Stephen Amell Fires Back at James Gunn for Mocking ‘Arrow’ in ‘Peacemaker’: “I didn’t f—ing appreciate that at all…”

Before the DCEU and DCU, there was the Arrowverse—a long-running CW franchise centered on a select group of DC superheroes. While entertaining, many of these shows were often seen as meme-worthy and considered lower quality compared to other productions.

With melodramatic, sometimes cheesy dialogue, CW superhero shows often unintentionally veered into humor. Their lighthearted, soap-opera-like tone made them prime material for parody.

While impressive for TV at the time, the CGI and action sequences on CW superhero shows often fell short when compared to big-budget films. This gap, particularly in an era dominated by the high-quality effects of the MCU and DCEU, made certain CW scenes easy targets for memes.

Despite these shortcomings, CW’s superhero shows were cherished by many fans for their heart, character development, and dedication to comic book lore—something rarely seen on network TV before.

However, James Gunn’s Peacemaker poked fun at Arrow, a moment that Stephen Amell, who portrayed the iconic character, recently addressed. In Peacemaker Season 1, Episode 5, titled “Monkey Dory,” John Cena’s Peacemaker insults several heroes, including Green Arrow, saying:

“Green Arrow? That dude goes to Brony conventions dressed as the back half of Twilight Sparkle with a four-inch-wide butthole drilled in the costume.“

Amell expressed his displeasure with the jab during a recent appearance on the Chris Van Vliet podcast.

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–k those guys,’ like seriously. 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.

Amell also acknowledged that he likes John Cena and doesn’t hold the joke against him.

I’ve met John a handful of times, and there couldn’t be a nicer, more genuine person.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].

Unfortunately, Amell’s point is valid: many people began associating the DCU with the CW’s lower-quality costumes, especially after set leaks during the filming of ‘Superman.’ It seems that perceptions can come full circle.

What do you think of the ‘Peacemaker’ joke? Share your thoughts in the comments below!