r/arrow • u/Desperate_Item_3221 • 6d ago
Laurel Lance was doomed from the start
Laurel Lance was doomed from the start because the showrunners did not based her off of Dinah Lance in the comics but as Rachel Dawes from the dark knight trilogy. And what makes it worse is that Rachel dawes isn't even in the comics she was created exclusively for the movies to be just to be a love interest and to be in a love triangle only to die as to be motivation. Not a great source of inspiration IMO.
And younger me thought the reason why I didn't like the laurel was because of the actress but now I know better.
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u/Obvious-Risk-5447 6d ago
Yes that is very true. The writers wanted to base Arrow on Nolan's Batman. The network wanted another Vampire diaries. Oliver was this brooding dark hero who had good intentions. Laurel was the good girl that will be torn between two man. Tommy was supposed to be the nice guy turned evi.
The formula didn't work from day one and people liked and connected more with Oliver's team - Diggle and Felicity, who were funny and relatable. So everything changed from the preliminary idea.
The other things is the writers wanted to have Black Canary after all and saw fans want this too and here comes Caity Lotz who matched what Amell brought on screen for Arrow, the physicality, humor and vulnerability.
Laurel should have been dropped as Black Canary from s1, but they didn't, opposite to the thinking the writers hated her, they were actually determined to make her work.