海角大神

The most recent season of the CW superhero show 鈥淎rrow鈥� has concluded and 鈥淎rrow鈥� creator Marc Guggenheim is dropping hints about what鈥檚 to come next year.

鈥淎rrow,鈥� which centers on billionaire Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) who becomes the superhero Green Arrow, ended its third season earlier this month. The show co-stars Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, and Emily Bett Rickards and is paired on the CW with another show based on a DC comic book hero, 鈥淭he Flash.鈥� (鈥淔lash鈥� star Grant Gustin recently popped up on the season finale of 鈥淎rrow.鈥�)聽

Recent episodes found Oliver becoming the head of the villainous League of Assassins, also known as the League of Shadows, in order to save his sibling and pretending to be brainwashed by the villain Ra鈥檚 al Ghul. However, the end of the season finale had Oliver apparently abandoning his superhero alter ego to be with his love interest Felicity (Rickards).聽

So Guggenheim says next season will be happier. 鈥淚t will take a lighter tone,鈥� he said in an interview with the website . 鈥淚 happen to like dark and I like the fact that 'Arrow' is a pretty dark show, particularly for a network show. That said, every year you want to mix things up and there was sort of a collective desire on all of our parts to try to inject a little bit more lightness into the show, a little bit more humor.鈥澛�

This is nothing but good news. Many recent comic book film and TV adaptations have been dark in events and tone. This effect can be traced back to the superhero movie "The Dark Knight." 鈥淜night,鈥� which was the second in Christopher Nolan鈥檚 鈥淏atman鈥� trilogy, became the domestically highest-grossing movie of 2008, according to the website , and was almost universally critically praised. It centers on Batman (海角大神 Bale)鈥檚 battle with the legendary villain the Joker (Heath Ledger) and earned Ledger a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work.

But because that movie had many dark things happen, movie studios have assumed that鈥檚 what moviegoers want. When 鈥淢an of Steel,鈥� the newest take on Superman, came out in 2013, Monitor film critic Peter Rainer noted that the film, 鈥渢aking a cue from the 鈥楤atman鈥� series, is dark and thudding and overlong鈥� [a] drearfest.鈥澛�

What proved that a lighter take on superheroes works? Last summer鈥檚 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy,鈥� which became the domestically third-highest-grossing movie of the year, according to the website . The superhero crew of misfits at the center of the film quipped their way through the movie and many loved it. Associated Press writer Jake Coyle wrote that 鈥渙ur overlords at聽Marvel聽have deigned to prove鈥� that they do, in fact, have a sense of humor鈥� [it] has a welcome, slightly self-mocking tone that dares to suggest intergalactic battles over orbs might actually be a tad silly,鈥� though Coyle thought the movie needed to work on its humor even more. Meanwhile, the sister show to 鈥淎rrow,鈥� 鈥淭he Flash,鈥� is already succeeding at a lighter tone. Upon its debut, writer Pilot Viruet wrote that the TV show 鈥渉as come out on top as a bright, optimistic light in a season of dark and dreary comic book adaptations,鈥� comparing it favorably to higher-profile shows such as Fox鈥檚 鈥淕otham鈥� and NBC鈥檚 鈥淐onstantine.鈥�

So if 鈥淎rrow鈥� is going to be lighter, too? It鈥檚 a very good decision. The superhero world could use some happiness.