'Arrow' Season 7 Features Questionable Ollie, Different Felicity, and Same Old Roy

Arrow will return for its seventh season next month, and when it does fans can expect to find Oliver and Felicity in very different places -- and not just because Oliver's in jail.

While Oliver being behind bars after revealing his identity as Green Arrow to the world at the end of last season is itself a significant change, according to new Arrow showrunner Beth Schwartz, life after Oliver's incarceration is going to have some major impact on the whole team, especially Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards).

"We're going to see a different side to Felicity than we've ever seen," Schwartz told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. "She wasn't in on the decision that Oliver made -- the deal he made which led him to prison -- so she's going to take matters into her own hands a lot this season. She's going to fight back, and we're just going to see a different side to her that I think the fans are going to be really excited about. That's all I can say."

Fans have already gotten a peek at some of that different side. Recently released photos from the show's Season 7 premiere, "Inmate 4587", reveal Felicity sporting bright pink hair and various fake piercings. She's also seen with a few injuries and a recent promo showed her fighting someone off using a pan of pasta sauce. The idea of Felicity having to deal with new challenges is something that Rickards herself has spoken about before in an interview earlier this year, but Schwartz also indicated that it isn't just Felicity changing in order to survive. Oliver will find himself making some "questionable" choices while behind bars.

"I think the cool part of him being in prison is that having a hearo be in prison is very challenging, especially for Oliver," Schwartz said. "Just being able to survive prison, similar to when he was on Lian-Yu, he has to make some questionable choices to survive. We sort of wanted to write to the real of what that situation would look like if he was locked up with a bunch of previous villains that he'd previously put in there, and they're now on the same playing field. There's so much conflict there. He can't do things the way he did then as the Green Arrow. The rules are different in prison."

But, for all of the changes there will be some things that are at least familiar. Schwartz said that when Colton Hayne's Roy Harper returns, he'll be the same character fans remember despite everything that's happened.

"He'll be the same Roy that we love," Schwartz said. "Last time we saw him, he went off with Thea, so a lot has happened since then, and he'll be affected by what happened when he left when he returns."

Are you getting excited for Arrow's seventh season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The season seven premiere of Arrow, which is titled "Inmate 4587", will debut on Monday, October 15th at 9/7c on The CW.