Stephen Amell poured his heart and soul into the character of Green Arrow for eight grueling seasons on The CW, only for the show to get “crapped on for years and years.” That’s according to Amell himself, who recently responded to the jab that John Cena’s Peacemaker took at his character in the Season 1 finale of the Max show, which proves his point. It’s a jab that Amell certainly didn’t appreciate given how much of an influence Arrow and its many spin-offs, affectionately known as The Arrowverse, had on superhero culture.

Appearing on Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube channel, Amell discussed the shot taken by Cena’s Peacemaker, who referred to Green Arrow by saying, “That dude goes to Brony conventions dressed as the back half of Twilight Sparkle with a four-inch-wide butthole drilled in the costume.” Ouch!

“That was a little unnecessary. I didn’t f***ing appreciate that at all. Okay. I am just going to come right out and say this. There was just such… between the movies and Peacemaker a little bit… our show was kind of treated like s**t. I get it, we’re on The CW, I get it, it’s TV.
“But I also get the fact that when people think about the most recent iteration of DC, they don’t think about the Snyder Cut – they think about the Arrowverse. We got crapped on for years, and years, and years, and this just seemed excessive. I’m not actually mad, but I just remember hearing that and just being like, ‘F*ck those guys,’ like seriously.”

While the crass insult may not have been appreciated by Amell, he holds no ill will towards Cena for delivering the line. The two share a certain kinship thanks to their time in a wrestling ring, and after all, he didn’t write it. That honor goes to James Gunn, who Amell says is the person he should really be upset with.

“I’m up here. I’m working just as hard as anyone else. Do you know how hard it is to play a superhero with no superpowers for 23 episodes a year? It’s really, really, really hard, and I’m not looking for a prize, but, like, maybe don’t s**t on our show. If I should be mad at anyone, it should be James Gunn for writing that in the first place. But [John Cena] could not be a nicer guy. It’s not a personal vendetta against [Cena].”

Stephen Amell Doesn’t Need James Gunn To Validate Oliver Queen

All jokes aside, Amell isn’t waiting for a call from Gunn to reprise his role of Oliver Queen in the new DCU. As the co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn’s first outing will hit screens next year by way of Superman, and from there he’ll work to wash the taste out of everyone’s mouths left over from the DCEU, which officially ended with the critically panned 2023 film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

When it comes to possibly making an appearance in Gunn’s new universe, Amell said in an interview with MovieWeb earlier this year that it’s not something he really cares about one way or the other. For him, he’s proud of the work he accomplished on Arrow, and doesn’t think that the character needs validation from Gunn, or with an appearance in his DCU.

“I don’t know. I think it would be really helpful to maybe see like a frame of footage from one of the movies before I decide if I want to be a part of it. Because I loved playing Oliver Queen, and I don’t feel like being in the cinematic universe would validate that character. You know, we did eight seasons, we did 170 episodes, and I wouldn’t change a thing. So, you know, if he calls, great, if he doesn’t, fine!”

Would it be nice to see Amell on the big screen as Arrow? Heck yeah it would, but don’t hold your breath. For now, fans will have to settle on him taking the lead in Suits: L.A., a spinoff of the popular legal drama Suits that’s slated to be released at some point in 2025.

You can catch all eight seasons of
Arrow
streaming now on Netflix.