It's easy to forget this now, but Grant Gustin made his first appearance as Barry Allen in season 2 of Arrow way back in 2013. That cameo role served as a backdoor pilot for what would eventually become The Flash, and the Scarlet Speedster would frequently team up with Stephen Amell's Green Arrow in the years that followed.
With that in mind, it makes all the sense in the world for the actor to make one final Arrowverse appearance in The Flash's upcoming ninth and finale season, right?
Following the news that Keiynan Lonsdale (Wally West/Kid Flash), David Ramsey (John Diggle/Spartan) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Dr. Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork) are all set to appear in season 9's ninth episode, it's now also been confirmed that Amell will return to guest star.
"As soon as our final season was announced, we knew we wanted Stephen to come back and reprise his iconic role as Oliver Queen," The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace said in a statement today. "After all, it was Oliver who originally launched Barry Allen on his heroic path."
"That’s why 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."
Oliver Queen died twice during Crisis on Infinite Earths, though Amell has never shied away from expressing disappointment with how the hero's story ended. Now, he's getting a second chance in what Wallace describes as "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," he adds. "And yes, there will be thrills, chills and tears."
Could this be a flashback, some Multiversal madness, or a resurrection for Amell's Emerald Archer? That remains to be seen, but with Killer Frost actress Danielle Panabaker once again stepping behind the camera to direct, Green Arrow's return is definitely in good hands.
The Flash's final season, which is expected to serve as a farewell to the Arrowverse, will also feature Batwoman star Javicia Leslie as Red Death and Nicole Maines as Supergirl's Nia Nal/Dreamer.
Stay tuned for updates.