The Surprising DC Villain That Arrow's Katie Cassidy Wants To Play
Since 2012, Katie Cassidy has played some version of Laurel Lance across the CW's Arrowverse. In fact, if the proposed, futuristic spin-off series Green Arrow and the Canaries gets picked up for series, Cassidy will have played some character in the Arrowverse longer than any other actor in the franchise's history. Cassidy has played Black Canary, Black Siren, the alt-universe Nazi, Siren X, and she's even played Laurel Lance in the animated series Vixen.
All of that, for the time being anyway, is in the past. Arrow ended it's run. Both Supergirl and Black Lightning will end their runs in 2021. There are rumors that DC's Legends of Tomorrow is not far behind, leaving only The Flash, Batwoman, and the forthcoming Superman & Lois remaining. If Green Arrow and the Canaries never materializes (and it's seeming less and less likely it will), Katie Cassidy's days of wearing black leather and super-shouting her way to victory are in the past.
We can't know the future of Cassidy's career or where The CW will take their DC shows next. With all those show cancelations, we genuinely have no idea whether or not Cassidy will play in the DC Universe again. But let's get hypothetical for a moment, shall we? If Katie Cassidy could play another DC character, who would it be? It turns out that Cassidy herself can provide the answer to this question — and the choices for her potential DC future are maybe not the ones you would expect.
Katie Cassidy as Catwoman
In an interviewed conducted by Hasan Mohammad of the Geek House Show, Cassidy was asked who, other than Black Canary, she might be interested in playing in the DC Universe if the opportunity ever arose. Cassidy had two answers, both pretty interesting — Catwoman and the Joker.
Catwoman seems to be a relatively popular response. Recently, in an interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, star of Terminator: Dark Fate and Happiest Season Mackenzie Davis also confessed that she wished she'd been more proactive in trying to play Catwoman.
For Cassidy, the appeal of Catwoman is at least partially in the nostalgia of remembering a previous actor's performance in the role — Michelle Pfeiffer. Cassidy said the former Batman Returns actress "killed it" as Catwoman. Cassidy also confirmed that she is a fan of cats.
Obviously, Zoë Kravitz has beaten Cassidy, Mackenzie Davis, and any other Catwoman hopefuls for the role in the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed The Batman. However, that doesn't preclude the chance that Cassidy could take on the role in an animated series, a video game, or maybe even in the CW's Batwoman series!
Katie Cassidy as Flashpoint Joker
Cassidy qualifies she'd play the Joker "as a woman," so no playing male or presenting the Joker as non-binary (which are both valid interpretations, too). Hasan Mohammad immediately called out what most DC Comic fans likely would have at the thought of a woman in the role of the Joker — Flashpoint.
If you're unaware, way back in May 2011, DC Comics released a crossover event called Flashpoint. In the story, Barry Allen a.k.a. The Flash discovers that the timeline has been altered by his nemesis Eobard Thawne a.k.a. Reverse-Flash. In addition to Superman being missing and Themiscyra and Atlantis being at war, this Flashpoint timeline features a different Batman — Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne.
In the Flashpoint timeline, it's Bruce Wayne who dies down that darkened alleyway rather than his parents. As a result, it's Thomas who becomes Batman. And, since there must always be balance in the DC Universe, the Joker still exists as well, but now she's Bruce mother, Martha Wayne.
Flashpoint has been adapted a few times over the years. There's the animated film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox which tells a similar story. The CW's version of the Flash tells an alternate version of Flashpoint in its third season in which Barry (Grant Gustin) is the one who goes back in time to change history with catastrophic results.
The DCEU is also looking to take a page out of Flashpoint in the upcoming The Flash movie starring Ezra Miller. How likely it is that a Flash movie would generate a Joker Martha Wayne for Cassidy to play is anyone's guess. Regardless, it's interesting to think about how Cassidy could take her experience in the DC Universe (as well as her background in horror stories like Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Supernatural, and Harper's Island) to craft a new version of the Joker.