We finally know the identity of the mysterious Prometheus. The Arrowseason five villain was unmasked (at least to the viewers) in the middle of tonight’s episode. Prometheus is Adrian Chase, the seemingly benevolent District Attorney and friend to Oliver Queen. What does this reveal mean for Arrowmoving forward? We talked to Arrowshowrunner Wendy Mericle and Prometheus himself Josh Segarra about how the Prometheus arc has been subtly shaped and what to expect next from Prometheus. Here’s what they told us…
Why is Adrian Chase Prometheus instead of Vigilante?
When Adrian Chase was first introduced to the Arrow-verse, it was under the guise of Vigilante — aka the alter ego Chase has in the comics. Now, we know that he is actually the much Bigger Bad. Why did the Arrowcreators decide to make Adrian Chase Prometheus instead? Mericle told us: It was also something different for this season. We wanted to change up how we introduced the Big Bad and change up when we did it, how we did it, and hopefully we succeeded in that this year.
Why reveal Prometheus now?
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of the Prometheus reveal is the timing. Arrowcould have unmasked the villain at the beginning of the season, in the midseason finale, or in the season’s finale episode — all of which are much more traditional choices. Instead, we get the moment in Episode 15. Mericle explained the logic behind the timing, saying: We talked a lot about those types of villains and how to bring that element into the series, because we were looking for something different to do in Season 5, a way to change it up and make it different from the usual kind of… The comic book characters are great, and they usually do end up in sort of a physical duel. We really wanted this to be different and have Adrian Chase and Prometheus be somebody who is manipulating and torturing Oliver, more psychologically than anything else.
How long will it be until Team Arrow finds out Prometheus’ identity?
The Prometheus reveal still has some legs, as Team Arrow remains in the dark about the villain’s true identity. We’re about to enter the territory of Dramatic Irony, people. Strap in. How long will it be before Oliver & co. find out? Though it seems like Team Arrow might find out in the very next episode, given the promo, Mericle told us: That being said, it is an episode that the production has already filmed, given that Segarra knows how Oliver will react to the reveal. Segarra teased of the eventual big moment:
Playing Adrian Chase as Prometheus.
Josh Segarra gave us some insight into his acting decisions re: Adrian Chase, saying: You’re going to see Chase just kind of trying to burn the world around him. We’ve seen the reluctance [in] him to kill him. I never want to kill him. It’s just to make sure that we can make him stir a little bit, make him uncomfortable. So I think that’s where it’s going. Once they do find out, it’s how then to continue with my mission. I know how that goes, but you’ll have to see. [Laughs] So, with Chase, there was that part where you had to see him getting close to Oliver, you had to show why they trusted each other. You wanna make sure you do that within the confines which you’re given, which, in our case, in this form of art, it’s the episodes. So, each episode, I wanted to make sure to establish that this guy does get close to Oliver. Oliver does let him in, you know, and Oliver doesn’t let many people in. And you had to show why he earns Oliver’s respect, and that’s what I wanted to make sure of on the Chase side. That being said, don’t expect for the flashbacks to start telling Adrian’s story. Mericle said they don’t have any plans for Prometheus flashbacks at this point, but that it was a consideration…
What’s next for Prometheus?
Adrian is really taking his time in his plan to torture Oliver. What’s next in the Big Bad’s plan to slowly drive the Green Arrow crazy? Segarra hinted that, now we know Adrian is Prometheus, we might see some changes in Adrian’s behavior… Be afraid, Team Arrow. Be very afraid.
