In the past few years, Arrow has certainly seen its share of tragedy. Whether it be the loss of Laurel Lance, Tommy Merlyn or Moira Queen, Oliver Queen has certainly had much guilt weighing on him throughout his crusade, causing him to show some cracks as of late.
Although each of those developments were met by varying reactions from the fanbase, it’s undeniable that they each helped shape this version of the Green Arrow into the man he is today. Still, there were a few missteps made during season 4, but fortunately, the minds behind the series have made a particularly strong course correction.
There are, however, two lines that executive producer Marc Guggenheim won’t cross, as he recently told Entertainment Weekly:
“There’s two lines in the sand that I’ve drawn for Arrow for myself. I can’t speak for Greg [Berlanti] or for Wendy [Mericle], but for as long as I’m involved with the show, the two things I never want to do is kill off Thea [Willa Holland] and put Felicity in a mask and a costume. Those, to me, are two lines that I just think are a bridge too far. Thea, because we’ve taken so many family members away from Oliver, and Felicity because when you put a character like that in a costume, I think it diminishes who that character is and it makes the idea of superheroics seem silly.”
Although I think he may stick to his guns when it comes to not killing off Thea, I wouldn’t doubt if she’s written off the show before long, much like Roy Harper. It’s become apparent to all that she’s been getting less and less screen time, as actress Willa Holland was contracted for only 14 episodes this season.
As for the bit about Felicity, those who watched DC’s Legends of Tomorrow this week did, in fact, see a superhero take on the character, but that was in an alternate reality. I’m guessing that was Guggenheim and company’s way of letting us know what that’d look like without officially making it canonical.
Arrow returns with new episodes on Wednesday, April 26 on The CW.
