It didn’t come totally out of the blue, as rumors and teases in last year’s crossover suggested it might happen, but DC TV fans were still left shattered last night when it was revealed that Arrow would be ending after its upcoming eighth season. Star Stephen Amell broke the news and since then, other cast members have shared their responses to the daddy of the Arrowverse coming to a close.
One of those is former Arrow regular Colin Donnell. The actor played Tommy Merlyn, Oliver Queen’s best pal and the son of his nemesis Malcolm Merlyn, on the show’s first season and has reappeared sporadically ever since. He’s been around since it kicked off, then, and Donnell’s clearly fond of the series as he tweeted following the cancellation that playing Tommy was a “professional highlight” and earned him some “lifelong friends.” Finally, he thanked the fans who had kept the spirit of his character alive and allowed him to return to the role over the years.
Being a part of this series from the beginning & being brought back over the course of its run has been beyond.
It a professional highlight it & brought me wonderful lifelong friends.
Thank you to all the fans who’ve kept Tommy alive all & congrats to all those involved ❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/KJIsSI6Ta1
— COLIN DONNELL (@colindonnell) March 7, 2019
Tommy died at the end of season 1 but returned via flashback a couple of times in season 3. He next came back as the evil Earth-X version of the character in 2017’s “Crisis on Earth-X” crossover. Donnell’s most recent return happened in season 6 though, when the Human Target impersonated Tommy to fool Star City into thinking he had been the Green Arrow all along. Donnell also dropped by the set for “Elseworlds”, which led some to theorize that he was going to turn up for another cameo – but it didn’t ultimately happen.
The actor’s good relationship with the show will hopefully mean that he’ll reprise Tommy at least one more time in Arrow’s final season, as it’d give the series a pleasing sense of coming full circle. Who knows, maybe Donnell was teasing an upcoming twist in his tweet and Tommy will be revealed to be alive this whole time? We’re kidding – kinda.
In any case, let’s make the most of Arrow season 7 as it unfolds on The CW every Monday, as it won’t be around much longer.