Even so many years into the widespread DC TV universe, the Arrowverse is still finding new superheroes to bring into the fold. We know that Batwoman is set to make her live-action debut in the next four-way crossover, and now it looks like Blue Beetle could be coming to Arrow season 7 as well.
Before you get too excited, this is just a working theory based on a casting call for a new character set to join the next run of the Emerald Archer’s series. As revealed by That Hashtag Show though, the breakdown’s for someone named “Daniel Porter” – a placeholder – set to be played by a Caucasian actor in his mid-30s.
Here’s how he’s described:
“He is an intelligent and homosexual technological entrepreneur whose creativity has given him a huge success as a businessman. But having gone through tragic losses in his life is something he hides from the people around him, thus struggling with shaping new relationships with others.”
The “technological entrepreneur” and successful businessman part of the breakdown definitely fits Ted Kord, perhaps the most famous incarnation of Blue Beetle from DC lore. Fans have been waiting forever to see Kord on the show as Kord Industries has been mentioned too many times to remember over the past six seasons of Arrow, and it’s always been somewhat disappointing that these references have never paid off.
To be fair to the production team, though, they have tried. Brandon Routh was originally cast as Kord, though rights complications prevented it from going forward and the future Legends of Tomorrow star was given the part of Ray Palmer AKA the Atom instead. Interestingly, the codename for Kord back before they cast Routh was Daniel. Maybe now that they have the rights to the character, they’re reusing that alias.
The only thing, though, is that Kord’s not typically depicted as gay in the comics. That said, his heterosexual love life has never been a very important part of his character – in fact, he’s most known for his bromance with Booster Gold – so it really wouldn’t be of much consequence if Arrow switched his sexual orientation. We’ll just have to wait and see how this casting process develops, but color us intrigued for now.