Arrow EP on Which Characters Could Return in Final Season

After seven seasons and over 150 episodes, Arrow‘s swan song will begin later this year — and it sounds like there’s a lot of ground it could cover. In a recent interview with TVLine, Arrow showrunner Beth Schwartz addressed the upcoming final season, and whether or not certain characters will return as part of that.

“There are so many characters [to consider]. So many characters,” Schwartz explained. “And we’re definitely thinking about all of that, because just as much as our fans want to see it, as people who have been on the show for a long time, we are also fans of these characters. So we’re going to make sure that everyone has a great final season.”

At this point, Arrow‘s last episodes already have a lot riding on them, especially now that Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is aware of his impending demise in this winter’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover. Even with all of the set-up to “Crisis”, there are some interesting characters that could still re-enter the fray, from Thea Queen (Willa Holland) to Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law) to Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Manu Bennett). While that might sound like a lot of plot for an average television season, Schwartz revealed that she’s excited for the challenge.

“That’s the exciting part of next season, only having 10 episodes,” Schwartz revealed. “We’ve [been] brainstorming and thinking about who we want back, because there are so many characters that we love… I think every episode is just going to be humongous. We’re going to fit it all in, and it’s definitely going to be an amazing season.”

The synopsis for Arrow‘s final season can be found below.

“After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the North China Sea. He returned home to Star City, bent on righting the wrongs done by his family and fighting injustice. As the Green Arrow, Oliver successfully saved his city with the help of his team including former soldier John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), former protégé Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), street-savvy Rene Ramirez (Rick Gonzalez), metahuman Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy), brilliant inventor Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum) and Earth-2 Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). In the wake of discovering what his future holds, Oliver will find himself pit against his most challenging battle yet, one that will leave the multiverse hanging in the balance. In Arrow’s final season, Oliver Queen is forced to confront the reality of what it means to be a hero.”

Which characters do you want to see in Arrow‘s final season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Arrow‘s final season will begin on Tuesday, October 15th, at 9/8c on The CW.