After a couple of seasons with only one-off cameos for the supervillain, Manu Bennett returned as Oliver Queen’s nemesis Deathstroke in a big way at the end of Arrow season 5. After forming an uneasy alliance to defeat Prometheus, Slade Wilson will drop by Star City to ask a favor of Mayor Queen in a much-anticipated two-part storyline, which kicks off with next week’s suitably-titled “Deathstroke Returns.”
The old enemies will go on the hunt for Slade’s estranged son Joe, who’s been kidnapped by mercenaries. It sounds like it’s going to be a can’t miss outing for the show and now, you can check out some shots of the duo’s mission in the gallery of promo images below, as well as a look at what the rest of Team Arrow will get up to in the episode.
In addition to Deathstroke’s return, Vigilante will also be showing his face (well, not literally) for the first time since midway through season 5, with the masked man apparently set to spar with Dinah Drake’s Black Canary. Fans were shocked last year when it was revealed that Adrian Chase – Vigilante’s alter ego in the comics – was actually Prometheus instead, leaving Vigilante’s true identity a mystery. Now that he’s back in the show though, we might even find out the answer in this very episode.
While not pictured, it’s also been confirmed that Joe Dinicol is returning as Rory Regan/Ragman. The mystically-charged hero was initially part of the revamped Team Arrow for the first half of season 5, but left after his magic rags lost their juice. Rory was a likeable addition to the team though it should be good to check in him on this episode, the plot synopsis for which is below.
SLADE RETURNS; VIGILANTE REAPPEARS IN STAR CITY – Slade (guest star Manu Bennett) returns and asks Oliver (Stephen Amell) for help in tracking down his son. When they learn Joe (guest star William Franklyn-Miller) has been taken hostage by mercenaries, their mission to save him gets complicated by a terrible revelation that could shatter Slade’s hopes of reunion forever. Meanwhile, Vigilante reappears in Star City. Joel Novoa directed the episode written by Ben Sokolowski & Spiro Skentzos (#605). Original airdate 11/9/2017.
Arrow airs on The CW every Wednesday.