Specter of the Gun was quite a controversial episode for Arrow. The superhero drama has decided to move away from its usual comic-inspired themes to tackle a real-world problem: gun violence.
Episode 13 of the fifth season showed a gunman attacking the city hall and killing seven people. It was later revealed that this individual was a former gun control supporter who had lost his family in a previous shooting. Instead of dressing up and defeating him as the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) friends and family convince him to resolve the situation using his mayor status. He then works with the city council on a gun control bill and convinces the killer to turn himself in.
“Specter of the Gun” wasn’t the first or last time a CW show decided to take a political stand. “Supergirl” made no secret of her political intentions during her six seasons, covering LGBTQ issues, far-right violence and immigration (via The Hollywood Reporter). “Riverdale” hid its political themes with Season 6 villain Percival. Their capitalist actions included the use of mind control to further displace homeless people and persuade workers to accept non-union jobs (via The AV Club).
That said, the story behind the creation of “Specter of the Gun” is quite interesting.
eArrow has been planning to cover real-life topics for some time
Producer Marc Guggenheim revealed during the 2017 DC All Access presentation (via Comic Book) that the group “Arrow” about season 5 wants to cover political issues. The group arrived at the coverage of gun violence because it was relevant to the show. “Gun violence seems like an appropriate topic because of how topical it is, but because of the level of gun violence in ‘Arrow’. We can do something about abortion, but that’s not n “though where the process of life. So, gun violence. I think it’s the right thing to talk about,” said Guggenheim. The producer also revealed that he drew inspiration from the old days of television when the show dealt with political issues. Back when the Guggenheim was growing up, it used to be about a show that talked about a different real-world issue every week. He cited shows like “Black-ish” and “The Carmichael Show” as two of the few shows that continue to run this long, but he wants “Arrow” adapted to modern network drama.
Guggenheim cited the political divide in the United States after the 2016 election as another reason “Arrow” covered the topic. He and group leader Wendy Mericle wanted to make sure that “Spectre of the Gun” entered the gun control debate instead of remaining superficial and focused on Second Amendment laws. . “It’s important to at least talk about it,” Mericle said. At some point, we’ve moved away from that, as a nation, and we’re going to need a sense of hearing from both sides, and hearing from both sides as much as possible.”
The CW and Warner Bros. supported Arrow’s decision to cover the controversial topic, and Guggenheim said there was no interference from either group
SUMMARY
The story behind The Phantom of the Gun episode
The Phantom of the Gun was a pretty controversial episode for Arrow. Episode 13 of the fifth season shows a gunman attacking the town hall and killing seven people. «The Phantom of the Gun» isn’t the first or last time a CW show decides its political stance. «Supergirl» made no secret of her political intentions throughout the six seasons, covering issues of LGBTQ, far-right violence, and immigration.
«Riverdale» hid its political themes with the villain Percival in Season 6.
eArrow has been planning to cover real-life topics for a while now.
Producer Marc Guggenheim revealed during the DC All Access 2017 presentation that the «Arrow» team on season 5 wanted to address political issues. The group covered gun violence because it was related to the show. «Gun violence seems like an appropriate topic because of its topicality, but because of the level of gun violence in ‘Arrow’. »So gun violence.
I think that’s the right thing to say about it,” Guggenheim said. The producer also revealed that he drew inspiration from the old days of television when the show addressed political issues. Back when Guggenheim grew up, it used to be a weekly show about a different reality issue.Guggenheim cited the political divide in the United States after the 2016 election as another reason
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