In the illustrious history of Arrow, it could be argued that the most popular hero to fight alongside Oliver Queen was that of Roy Harper, played by fan favorite actor Colton Haynes. Originally introduced in the back half of season 1, we saw this young man organically develop and eventually blossom into the vigilante known as Arsenal in season 3, with one badass costume to boot.
But, as fate would have it, Haynes was contracted for but a few seasons, and an exit was plotted for him late in season 3. As you may recall, Roy publicly took the fall for Oliver by saying that he was the original Arrow before faking his own death. In the time since, we’ve seen him come back for a guest shot, but he’s remained in the hearts and minds of Arrowverse junkies everywhere.
More recently, there were rumblings that Haynes would make his triumphant return to Star City, with series lead Stephen Amell teasing as much on social media. Now, some of you may have thought we were reaching when we connected the dots, but Amell always has a reason for doing things and it’s finally been confirmed that Haynes will indeed reprise his role for a multi-episode arc sometime after the series comes back from its winter hiatus.
Obviously, this is great news for fans and executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle share our jubilation, saying the following:
“We’re thrilled to announce that Colton Haynes will be reprising his role as Roy Harper for a short arc on Arrow this year. Roy is called back to Star City to help resolve an urgent matter with high stakes for the team. His short visit turns into something surprising when he reunites with Thea and sparks a change in both of their lives that will have long-lasting consequences…”
That sounds highly intriguing, now doesn’t it? Hopefully, we’ll see the first seeds be planted when Arrow returns with new episodes on Thursday, January 18 on The CW.
