Though Arrow is entering what’s sure to be a brutal and exciting seventh season, it’s just a statement of fact that the journey will have to end at some point. Perhaps it’ll be able to equal – or surpass – what Smallville had achieved if it reaches the ten-year mark or beyond, but either way, it’s been a memorable run nonetheless.
So, whenever we finally reach the home stretch, it’s fully expected that the producers start enacting their endgame. Whatever that may be is unknown to anybody other than them, but that doesn’t mean speculation won’t occur. In fact, even series lead Stephen Amell discussed such a thing while recently appearing on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast.
Here’s how the conversation unfolded once Rosenbaum brought up the time when he knew he had to walk away from the character of Lex Luthor:
Stephen Amell: “You bring up a good point. This is what I’ve been thinking about: What else does my character have to do? Like what else?”
Michael Rosenbaum: “Die!”
SA: “That’s the only thing left for him to do.”
MR: “Can the Arrow die?”SA: “Sure, he doesn’t have superpowers.”
In addition to that, Amell piled on how Oliver Queen has to do once more thing, but he need not get killed off in order to achieve it:
“The only thing that is left for him to do – and he doesn’t need to die to do this – is he needs to leave a legacy. Because we have all these other shows that exist. So whether ‘Arrow’ continued on in the absence of Oliver Queen, or someone else took up the mantle of the Green Arrow… I think leaving a legacy is the last box left to tick for the character.”
Personally, I feel Oliver permanently passing on the mantle would be best left for the series finale, similar to The Dark Knight Rises‘ ending. Sure, viewers may still tune in if either John Diggle or Roy Harper ran with the torch, but continuing on without Amell would be a risky business move indeed.
Arrow returns for its seventh season on Monday, October 15 on The CW.