“Crisis on Infinite Earths” has been an exhilarating ride for DC fans, but it’s also somewhat bittersweet as it marks the end of an era. In a couple of weeks’ time, Arrow is coming to a close with the conclusion of its shortened eighth season. The ever-sprawling franchise that is the Arrowverse wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for the initial success of the Green Arrow’s solo show, so it was only fitting that “Crisis” climaxed with the death of Oliver Queen.
Following the airing of the two-part finale last night, star Stephen Amell took to Twitter to share a poignant message about why he decided to hang up his quiver for good. “8 seasons and an entire Universe seems like a pretty good time to step away.” Amell wrote. “What a ride.”
8 seasons and an entire Universe seems like a pretty good time to step away.
What a ride.
— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) January 15, 2020
In a twist on what we were expecting, Oliver actually died in the first episode of “Crisis” in December, battling Shadow Demons to protect the people of National City. His daughter Mia and friends then tried to bring his soul back from Purgatory in subsequent episodes, only for the hero to remain behind with Jim Corrigan/the Spectre. “Part 4” revealed that Oliver himself had become the Spectre, which allowed him to temporarily come back to defeat the Anti-Monitor and reboot the multiverse. He then died for a second and final time surrounded by Barry Allen and Sara Lance.
Despite this plot development and Amell’s touching tweet, though, we know that the Emerald Archer will return one more time post-“Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Next week’s penultimate installment of Arrow is a backdoor pilot for Green Arrow and the Canaries, but Amell will feature in the series finale. How they’ll handle Oliver’s role is unknown – time travel, most likely – but that’ll be the real swansong of the first hero of the Arrowverse. Like the man says, what a ride it’s been.
