Arrow Star Stephen Amell Shares Bittersweet Goodbye Before Series Finale

The landscape of comic book television changes forever on Tuesday night when The CW airs the very [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

The landscape of comic book television changes forever on Tuesday night when The CW airs the very last episode of Arrow. Over the past eight years, Arrow has not only become a staple of superhero TV in its own right, but it has also launched an entire crossover franchise known as the Arrowverse, which contains five programs with several more on the way. Arrow's arrival in 2008 changed the game for good and it has meant so much to so many people over the years. This finale is not only a bittersweet occasion for fans who have stuck with the franchise all these years, but also to those who have helped bring it to life. Of course, this includes Arrow star Stephen Amell.

After starring in 170 episodes of Arrow, plus a few crossover episodes on the other Arrowverse shows, Amell is ready to hang up his bow and move on to the next phase of his career. Looking into the future doesn't make saying goodbye any easier, though, and Amell shared his emotions about the closing of a chapter with the Arrow fans on Twitter a few hours before the finale.

"Today's bittersweet," Amell wrote. "Arrow meant so much to me for so many years. It was a transformative journey... but it was time to let it go. I lace my boots and don the hood once last time tonight. I'll forever cherish being an ambassador for Oliver Queen. Thank you for the honor."

Not only will fans need to say goodbye to the series that they've come to love, but they're also bidding farewell to Amell's Oliver Queen. The character has already died on the series, which presented a unique challenge to the Arrow creative team.

"It definitely made it more of a challenge, let's put it that way. It definitely required a different kind of finale," executive producer Marc Guggenheim told ComicBook.com. "The good news is that we've had this plan in place for over a year, so that's a long time to think about something. It's a long time to come up with ideas and sort of stress-test ideas. We just embraced the idea that this would be a more of an epilogue, more of a coda type of finale, than a finale where everything blows up or a major storyline is resolved."

Are you disappointed to say goodbye to Arrow this week? Let us know in the comments!

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