‘Arrow’: 8 Villains We Want to See Return in Season 7

Earlier today, Warner Bros. Television released a new synopsis for Arrow‘s seventh season as part of the announcement of the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con next month. While the synopsis was a bit vague, it did give fans a few hints about what is coming up for Oliver Queen and opened the door for some speculation about villains.

As fans of the show will recall, Arrow‘s sixth season ended with a major change for Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Stephen Amell). To get the help needed to take down Ricardo Diaz (Kirk Acevedo), Oliver had make a deal with the feds: admit he’s the Green Arrow and go to prison for his crimes. Unfortunately, the deal didn’t quite work out the way that Oliver perhaps would have preferred. While Diaz’s operation was disrupted, the villain himself got away. He was seen at the end of the season finale licking his wounds with his Longbow Hunters while Oliver announced his status as Green Arrow to the world. That’s right: even though Diaz wasn’t captured or killed Oliver is still doing time in a super max prison.

According to the synopsis, prison is going to be a big part of the drama next season. You can check it out below.

“There has been no shortage of close calls for Oliver Queen when it comes to protecting his Super Hero identity, but in the season six finale, he was finally backed into a corner and forced to reveal himself to the world as the Green Arrow. Now, Oliver will come face-to-face with many of the criminals he placed behind bars, as he makes a new home for himself at Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Oliver will find himself vulnerable in a way unlike ever before when a mysterious new enemy begins to unravel his work as Green Arrow, challenging him to redeem his name or risk losing everything.”

From that synopsis it sounds like villains are going to be getting quite a bit of spotlight this season, both directly in terms of those Oliver is now incarcerated with and potentially those still free in the streets. The new enemy unravelling Green Arrow’s work, along with Diaz’s freedom, could signal the return of old villains as well, especially those looking for another chance at a flourishing criminal operation in Star City. Both are possibilities that could mean a major shift for Arrow, something that series star Stephen Amell has even hinted at, noting that the show is writing like there won’t be a season eight.

“I think that’s one of the things I’m getting out of what they’ve planned for season seven — we’re not writing like we’re guaranteed something beyond this, because we’re not; nobody is,” Amell said recently. “I want them to really push forward and take the fact that we have a certain license and a certain respect from the fans to take some chances.”

Villains make excellent chances so, with that in mind we’ve come up with a list of villains we’d like to see return to Arrow for Season 7. While we fully expect that the show will bring back long-dead villains — after all, Oliver/Green Arrow has killed more bad guys of note than he’s managed to get locked up — we’re choosing to focus on characters that are still among the living. We’re also looking at more than just characters Oliver might encounter at Slabside because, after all, without its hero, Star City really might be open for criminal business.

Read on for the villains we’d like to see on Arrow next season.

Werner Zytle/Vertigo

The second of Arrow‘s villains to bear the Vertigo moniker, Werner Zytle has gone from drug dealer to crime lord over time and despite being incarcerated a few times always manages to get out some how. With Oliver out of the way and Diaz’s criminal control over Star City seemingly in shambles, if Zytle happens to not be incarcerated somehow Season 7 would be a prime opportunity for him to return and rebuild his own criminal empire as Vertigo.

Alternatively, if Zytle himself doesn’t return getting a new Vertigo is something that we wouldn’t mind seeing as well. After all, after one of his captures Zytle did say that there would always be someone to pick up the mantle of the first Vertigo, Cecil Adams.

Talia al Ghul

Technically we don’t know what Talia al Ghul’s status is. The last time we actually saw her was in the Season 5 finale where she was part of Adrian Chase/Prometheus’ team. As she was still on the island when Chase blew it up, Talia’s fate has been left as a question mark. However, considering that she’s Ra’s daughter we doubt she’s dead and considering that she’s bent on revenge against Oliver for killing her father? Talia showing up in Star City while Oliver is in prison and can’t do anything to stop her seems like something that she would be more than capable of. After all, she conspired with Chase to get at Oliver by hurting those he loves and was some what successful with Oliver a free man. It would surprising if she didn’t take the opportunity now that he’s behind bars.

