So much has changed from Team Arrow since " Arrow " first debuted on The CW. Over the years, the team has been racked by death and injury, changing both the team’s spirit and makeup as time has worn on. Quite simply, it’s not the same show as it used to be, and whether that’s good or bad depends largely on perspective.
For many, the last season, the show’s fourth, represented a new low for the series. While there were plenty of reasons to find season four lackluster – its plot, pacing, and execution were all problems for many fans – the death of Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance/Black Canary, was the true low. The loss of that character was a blow to many, leading to much speculation about what’s really going on. Could they resurrect the character using the Lazarus Pit? Could they bring in her Earth-2 counterpart? What did she say to Oliver before dying? Now, it seems as though some of these questions will be answered, sooner than you might expect.
In an interview with Spoiler TV, Arrow’s showrunners offer some teases about the future of Black Canary, indicating that we may not have seen the last of Cassidy just yet. While nothing firm was revealed, both Wendy Mericle and Marc Guggenheim cryptically suggest Cassidy’s return. Additionally, it was confirmed that her last words to Oliver will be revealed in season five’s opener.
That’s good news for fans, who’ve grown accustomed to having to wait several episodes for big reveals. Her last words were an errant thread still hanging over the series as it moved towards its season finale, and making audiences wait even longer to find out what was said would have surely been a mistake. It’s certainly a good enticement to bring audiences back into the fold, but what does it mean for the character overall?
There’s been some speculation that, due to the time traveling nature of the show, Cassidy might return to the universe in Arrow’s spinoff, Legends of Tomorrow. That’s certainly one way they could bring her back, but Guggenheim put a damper on that idea, teasing something greater for the character.
No, that conflicts with other plans we have…he said, intentionally misleading and hopefully teasing.
While that doesn’t give us anything concrete, there’s an implication that Cassidy still has commitments on Arrow, making her unavailable to appear elsewhere in CW’s lineup. It’s possible, of course, that any return for the actress will be relegated to flashbacks (Arrow does love its flashbacks) – but unless those are substantial, that wouldn’t necessarily preclude her from Legends of Tomorrow.
Another possibility is that Black Canary will make an appearance in some form on The Flash, which set up the Flashpoint Paradox in its season finale. That storyline finds Flash caught in an alternate, darker timeline due to his meddling with time travel, so it stands to reason that Cassidy might make appearances as an alternate version of herself in that season.
Arrow season 5 is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at 8PM ET; The Flash season 3 is slated to air on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 8PM ET; DC’s Legends of Tomorrow will return on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 8PM ET, Supergirl will make its season 2 debut on The CW on Monday, October 10, 2016 also at 8PM ET
