyn on the roof of the airport, picks up Perdita and runs. They dodge a barrage of arrows, but one finally hits Arrow, going through his calf. Arrow and Perdita take cover behind a baggage truck. Arrow snaps the arrow and pulls it out. Merlyn continues to shoot at them, knocking several bags off the truck. Arrow begins to fire back, while asking Perdita to make a bandage, which she does using clothing from her backpack. Arrow asks the princess if she has any idea why she's being targeted. Perdita tells him it because she is not a princess: her father died the night before; she is the queen now. Arrow notes Perdita's bravery, but also that they can't remain where they are. Arrow gets the truck moving by placing a sucker arrow on the accelerator as he and Perdita cling on. Arrow pieces it together: Perdita has an uncle, Count Vertigo, who would inherit the throne upon Perdita's death. As the truck approaches the baggage loading area, Meryn shoots a flaming arrow at a nearby fuel truck, but Arrow is able to jump with Perdita out of the blast and onto a baggage conveyor belt. Merlyn radios the other assassins, telling them the target has been taken back inside and to inform the client.

As Green Arrow and Perdita ride the conveyor belt, a large assassin drops down onto the belt, and swings at Arrow with a wrench. Arrow manages to disarm the attacker, and the two fight hand-to-hand. After a back-and-forth fight, Arrow is knocked down, but finds his bow and uses it to hit the assassin, knocking him off the conveyor. Distracted, Arrow doesn't notice they are approaching the chute down to the baggage claim, and hits his head on the frame. As he begins to fall down the chute, Perdita grabs his hand and tries to pull him up, to Arrow's protest, and finally falls down with him.

They land in the baggage claim area to find Merlyn waiting for them. Green Arrow manages to lift up a case to block an arrow just in time. As Arrow draws his bow, Merlyn expresses his displeasure at Arrow once again horning in on his act, and notes that Arrow had lost their last duel... and the seven before that. Agreeing to a single arrow challenge, both archers shoot. Arrow's arrow slices through Merlyn's, before cutting the assassin's bowstring and cheek, and landing in the wall behind Merlyn. The arrow spouts a cloud of gas, knocking Merlyn out.

Arrow and Perdita take a moment to bask in the victory, but are interrupted by the arrival of Count Vertigo. Vertigo uses his powers to disable Arrow and Perdita, bringing them to their knees. Vertigo takes an arrow from Arrow's quiver, ready to kill Arrow and Perdita, but is stopped by the arrival of Black Canary, who uses her Canary Cry to knock out Vertigo. Canary wonders what Arrow would do without her, and since he is already on his knees, Arrow pulls the jewelry box out of his pocket; it contains an engagement ring. Canary is stunned, but with a little push from Perdita - "Every queen needs a consort" - Canary says yes, and the couple kiss.

Title[]

DC Showcase is a series of animated short films designed to spotlight their respective title character(s). DC Showcase: Green Arrow is the third film in the series.

Cast and characters[]

Voice actor	Character
Neal McDonough	Green Arrow/Oliver Queen
Malcolm McDowell	Merlyn the Magnificent
Steve Blum	Count Vertigo
Grey DeLisle	Black Canary
John DiMaggio	Merc #1
Ariel Winter	Princess Perdita
Uncredited
Airport security guard
Henchy
Pat
Sylvester the Sky Man

Continuity with Earth-16[]

• A canon version of the film is depicted in the back-up stories of Young Justice: Targets.
• The film contains no timestamps nor other sources specifying the date it takes place.
• Perdita states that her father died the night before the events of the film. Her father's death is depicted in "Hot Mess", where it is said to take place on a night in September 2010, placing it sometime after "Downtime" and before "Revelation".
• Perdita is identified as the young queen of Vlatava, and the niece of Count Vertigo, who is next in line for the throne and attempts to have her killed to inherit it. This is all also established in "Coldhearted." This is particularly notable as this film marked Perdita's debut in any medium, and Young Justice is her first and, to date, only subsequent appearance.
• The mercenary Arrow fights on the luggage conveyor belt strongly resembles the Young Justice character Henchy, who is seen working for Vertigo on numerous occasions, starting with "Coldhearted."
• Green Arrow and Black Canary get engaged. Though an engagement or marriage has been neither confirmed nor denied on Earth-16, some sort of romantic relationship between them is confirmed in "Homefront."

