5 Things We Learned about ‘Arrow’ at San Diego Comic-Con

Oh, Arrow. We try to get mad at you. We do.

At least, I do. I try to temper my expectations, at the very least. To be grounded.

It never works out that way. Not at San Diego Comic-Con, and not after that trailer.

But, to be honest, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Here are five things we learned from the Arrow panel at San Diego Comic-Con, to get you as excited as we are:

1. The theme of the season is Legacy

And everyone will struggle with what this means, from Oliver to Thea, who, when we begin the season, will still be very reluctant to don the Speedy mask. Legacy is something that the team touched upon briefly last season, after Laurel’s death, and it will be the main thing guiding our heroes throughout all the trials and tribulations of Season Five.

But Legacy goes farther than that. It means touching upon who Oliver was in Season 1, who the Green Arrow is, and has been, and what consequences his actions have had – and will have.

2. Laurel Lance is not gone forever

Katie Cassidy has signed a deal that will allow her to reappear on Arrow, as well as make her way to The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, though we still don’t know what that will look like. The producers were very clear in stating that Laurel IS dead in present time, so we can assume all her appearances will be in flashbacks and/or the past, since the Waverider can and will travel through time. Black Siren, back on The Flash, is also a possibility, since the character was left very much alive.

3. Season 5 marks the end of a chapter – the show was, after all, conceived as a 5 season journey

This is the last year of “Island” flashbacks, as we’re getting ready to reach the point in the past where we meet the Oliver of Season 1. That’s not to mean this is the last season of the show, it probably isn’t, Stephen Amell said, but it does mean that this is the end of a chapter, and if done right, this can mean that they can start another chapter in Season 6.

Of course, this also means than the long-awaited Bratva storyline is coming to the flashbacks. Considering those have been less-than-good the past few years, this can’t be anything but a good thing.

4. A new team is coming

Thea doesn’t want to be a vigilante anymore. Laurel is gone. Diggle has left Star City. Oliver Queen might think he can do it all by himself, but truth is …he can’t. He needs help. And he’s going to need to train a new team, one that, at least at first, will be comprised of Curtis Holt, Evelyn Crawford (aka the fake Black Canary of last year) and Wild Dog.

And though he might not necessarily be joining the team, there’s also the series regular role of AD Adrian Chase, who is also the vigilante known as, well, Vigilante.

Fact is, there will be a lot of new faces out on the streets of Star City. Whether that’s good or bad, that remains to be seen.

5. There’s hope yet for Olicity

Everyone was very tight-lipped about what’s coming for Olicity, preferring to focus on the other four things mentioned above, but the vibe from the whole cast and the executive producers was nonetheless positive.

In fact, you could even say they didn’t want to give anything away with regards to the couple. And, they all seemed very aware that Olicity is what people want to see, especially after the two won Ship of the Year for the second year in a row at the MTV Fandom Awards.

So, we’re not about to lose hope, especially after Stephen Amell reaffirmed Oliver’s love for Felicity. It might take a while – their relationship might never be exactly what it was before, but that’s okay. They can grow together. They can finally become equals. We’re not losing hope.

Arrow returns to The CW on Wednesday October 5th.

We’ll have more coverage of San Diego Comic-Con coming soon, so stay tuned!