Stephen Amell Says 'Arrow' Season 6 Finale Is Unapologetic

Arrow's sixth season finale is coming up on Thursday, with Oliver Queen facing off with the season's big bad Ricardo Diaz in an "epic" final battle. However, according to series star Stephen Amell, how things end up when the dust settles may not be quite what fans are hoping for.

Appearing at Heroes and Villains Fan Fest in Nashville this weekend, Amell told fans that The CW show's season finale is "unapologetic".

"I really hope you dig the finale this week," Amell said. "I think it's really cool, I think it's visually interesting. I think it's unapologetic, and I think that it leaves everyone with a great deal of certainty of where every character is except you might not like all the places that they are."

Some of those places could be major status quo changes for several characters. At the end of last week's episode, Oliver went to FBI Agent Samantha Watson (Sydelle Noel) for help. After spending the whole season denying that he was the Green Arrow, Oliver admitted to Watson that he is, indeed, the vigilante and that he needs her help. That help comes with a price tag, one that many fans have wondered will lead to Oliver ending up behind bars -- the season finale is entitled "Life Sentence," after all. There's also concerns that some characters might end up dead. With Paul Blackthorne's Quentin Lance set to leave the show at the end of this season, recently released finale photos showing Lance standing off against Diaz (Kirk Acevedo) seem ominous.

Fundamental changes in the show after the finale are also something that executive producer Marc Guggenheim explained in a recent interview when he said that the whole season has been subtly building to the events of the finale.

"The show fundamentally changes in the finale and I think you'll see there's stuff that we were seeding back in the season premiere that finally comes to fruition here in the season finale, so you'll see that there was a very specific plan to the entire season," Guggenheim said. "We always knew that this is where we were headed to. So, hopefully in subtle ways have been teasing this all along without you realizing it. My hope is that people are surprised, but also look back and are like oh, that was kind of the only way that they could have ended the season."

Even with outcomes that may not sit well with fans, Amell seemed excited about the finale and beyond -- he teased that there is a major announcement coming on Thursday during the network's upfronts -- and made sure fans knew that even if they're not thrilled with where their favorite characters land in the finale, it's their continued support that lets them carry the story into season seven.

"Most importantly, never take for granted how lucky we are to have been able to do six seasons," Amell said. "It's because of people like you guys and it's because of kids who introduces it to their parents and parents who force their kids to watch it and thank you guys so much, it means a great deal."

Arrow airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW. The season six finale, "Life Sentence" will air on May 17th.