'Arrow' Features a Surprising Return in "The Demon"

Tonight's episode of Arrow made good on its title when it revealed the mysterious Slabside Maximum Security Prison inmate who fits the bill of "The Demon" and it made for a surprising return for one character.

Spoilers for tonight's episode of Arrow, "The Demon", below.

Arrow wasted no time revealing the identity of the mysterious "Demon" in Slabside. As Oliver was taken deeper into Level Two, he was assigned a new cell and woke up in said cell to discover a shadowy figure over him. That figure? Talia Al Ghul -- The Demon.

The reveal that Talia's alias is "The Demon" itself isn't surprising -- she's Ra's Al Ghul's daughter after all -- but the reveal that she survived Lian Yu is. It turns out that Talia only barely survived Adrian Chase's (Josh Segarra) insane vendetta against Oliver when the island exploded, and it was thanks to Ricardo Diaz's (Kirk Acevedo) drugs that she made it. Oliver ending up in Level Two was of her design, too, as a way to pay Diaz back. Now, however, Talia wants Oliver to escape with her.

Talia also says something interesting while in Slabside. She tells Oliver that she "ran afoul of an old foe in Gotham". Considering how deeply tied to Batman and Batman mythos Talia is in comics, it would be easy to assume that this is a reference to the Dark Knight himself, but it may in fact be a nod towards the upcoming "Elseworlds" crossover and another caped vigilante in Gotham -- Batwoman.

Batwoman (played by Ruby Rose) will make her television debut in the upcoming three-night crossover event. At this point, not much is known about the crossover event, but thanks to a surprise teaser for "Elseworlds" that aired during tonight's episode we do know at least one thing for sure: there may just be some identity swaps coming up, much to the surprise not just of fans, but the characters themselves.

As for Talia? Tonight's Arrow saw her time in Slabside cut short. Oliver ultimately helps Talia escape after things get increasingly twisted and dangerous at the hands of the guards and the sadistic Dr. Parker, though he tells her that giving his darkness an identity was a mistake as it gave it power, indicating he's not willing to go back to that darkness the way she is. The last we see of Talia, she approaches the now-fired Dr. Parker in the parking lot and executes him.

Were you surprised by the identity of The Demon? Let us know in the comments.

Arrow airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.