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, 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. That’s why we were so happy to learn the other month that Haynes will be reprising his role for a multi-episode arc this year.
At the time, we weren’t given many details on what he’ll be up to, but now, The CW’s released the official synopsis for “Doppelganger,” which will feature Roy’s return. It’s admittedly brief – as is always the case with these – but it does at lest shed some light on what’ll be taking place.
ROY HARPER RETURNS – Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Thea (Willa Holland) are shocked to hear that Roy Harper (guest star Colton Haynes) is back in Star City. However, when they discover the circumstances of Roy’s return, Oliver and Thea realize that Roy is in trouble and jump in to save him. Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) makes a shocking discovery.
Though it keeps things vague, we presume Roy’s back because he’s in some kind of danger. What that may be is unclear, and it’s also unknown if he’s returned on his own accord or has been forced to come back, but you can certainly color us intrigued by what’s teased here and we’re excited to tune in to find out what’s in store.
Shedding a bit more light on things are recent comments from executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle, who shared the following back when Haynes’ return was made official:
“We’re thrilled to announce that Colton 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…”
Arrow returns to The CW with “Collision Course” on Thursday, March 1 at 8 pm. “Doppelganger,” meanwhile, airs on March 8.
