Vixen (Film)

Hakeem Kae-Kazim

Sean Patrick Thomas

Neil Flynn

Stephen Amell

Grant Gustin

Katie Cassidy

Brandon Routh

**Vixen** is the second film of the Arrowverse and the first standalone film, though it does feature characters from *Arrow* and *The Flash*. It was released on June 5, 2015. It focuses on the rise of a new superhero, Vixen. The film takes place during the first half of both the fourth season of *Arrow* and second season of The Flash.

## Synopsis

Originally from Africa, Mari McCabe's parents were killed by local greed, corruption, and wanton violence. But the orphaned Mari refuses to succumb to the terrors surrounding her. Inheriting her family's Tantu Totem, Mari can access the powers of animals-anything from the super-strength of a gorilla to the speed of a cheetah. As Vixen, she fights valiantly to protect the world from threats like those that claimed her family.

## Plot

When Mari McCabe returns to Detroit after searching for information on her birth parents, she ends up in jail for stabbing a potential employer in the hand with a pen. Her foster father, Chuck, posts her bail, and the two are confronted in an alley by some thugs looking to take Mari's Tantu Totem, which she inherited from her birth parents at a young age. Mari uses the totem's powers to defeat the thugs, and the next day, visits Professor Macalester hoping to learn more about the totem and her family. Elsewhere, at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco becomes aware of Mari and her powers, and Barry Allen (The Flash) and Oliver Queen (The Green Arrow) go to Detroit to investigate.

In Detroit, Mari shows Chuck the totem's powers, when Barry and Oliver show up at their house. Convinced they want to imprison her, she flees, with the two heroes giving chase. Finally getting Mari to stop, the Flash and Arrow try to convince Mari to let them help her. Not trusting them, Mari leaves and returns to Professor Macalester in hopes of getting more answers. Unbeknownst to Mari, Macalester is working for Kuasa, who shows up looking to retrieve the totem. Unable to remove the totem from her neck, Mari tries to escape and is shot by Kuasa's men. She wakes up in an abandoned African village near the river of Zambezi, where Kuasa reveals she is her older sister and this is her birthplace, telling her the history of the totem and the village's destruction. Kuasa reveals she was chosen to protect the totem and attempts to sever the bond it has with Mari. The attempt fails and Mari flees, though she passes out shortly after, allowing Kuasa to claim the totem. After coming to, the animal spirits of the totem confront Mari, telling her she is its true wielder. With their support, Mari returns to the village and defeats Kuasa and her followers, regaining the totem. Back in Detroit, Mari begins fighting crime as the vigilante "Vixen", finally knowing her purpose in life, with Arrow and Flash promising to offer assistance should she ever ask.

Mari attends a lecture by Macalester on the five totems of Zambezi, which grant their wearers the powers of the elemental forces–air, earth, water, fire, and spirit. He reveals that the fire totem has been found, and would be on display at the Detroit Museum. Mari confronts Macalester about kidnapping her, and he tells her her Tantu Totem is also one of the lost totems of Zambezi, the spirit totem. Mari gets a call from Cisco to help the Flash and Firestorm (Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein) defeat Mark Mardon (Weather Wizard). Mari ends up in the hospital after fighting Weather Wizard, and learns that the fire totem and other gems had been stolen from the Detroit Museum. Searching for the person who performed the heist, she eventually learns that Benatu Eshu has stolen the fire totem, traveling from Zambezi to claim it. As she confronts him, Eshu claims to know Mari's birth mother. The two fight, but Eshu proves too powerful for Mari.

Mari goes to Macalester to find a way to stop the fire totem and he suggests they visit Kuasa. Finding her in an African hospital, Kuasa tells them that Eshu was a general who raided their village in search of Kuasa and Mari's mother and the Tantu Totem. She suggests that in order to defeat Eshu, they must find the water totem, which leads them to Star City. Once they find the water totem, Kuasa double crosses Mari and takes the totem for herself. Mari gives chase and is able to contain Kuasa with the help of Dinah Laurel Lance (Black Canary) and Ray Palmer (The Atom). Felicity Smoak informs the heroes that Eshu is rampaging through Detroit, which makes Mari reluctantly ask Kuasa to help them defeat Eshu. The heroes travel to Detroit to confront Eshu, where Macalester calls Mari and tells her that each totem has a core, which, if destroyed, will cause the totem to lose their powers.

The heroes are quickly overpowered, and despite her use of the water totem, Eshu kills Kuasa, leaving Mari the only one remaining. Mari is able to subdue Eshu underwater to weaken him, and takes the fire totem. Macalester arrives to tell her that in order sever Eshu's ties to the totem, it needs to be smashed by someone with great strength. Mari summons many spirits from the animal kingdom and is able to destroy the totem. Later, she joins Green Arrow, Flash, Black Canary and Atom in Coast City to take on a threat.

## Cast & Characters

### Heroes

* Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Mari McCabe/Vixen
* Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
* Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash
* Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Canary
* Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/The Atom
* Franz Drameh as Jefferson Jackson/Firestorm
* Victor Garber as Martin Stein/Firestorm

### Villains

* Tracy Ifeachor as Kuasa
* Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Benatu Eshu

### Others

* Sean Patrick Thomas as Adam Macalester
* Neil Flynn as Chuck McCabe
* Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
* Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak

## Trivia

* The film is set at some point during the first half of the fourth season of Arrow and second season the The Flash.
* This film is the first standalone film, but features characters from both Arrow and the Flash.