The second episode of Arrow season 6 saw a massive shift in the show’s status quo. After narrowly avoiding being publicly outed as the Emerald Archer, Oliver Queen decided he’d enough on his plate with being mayor of Star City and a single father without attempting to maintain a double identity as well. In a shocking move, he gave up being the Green Arrow and handed the mantle to his old friend John Diggle.
In this first preview for next week’s episode, titled “Next of Kin,” we get a taste for how Diggle fares when stepping into Oliver’s shoes. It turns out it’ll be a struggle, as the rest of Team Arrow has trouble adjusting to having a new leader. More importantly, Diggle himself is still suffering with PTSD after the explosive events of the season 5 finale.
This isn’t the first time that Diggle has filled in for his pal, of course. Back in season 1, he suited up as The Hood to free Ollie from suspicion (again). Last season, he also appeared as Green Arrow in a dream world created by the Dominators during the big Arrowverse crossover. He’s never been asked to take over as the vigilante full time, however. While we’ve no doubt that Ollie will don his quiver again in future, it should be interesting to see how long Diggle’s tenure as the Green Arrow lasts.
With the weight of being Star City’s protector off his shoulders, it looks like Oliver Queen will be free to fulfill other areas of his life. A recent batch of promo images for “Next of Kin” reveal that Felicity and him will properly rekindle their romance next week, with one photo showing them sharing a kiss. Things are going to progress quickly for the couple, too, as a set pic from this year’s four-way crossover seemingly confirmed that the pair will be – spoilers! – tying the knot in just a few episodes’ time.
Be sure to catch Arrow “Next of Kin” on The CW next Thursday.