Rene Ramirez opens up about the backlash that Wild Dog’s new suit got from the character’s co-creator, Terry Beatty, saying that while he understands where the comic book artist is coming from, he is quite pleased with the garb upgrade in the current outing of Arrow.
The new season of Arrow brings a whole lot of new things for the pioneering The CW/DC TV series, including some significant changes on Wild Dog’s outfit. Gone is the makeshift ensemble of a hockey mask, blue shirt with a red dog in the center, black shirt, army pants, brown gloves, holster, and black eye paint and instead, a sleeker look is brought about by a proper vigilante costume. While definitely an upgrade, not everyone is thrilled with the change and arguably the most vocal about it is Beatty who took it to his official social media to express his displeasure of the aesthetic overhaul that his creation went through onscreen.
Now, Ramirez addresses Beatty’s comments in a new interview with Yahoo, revealing that he does understand the comic book artist’s sentiments. Having said that, he went on to defend the creative liberty that Arrow took saying that despite the aesthetic tweaks, the show was actually careful in making those changes:
Arrow has not exactly been shy in altering some characterizations and story beats that have occurred in the comic books (like any other comic book adaptation for the big or small screen), so theoretically, Wild Dog’s updated fight suit should not be such a big of a deal. But if the show wants to appease Beatty and all the others who are not too thrilled with the change, the show should come up with a valid reason for the upgrade so it does not feel like they just changed it for the sake of it.
“I did hear that Terry Beatty, the original creator of Wild Dog in the comic books, wasn’t too happy about [the costume upgrade]. And I totally get it. It can feel we’re not keeping the integrity of Wild Dog the same, especially by changing his look.
I promise you that Maya [Mani, the show’s costume designer] took everything from the original design and upgraded it and tried to make an homage to that [while at the same time integrating him into the Arrowverse]. And I agree with him — I love the original costume! It’s incredible.”
As of now, this Wild Dog costume commotion seems to be the least of Arrow’s priorities, especially with the team under new leadership and the complexities that come with the shift of power in the group. So it’s safe to say that Ramirez will continue to patrol the streets of Star City with his new garb whether we like it or not.
MORE: ARROW’S DIGGLE ‘DOESN’T TRUST HIS TEAM’
Arrow continues next Thursday with ‘Deathstroke Returns’ @9pm on The CW.
Source: Yahoo!
