There Are A Lot Of 'Arrow' & 'Batman' Connections

At last count, there were 45 different shows based on comic books currently airing on TV. OK, not really, but you know what I mean: there are a lot of comic book series. It's really a great time to be such a huge comic/television fan, because all of our favorite characters are represented somewhere. With all these shows, there has obviously been some overlap. Recently on The CW's Arrow , there have been a lot of Batman connections. No, the caped crusader hasn't been name-checked yet, but a lot of other things from Gotham have.

It's doubtful that we'll ever see Bruce Wayne pop into an episode of Arrow , unless Oliver takes a weekend getaway to the billionaire's playboy retreat, but don't hold your breath on that. Also, considering that a pre-teen Batman is currently on a different show on an unaffiliated network, Fox's Gotham, there probably won't be much overlap there.

Besides, in DC Comics, Green Arrow and Batman don't team up too often. Really. They just kind of do their own vigilante thing, crossing paths to save the day every now and then. If you were to ask them, I don't think either hero would list the other as a friend. Of course, that doesn't stop the two characters from being extremely connected in their mythologies, which we've already seen on Arrow.

Ra's Al Ghul

Maybe the biggest connection between Oliver and Bruce lies with Ra's al Ghul. Ra's is usually considered a Batman villain — and was notably featured in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, in which he was portrayed by Liam Neeson. However,it's not like Batman holds reign over all the characters from the League of Assassins, as we just saw Oliver go up against Ra's, this time played by Matt Nable, in the midseason finale.

Nyssa Al Ghul

Nyssa appears on Arrow as both Ra's' daughter and Sara Lance's one-time love interest. In DC Comics, she doesn't cross paths with either Green Arrow or Batman too often. She does, however, have a half-sister, Talia, who spends a lot of time associating with other bad guys and going up against both vigilantes.

Arsenal

While Arsenal almost always teams up with Green Arrow, at one point in the comics, Batman saves his life. Arsenal struggles with intense drug addiction after a lot of bad stuff happens to him in a very emotional storyline. Batman finds him wandering the streets, completely delusional, and sends him off to rehab. Let's hope we don't have to see Arrow's Roy Harper go through such hardships.

Malcolm Merlyn

Merlyn, in total Merlyn fashion, once tried to assassinate Batman in the comics, but his attempt was actually stopped by Green Arrow. So if Batman ever were to show up on Arrow, he should definitely keep away from Thea's recently revealed father.

Black Canary

In the comics, Black Canary frequently teams up with Batman and his friends, like Wonder Woman and Superman. She has friends in a lot of places, actually, and is often found with the Birds of Prey, who are known to frequent (if not live there, throughout their different incarnations) Gotham.

Felicity Smoak

While Felicity does not meet Batman in the DC Universe, and I doubt the two comic characters would hit it off if they did, I can totally see the Arrow version of Felicity going crazy over all the gadgets and technology in the Batcave if they were to cross paths on TV. Although at this point, I think she's trying to reduce the amount of secret superheroes in her life, not add to them.

Images: Cate Cameron (5), Diyah Pera, Ed Araquel/The CW