In an appearance at Comic Con Revolution 2025, a flamboyant and fabulous John Barrowman sat with some of his dedicated fans. We were treated to an hour-long open Q and A session, where John spoke lovingly about his time in the Arrow-verse, playing the villain Malcolm Merlyn. Amid the fond memories, there were a few secrets revealed, and one very unexpected call.
Captain Jack and The Doctor, Always
I’d wager the most frequent question John Barrowman is asked at any fan event is about possibly returning to the Doctor Who series. Though he cautioned against expectations, because it is not up to him, he admitted that any time they feel like asking his answer will be an enthusiastic “yes… I’ll be back. I could be the janitor in a closet, I don’t care. I’ll be back.”
The Secret Birth of Malcolm Merlyn
During one tangent, Barrowman revealed a surprising behind-the-scenes event from his first season on Arrow. During a table reading with the writers, they were going over the end of season 1, where his character, Malcolm Merlyn, was scripted to die. As the script was originally written, Merlyn would have been revealed as Oliver Queen’s father. According to Barrowman, it was his husband, Scott Gill, who spoke up from his seat in the corner, criticizing the father vs son trope as “too much like Star Wars.” Scott, who is a professional architect, pitched what would become Arrow’s in-universe canon plot. Barrowman admitted to thinking “Holy [expletive] you just guaranteed me six years of work… and then he went back to eating his chicken salad.”
Unexpectedly, as John Barrowman was finishing his Arrow history lesson, he received a call from none other than the man himself, his husband Scott. When John mentioned the topic at hand, Scott confirmed his contribution with a simple statement, “Yeah, and they never paid me for that.”
Malcolm Merlyn Lives!
A sly grin flashed across Barrowman’s face when he was asked about a potential return to the Arrowverse as the devious Malcolm Merlyn. “Of course I’d come back,” he exclaimed, “who wouldn’t want to be an asshole?” He then explained in detail just how such an event might be possible.
His theory begins with the simple fact that “we never saw a body.” He also revealed a bit of lore that even Arrow super fans may not know. There is an official Arrow prequel comic exploring the origins of the Malcolm Merlyn character, written by John Barrowman and his sister. In this comic, it is revealed that, hidden within Myrlyn’s signature necklace, is a small vial of Lazarus water. Perhaps even enough to revive one from an apparent on-screen death.
Unfortunately, without a series reboot or special reunion event, this will all have to remain in the head-canon of Barrowman and his fans (unless we can pressure Warner Bros to make our dreams come true).
