If any character could be described as being the Jim Gordon to Oliver Queen’s Batman, I’d say that honor went to Quentin Lance. During Arrow‘s earlier seasons, the two shared a rocky relationship as vigilante and policeman, yet were allies more often than not. Later on, Ollie gave Lance a job in the mayor’s office once the latter’s career as a cop took a dive, thereby showing us the good outweighed the bad in their storied history.
Okay, it wasn’t entirely like the Batman-Gordon dynamic, but you can probably see why I drew the parallel. That said, it came as a heartbreaking experience to all when Quentin died in the sixth season finale. Fortunately, we recently learned that actor Paul Blackthorne is coming back for another tour soon enough.
Before we get any further into this conversation though, let’s take a look at what Blackthorne had to say on Twitter, with this being his first comment regarding the matter since the announcement came down:
“Delighted to be popping back for a spot of #Arrow ….
A pleasure and a privilege!”
So far, neither Blackthorne or any industry trade have revealed the parameters of his return. Though it’s entirely possible we could see him in flashbacks or as a hallucination, we can’t rule out the doppelganger theory because, well, this is the Arrowverse we’re talking about. All that’s known for sure is that he’s set to appear in a recurring role.
Either way, fingers remain crossed for one of the appearances occurring in the series finale itself. The Quentin Lance character was a staple for six seasons, so it’d only make sense for him to be there for the last hurrah.
Arrow airs on Tuesday nights on The CW.