Discrepancies with Earth-16[]

• Perdita's father died the night before the events of the film, and his death is not widely known. His death is shown in "Hot Mess", where it is stated to have occurred in September 2010. This would place the film before "Coldhearted," where Perdita is publicly known as queen of Vlatava, and takes place in November 2010. However, the film also ends with Count Vertigo admitting his involvement in the attempt on Perdita's life and being captured. But in "Coldhearted," Vertigo starts the episode enjoying the protection of diplomatic immunity in the absence of any known crimes against Vlatava.
• The arrivals terminal board lists flights from Keystone City. On Earth-16, Keystone is a suburb of Central City, not a city in its own right.
  • Counterpoint: Numerous episodes of Young Justice contain computer screens and background displays with incorrect information.
• Green Arrow identifies himself as part of the Justice League of America. On Earth-16, the equivalent organization is known simply as the Justice League.
• Count Vertigo's powers emanate from his hand, with no visible technology, suggesting he may be a Meta-human. Earth-16's Vertigo is consistently depicted as using a headset to generate his powers.
  • Counterpoint: Vertigo's glove may contain or conceal the technology. This does not explain why the glove is only used in this one instance, however.
• Green Arrow and Black Canary are voiced by Neal McDonough and Grey DeLisle, respectively. In Young Justice they are voiced by Alan Tudyk and Vanessa Marshall, respectively.
  • Counterpoint: Recastings are rare but not unheard of on Young Justice.
• Though voiced by Ariel Winter in both, here Perdita has a posh accent, while in Young Justice she has an Eastern European accent.
• Green Arrow, Black Canary and Count Vertigo have significantly different costume designs here than in Young Justice. The designs of Arrow's bow and trick arrows are also very different.
• Here Perdita is brunette. On Earth-16 she is blonde.

Canon version of events[]

Original plans[]

Greg Weisman had planned on telling the Earth-16 version of this story in issues 20 and 21 of the companion comic, but the story was shelved when it was decided to have the comic emulate the timeskip between seasons one and two.^[3][4] He revealed the following information about the canon version:

• It was to take place after "Revelation."^[3]
• Green Arrow, Black Canary, Merlyn, Count Vertigo, Henchy and Perdita would all still appear.^[4]
• Artemis and Red Arrow would also be involved, with the latter's role as an unwitting mole being featured.^[4]
• The death of Perdita's father would be included.^[4]

Canon depictions[]

The Earth-16 version of the story was finally serialized in the back-up stories in Young Justice: Targets. One change from the original plan is that the events shortly precede "Revelation" rather than following it, with the first part of the story taking place on September 28, 2010, which was the release date of the film.^[5][6]

Perdita's father's death and Red Arrow's involvement were depicted in "Hot Mess".

The film was adapted into "Sorry Excuse", "Narrow Escapes", "Angry Wounds" and "Intimate Connection". The overall plot and much of the dialogue are essentially unchanged, and Merlyn's design is virtually identical to the film, but there are some notable differences, some of which address discrepancies between the film and Young Justice:

• The radio station changed from WST to KSTR.
• The scene at the taxi rank was streamlined; Ollie's line about Dinah taking a cab was cut, and when Ollie spots Merlyn he doesn't run a facial recognition program, nor mention his name.
• Neither the contacts page of Ollie's phone, nor the arrivals board in the airport terminal are shown.
• Theo O'Day, Angel O'Day and Athena were added as part of the crowd waiting to see Perdita.
• Perdita is blonde, rather than brunette as in the film. Her appearance is overall more consistent with her appearances in later seasons of Young Justice.
• Perdita only has one bodyguard with her, rather than the three surrounding her in the film, and the attack begins while Perdita is still on the escalator, rather than once she reaches the ground.
• The designs of many of the assassins, security and TSA staff are different, notably the assassins are now known associates of Count Vertigo; Joe Henchy, Piotor Platz and Johann Mintz.
• The scene of the O'Days taking cover and the TSA agent getting shot is not in the film.
• Denny is shot once, then tries to take Perdita back up before being shot again, allowing him to fill in for the multiple bodyguards in the film. When he is shot the second time, Perdita calls out his name, which does not happen in the film, where none of the bodyguards are named.
• Green Arrow's costume, bow and arrows are consistent with his appearances in season one.
• Green Arrow's entrance is streamlined. He does not fight any of the assassins, instead going directly to Perdita.
• Green Arrow introduces himself as part of the "Justice League", not the "Justice League of America".
• Green Arrow introduces himself a second time at the start of "Narrow Escapes".
• No extra assassins appear when Green Arrow takes Perdita upstairs.
• Green Arrow does not use a sonic arrow to shatter the window he escapes through.
• The scene from the extended cut where Arrow shoots back at the assassins in the building is not present.
• The scene of Green Arrow and Perdita nearly running into the path of a plane is cut. Green Arrow's "fairytale metaphor" changes from being about a dragon (the plane) to black knights (the assassins).
• The conversation behind the baggage cart happens before Merlyn's attack, rather while they are under attack. A line is added to explain why Perdita has come to Star City; she must see a specialist about her weak heart, foreshadowing her transplant in "Coldhearted".
• Merlyn hits Green Arrow twice, in the shoulder and calf, instead of just the calf.
• After being shot at, Arrow and Perdita take cover behind a second baggage cart. Perdita makes a bandage without being asked and uses her dress, not something from her backpack. Arrow then sets the second cart to move just like in the film.
• Merlyn uses his incendiary arrow to blow up the baggage cart itself, rather than a fuel tanker as in the film.
• The fight between Arrow and Henchy on the conveyor belt is much shorter than in the film, and Perdita's objection to Arrow questioning the assassin's target comes after the fight, not during.
• The scene of Perdita trying to save Arrow from falling down the chute is cut; Arrow and Perdita both simply fall down it.
• Once they fall into the baggage claim area, Merlyn announces himself to them. In the film, he shoots at them immediately.
• The scene of Dinah on her plane listening to the voice mail Ollie left her is not in the film.
• A new joke is inserted into Merlyn and Arrow's pre-duel exchange; Merlyn misinterprets Arrow's comment on "limelight" as a "lime green"/Green Arrow pun.
• The number of previous duels between Merlyn and Arrow increases from 8 in the film to 16 in the comic.
• In the film, Green Arrow's arrow slices Merlyn's cheek. In the comic, it does not.
• Count Vertigo does not state his intent to kill Arrow and Perdita as in the film, instead he claims to have arrived to help his niece, only "too late", as he draws his sword.
• Vertigo and Canary both appear in their Young Justice season one costumes. Vertigo's powers emanate from his headset, as in the series.
• Arrow directly asks Canary to marry him. In the film, he lets the engagement ring do most of the talking.

