Arrow star Stephen Amell has teased Oliver Queen’s return in the final season of The CW’s The Flash. Amell recently tweeted a quote from Oliver from the upcoming ninth episode of series. In the quote, he wrote “Ok… Ok… Ok Barry… Barry let go… BARRY LET GO!!!” The quote hints at Oliver’s reunion with Barry Allen/The Flash (Grant Gustin). The last time to two were together was during the 2019-2020 crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
While Oliver is a more serious character, Barry is well-known for showing affection, and the quote could be hinting at the Flash giving his old mentor a hug. The 2015 crossover event “Heroes Join Forces” concluded with a reluctant Oliver giving Barry a hug. After Oliver’s death in “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” The Flash has continued to show Oliver’s impact on Barry. In Season 7, when the villain Abra Kadabra tried to destroy Central City after the loss of his family from the aftermath of the Crisis, Barry talked him down by telling him that he himself lost Oliver. During the 2021 “Armageddon” storyline, Barry begged Black Lightning/Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) to take away his powers. However, Jefferson reminded Barry that Oliver would never want him to give up.
Oliver’s return for the final season of The Flash was announced in January. The ninth episode will also include David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan. Diggle was one of Oliver’s best friends and allies throughout the entire run of Arrow. “Everyone on Team Flash felt so strongly that it was important to create a full-circle moment with Oliver’s return in the final season of The Flash,” said showrunner Eric Wallace. “The result is an epic-yet emotional episode we hope Arrowverse fans will enjoy. It’s all to say ‘thank you’ to everyone for watching and supporting our show throughout nine wonderful years. We absolutely cannot wait for everyone to see Grant and Stephen saving the world together again.” Despite Oliver’s return after his death, Wallace also said that The Flash won’t change the ending of Arrow.
Stephen Amell’s Return Will Help Bring the Arrowverse to Close
Amell’s return to the Arrowverse will help bring the franchise that Arrow launched to a close. The Flash ending with its ninth season was announced in August 2022. The announcement came after the cancelations of fellow Arrowverse series Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. It was also revealed that Superman & Lois is set in another universe outside of the Arrowverse. Besides being the hero that launched the universe, Oliver was there at the very beginning of Barry’s superhero journey. Before the premiere of The Flash, Gustin’s version of Barry Allen first appeared in two episodes of Arrow during its second season. Amell’s Green Arrow was also someone Barry turned to in the pilot episode of The Flash. In the episode, Oliver told Barry that he could inspire people, as well as save them “in a flash.”
The Flash currently airs on Wednesday on The CW. All eight seasons of Arrow are currently available to stream on Netflix. In the meantime, check out this trailer for the final season of The Flash below:
