Arrow EP Discusses the Possibility of John Barrowman's Return

08/11/2017 04:44 pm EDT

After his explosive finale at the end of season 5, might Arrow fans expect to see John Barrowman's Malcolm Merlyn again? According to producers, the ball is in the actor's court.

While Merlyn (seemingly) died during season 5's finale, stepping on a landmine to protect his daughter Thea Queen, some fans didn't believe that his ending was permanent, noting that characters have survived worse on Arrow as well as its sister shows, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Executive Marc Guggenheim's response? Basically it's that the fans are right, but that doesn't guarantee Barrowman's return.

"That's up to John," executive producer Marc Guggenheim told reporters during a recent roundtable. "We told John when we called him to tell him about the events of the finale, every single person on all the shows has come back in some shape or form. We've got flashbacks, we've got time travel, we've got parallel universes. Goodbye is never goodbye. He has an open invitation to return to the show any time he wants."

Shortly before the finale, word leaked out from one of Barrowman's convention appearances that he did not intend to come back to Arrow in season 6, with the implication that his character would die in the finale.

"I am very sad to be leaving the Arrowverse. I love playing Malcolm Merlyn, and you know - that's it really," the actor told fans in a message the night of his character's onscreen death. "As sad as it may be, I understand how shows must change and also characters must change and develop. But that doesn't mean I'm not very sad and upset about it. I appreciate your support and love you all."

You can see video of the exchange below, via Green Arrow TV.

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 South China Sea. Oliver returned home to Starling City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice. To do this, he created the persona of The Arrow and allied himself with former military man John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), lawyer-turned-vigilante Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), billionaire inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) and his sister Thea Queen (Willa Holland).

Arrow will return for its sixth season on The CW on Oct. 12, 2017, with the season premiere episode titled "Fallout." The premiere will mark a move from its traditional Wednesday time slot to Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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