Though Weisman had stated Artemis would be involved in the Earth-16 version of the story,^[4] this was not included in the adaptation.

Trivia[]

• The extended version of the short includes approximately 35 seconds of extra footage, including:
  • Oliver's reaction to Merlyn's identity being confirmed is extended; "Oh... This can't be good."
  • Green Arrow and Perdita are shown landing after taking the zip-line from the airport terminal. Arrow then turns and shoots arrows back at their attackers. Merc #1 is then shown contacting Merlyn, where in the original cut his voice is only heard over a shot of Merlyn.
• The original script included a flashback to Merlyn teaching Oliver to shoot arrows. The scene was cut for time.^[7]
• Before he was aware that the DC Showcase shorts generally do not have titles other than the main character's name, Greg Weisman had given the film the title "Can't Live Without You." Green Arrow says this during his proposal to Black Canary.^[8]
• The story is based on elements from an unpublished four issue Black Canary comic book mini-series written by Greg Weisman in 1985. The mini-series prominently featured Green Arrow, but was shelved in favor of using the character in Mike Grell's Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters.^[9]
• In addition to being written by Greg Weisman, numerous other Young Justice talents worked on the film:
  • Ariel Winter and Steve Blum reprised the roles of Perdita and Count Vertigo in "Coldhearted". The former was recast in subsequent appearances, however. Grey Griffin also appears in the film, voicing a different role.
  • Jamie Thomason is the casting and voice director for both the short and Young Justice.
  • Christopher Berkeley, Tim Divar and Jay Oliva are storyboard artists on the short. All went on to direct on Young Justice.
  • Phil Bourassa and Jerome Moore are character designers for both the short and Young Justice.
  • MOI Animation, Inc. animated the short as well as many episodes of the first two seasons of Young Justice.
  • Sam Register is one of the executive producers on the short and Young Justice.
• Greg Weisman had originally intended for the big mercenary who fights Green Arrow on the baggage conveyor to also be the one who Arrow shot in the shoulder with an arrow at the terminal, thus giving him a reason to be so angry at Arrow. This ended up changing during storyboarding,^[8] and the scene of the mercenary being shot in the shoulder was cut from the original release.
• Green Arrow hitting his head on the baggage chute was not scripted, but added in at the storyboard stage.^[8]
• Vertigo's line "Count Vertigo to you, peasant" was paraphrased in "Revelation", "Coldhearted", "Royal We" and "Illusion of Control".
• The initial voice recording session lasted about an hour and a half.^[10]
• The extended version released on DC Showcase Animated Original Shorts: Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam also features an audio commentary by Greg Weisman.

Goofs[]

Cultural references[]

• Sylvester the Sky Man is a reference to Sylvester Pemberton, the superhero Skyman.
• Oliver's phone shows a list of contacts' first names. Besides Dinah, there is Mort, apparently a reference to Green Arrow co-creator Mort Weisinger, with the rest being the first names of various DC superheroes: Bruce (Wayne), Clark (Kent), Wally (West), and Diana.
• Shakespeare reference: Perdita was named for the character in William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. The name means "lost" and both characters are in some sense lost princesses.^[8]

Quotes[]

Green Arrow: Sorry I'm late. But you try changing clothes in a hybrid.

Green Arrow: That dragon almost got us. Princess Perdita: You do realize I'm ten and do not require fairy-tale metaphors? Green Arrow: Sorry. It's my first time rescuing royalty. Princess Perdita: It is quite a forgivable sin... Robin Hood.

Green Arrow: Vertigo. Count Vertigo: Count Vertigo to you, peasant. Soon to be King Vertigo once I've dispatched you and the little bi- Black Canary: Watch your mouth! (starts Canary Cry)

References[]