Arrow EP Teases More Major Returns For Arrow Season 5 Finale

Joe Schmidt

04/11/2017 08:48 pm EDT

A lot of familiar faces are making their way back to CW's DC universe just in time for Arrow's fifth season finale.

While Manu Bennett's portrayal of Deathstroke was recently confirmed to be coming back, it's also been revealed that Kristina Law's Nyssa Al Ghul will return to the show for an arc that will set her on a collision course with her sister Talia (Lexa Doig) in the Season 5 finale.

Between these fan-favorite characters returning, you might think that's all the aces Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle have up their sleeve. Maybe. Or maybe not.

Guggenheim, dealing with an X-Men-induced headache thanks to some controversy with the Gold artist, recently took to Twitter with a comment that may indicate the surprises are still coming for Arrow's big episode.

(BTW, he obviously meant "fifth season finale.")

Who, if anyone else, could possibly be making a return aside from Nyssa and Deathstroke? And what if Deathstroke is just a red herring?

In Arrow's five years on the CW, Team Arrow has made a formidable list of allies—and villains—who have come and gone during the show's history.

Many of them are beloved and missed, whether they're fighting at his side or against Oliver Queen.

Here are some characters that could also return as the show hurdles towards the season finale.

White Canary

(Photo: The CW)

This one seems a easy to pull off given Caity Lotz' status as a series regular on Legends of Tomorrow.

But remember, Sara Lance and her teammates just got finished breaking time in the Legends finale. They're stuck in a 2017 populated with dinosaurs.

And yet she could still find her way back to the regular Arrowverse, given the nature of time and the Waverider's capabilities.   Arrow's fifth season has served as a culmination of the themes and ideas presented since season one, with Oliver lamenting the death of Laurel and his break up with Felicity and everything else. The season has been about coming to terms with your mistakes, especially in Oliver's own transformation.

Sara just had her own catharsis after a mind-and-time bending confrontation with the Legion of Doom. She was able to set aside her thirst for vengeance and spare Damien Darhk.

Her coming to Oliver's aid for the final battle with Prometheus would contribute to the theme of closure and family.

Malcom Merlyn

(Photo: The CW)

John Barrowman's Dark Archer has been a plague in the Arrow's side since the first season.

And though he's teamed up with some other super villains to take over time and rewrite reality, the Legends put a stop to his plan.

He also showed up in a flashback scene in the last episode, establishing Malcom Merlyn's presence in the Prometheus storyline.

Now that his plot to take over the world has been foiled, could Merlyn show up in the finale and cause some trouble for Merlyn and Team Arrow?

Or would he join Oliver and Co. in their crusade against Prometheus?

Arsenal

(Photo: The CW)

The fans miss Roy Harper. And though the former vigilante is living a life on the run, there's always a way for Arsenal to return.

Actor Colton Haynes has expressed a willingness to return from time to time, and there have been few Arrow allies as dependable as Arsenal.

Though the character was given a thorough arc—being manipulated, injected with a super-soldier serum, cured, and redeemed as Arrow's sidekick—it always felt like his story was incomplete.

He still has unresolved business with Thea Queen, and after his last short sting due to the machinations of the Calculator, it always seemed like Harper was destined to return.

 If the battle with Prometheus gets too out of control for Team Arrow to handle, there's no doubt Queen has a contingency plan in place. Hopefully, that plan includes Arsenal.

Tommy Merlyn

(Photo: The CW)

Ok, hear us out. People are constantly clamoring for Tommy Merlyn's return.
 He was one of the few characters who never truly got involved on the vigilante action, always being affected by it. In fact, it was his dad's own machinations that ended up in his death.

And though Tommy was given a definitive ending when he was crushed and impaled, leading to him forgiving Oliver, there's still an opportunity for the character's return.

Especially when the Al Ghuls are involved.

Arrow's use of flashbacks and only showing you one character's perception of events has played to the show's strengths. It allows the production to return to certain happenings and explore them from a different point of view.

What better time to bring back a beloved character and reveal that he got the Lazarus Pit treatment? Show that he's been training with the League of Assassins? You know what they say: like father, like son. Then the producers can put him in an awkward storyline with the evil Black Siren!

Arrow Season 5

If someone else does return, we just want to be surprised. All of these candidates are viable and would make for good TV. We trust Guggenheim and Co. know what they're doing. Maybe all of this Deathstroke stuff is misdirection. Maybe it isn't.

We'll find out more when Arrow returns April 26 with the episode "Dangerous Liaisons."

Oliver (Stephen Amell), Team Arrow, ARGUS and the SCPD kick off a citywide manhunt for Adrian Chase (Josh Segurra). Helix tells Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) they have a way to find Chase but they will need something big, and illegal, from her in return.

Joel Novoa directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Elizabeth Kim.

Based on the characters from DC, ARROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Supergirl), Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters), Andrew Kreisberg (The Flash, Supergirl), Wendy Mericle (Desperate Housewives, Eli Stone) and Sarah Schechter (Supergirl, Blindspot).

MORE ARROW NEWS: ·EP Shares Behind The Scenes Image Of Deathstroke
·Katrina Law Returning To Arrow For Season 5 Finale
·5 More Things We Hope To See From the Arrow Season 5 Finale
·Dangerous Liaisons Photos Feature Team Arrow Vs. Team Felicity

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