Chien Na Wei/China White

Another villain with ties to a criminal empire that might want to take advantage of a Green Arrow-less Star City is Chien Na Wei, better known as China White. While the last time we saw her she was a cold-blooded assassin, she previously was the head of the Chinese Triad. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for her to once again escape from prison and return to criminal activities.

If she did decide to resume leading a gang — be it a reformed version of the Triads or something else — having her operating in Star City would also be an excellent way for her to get revenge on Green Arrow in a sense. When she last faced off with Green Arrow in Season 5, she openly mocked the vigilante as she expected the Anti-Crime Unit to arrest him. Instead, they arrested her. You can bet she has an axe to grind.

Helena Bertinelli/Huntress

Okay, Helena Bertinelli isn’t exactly a villain, but she certainly isn’t someone above comitting crimes to get what she wants. While she technically has what she wants — her father is dead and Diaz disbanded the Bertinelli crime family — if a mysterious new enemy is undoing the work of the Green Arrow that could cause Diaz to rise to power again. If so, he would technically be the new head of the Bertinelli crime family as he controls what’s left of it.

Given that Huntress’ methods don’t always align with that of Team Arrow, it could make her an interesting adversary in Season 7 if she returned to take on Diaz. We’re pretty sure prison probably wouldn’t stop her.

Jeremy Tell/Double Down

One of the former villains that Oliver could encounter in prison is Jeremy Tell, aka Double Down.

A mercenary tasked with killing Green Arrow, Tell was initially sent to Iron Heights Prison as he is a metahuman and, being the primary prison on The Flash, Iron Heights has a specific metahuman wing. But a lot has happened since he was last seen and its conceivable that he may have been transferred to Slabside. As Green Arrow and is directly responsible for his incarceration, Oliver and Tell meeting in prison isn’t likely to be a fun moment for Oliver. More than that, though, Tell’s powers are just cool and the idea of him hurling cards around prison is a visual effect we wouldn’t mind seeing.

Teddy Reston/Jack

Speaking of cards, as a member of the Royal Flush Gang Teddy Reston has more than a few reasons to hate Oliver Queen. His father, Derek Reston, lost his job at Queen Consolidated and never received severance package thanks to Oliver’s father, Robert Queen, taking advantage of a loophole in a union contract. As a result, the Restons lost their home and turned to a life of crime.

Having his life turned upside down and then his future taken from him as a young man because of having to turn to crime with his family in order to survive likely has left Teddy with some unresolved anger towards Oliver. While we don’t see him as necessarily being a vicious enemy of Oliver’s in prison, it would be interesting to see Oliver forced to confront his father’s legacy in a way he never has had to before: from behind bars — which, in a way, is also part of his father’s legacy.

The Hoods

A group of vigilantes who terrorized Star City after the Undertaking, The Hoods are all behind bars but they also once targeted Oliver Queen as they saw him as a prime example of the corruption and privilege they so hated. With Oliver having been revealed to be the Green Arrow — the very hero they patterned themselves after — things could get awkward and violent in Slabside pretty quickly. This would also be an other great opportunity for Oliver to have to confront his past and a great nod to the show’s earlier seasons.

Eric Dunn (Spooky Crew)

Leader of what Felicity termed the Spooky Crew, Eric Dunn was a bank robber hunted by both Vigilante and Team Arrow for his crimes. While Team Arrow ultimately protected Dunn from Vigilante, they also turned him over to the police. With Dunn having an extensive prison history — first serving two years for a crime he didn’t commit and then being sentenced to 13 more for mutliple armed robberies that he did — he’s probably now in Slabside. It would be interesting to see Oliver encounter him, especially if Dunn is bitter about being in prison yet again.

Who do you think might return in Arrow‘s seventh season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Arrow returns on Monday, October 15th at 8/7c on The CW.