WARNING: Spoiler Alert if you aren’t yet caught up with Arrow season 7!
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Oliver Queen is now out of Super Max Prison, and presumably ready to re-don his Green Arrow hood and start taking back his city. Arrow fans now have a variety of special events to look forward to from the rest of season 7, including the new “Elseworlds” crossover with Flash and Supergirl; Arrow’s milestone 150th episode; and the introduction of a new Arrowverse , who we’re now getting our first look at (via TV Line). Meet “Street Fighter Maya,” who will debut in the upcoming Arrow episode, “Unmasked”:
Maya has been a big mystery hanging over Arrow season 7. When Shadowhunters star Katherine McNamara’s casting as Maya was first announced, it was made clear that the character would have a major pivotal role in Arrow season 7 – with scant few details about what that role is, or if it has any connection to a character from DC Comics. This first-look photo doesn’t reveal much, other than the fact that Maya looks pretty scrappy, and seems pretty confident about getting into the ring to beat down bruisers.
The few official details about Maya that we know, plus the ideas conveyed by this new photo, are quickly leading fans toward one conclusion: Maya could be revealed as the new Green Arrow, who filled in for Oliver Queen when he was locked up. With early fan theories trying to point to an established character taking up the Green Arrow mantle, it would be a twist if it was revealed to be a totally new character, after all.
Based on McNamara’s own description of Maya, it seems like she definitely has all of the necessary qualifications to be an avenging vigilante:
“She’s a street fighter, so she’s a boxer in an underground fight club. She grew up in a very rough environment and is very much a product of that environment… Maya is very much the realist and one to punch first and ask questions later. She’s not one to be underestimated or messed with. Maya’s certainly kickass, I’ll tell you that much.”
The mystery of both Maya and the new Green Arrow isn’t just one that will affect the newly-released Oliver Queen: given the new format of Arrow‘s storyline, Maya could have a major role to play in future events, as well. Here’s what McNamara has already teased:
“I do have a lot of secrets up my sleeve that have been so graciously shared with me by the showrunner [Beth Schwartz] and by everyone else on Team Arrow. The biggest thing I can say is there’s a lot to come from this character, and there’s so much as an actor for me to mine out of it. And just like everyone at Arrow’s been so welcoming, and it really has been a situation where I feel like I’m part of the family.”
Arrow airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
