Let’s Discuss... Predictions for 'Arrow' Season Seven

As a game changing twist at the end of season six, Oliver Queen outed himself as Green Arrow and was placed in a super-max prison to carry out, what I imagine to be a life sentence.

But now for the fun. Let’s think on what this shift in the the show’s direction will give us.

Escape from Super-Max?

Oliver mentioned in the season six finale that he was being placed in a super-max prison. Now, cast your minds back. Many moons ago there was a film in Warner Bros. pipeline named Green Arrow: Escape From Super-Max. The story was to have Oliver Queen incarcerated and then team up with numerous DC villains to escape. Some will probably think that this will happen to please those fans who were saddened that the film’s development fell apart. But me? Nu-uh.

If the writers went down that route, it would make me think too much of The Flash’s The Trial of The Flash storyline during its current season. It saw Barry Allen go to prison and then team up with some old foes to escape. Let’s not repeat, CW.

What do I predict will happen? The FBI will struggle keeping Star City under control because they don’t know enough about how the city works in the criminal world. Their solution? Oliver Queen. I don’t think they’ll just set him free, I assume they’ll have him under a Suicide Squad-type contract where he can go out as Green Arrow to defend Star City on missions but must then return to prison. It allows Oliver to carry on interacting with the rest of the cast and it keeps Oliver in an interesting and new scenario. Oliver said going on the run wasn’t a possibility, so this seems like the best solution for the show to keep things interesting.

Diggle takes the Green Arrow mantle... again.

During the montage of season six’s finale that showed every characters situation after Oliver handing himself in, you know you saw Diggle’s eyes dart towards the spare Green Arrow suit Oliver presented to him earlier in the episode.

Oliver presented it to him saying there can be more than one Green Arrow. Though he gives various reasons as to why there can’t... he then has the suit with him at ARGUS. Oliver is in prison now. Star City needs a Green Arrow. Diggle is more than suitable to carry on the hero duties for now. Maybe this could add in the ‘who is Green Arrow?’ storyline the show has carried for years, this time shifting the mystery on to Diggle.

Return of the Dragon

Diaz survived. We know he was in cahoots with a particular group during the finale. Assumingly, they’re the ones who plucked him out of the river that Earth-Two Laurel sent him soaring into.

The question is, how long will Diaz be around for? Surely he isn’t the Big Bad of Season Seven. I’m all for changing things up to keep the show fresh but having the same villain for two seasons? No. Merlyn worked as a lower end villain in seasons three and four after being the main villain of the show’s opening season. But Diaz? To me there is only one way forward for him...

Enter The Longbow Hunters

Arrow has a history of name dropping a villain in the season before they appear. This time around? The Longbow Hunters.

Ricardo Diaz name dropped these guys in the season six finale and claimed to be in cahoots with them. A lot of thoughts online say this is the group who Diaz was saved by in the final battle with Oliver Queen.

In The New-52 comic lore, they’re a group of comic villains connected by Diaz with one reason in mind: take down The Green Arrow. Now, some details may differ in the show. We already know that they are a group of killers last heard of in the 1950’s. Since then they’ve been off the radar and seen as a myth. This will be interesting if these guys do turn out to be the villains of next season.

Bad Boy William

William Clayton has had a rough go of it: Brought up only by his mum due to his own grandmother paying her off to leave Star City and tell his father she had a miscarriage. His mum dying due to his father’s enemy blowing up an island. Getting bullied in school. Having to live in his father’s world where he is never safe. Now, his old man is banged up in a high security prison. Yeah, not been easy has it.

Does anyone else feel that William is going to go a tad off the rails next year? It’s not foreign to this show. His aunt Thea well and truly went off the rails for the first two seasons of the show. Maybe when we pick up half a year later, Felicity is struggling to cope with Williams unruly behaviour. Time will tell.

Last But Not Least...

As discussed in a previous article, Roy Harper is back as a series regular next season, and chances are it’s down to Oliver’s admitting he is The Green Arrow.

Many are saying Roy is off the hook now that Oliver has outright said he was covering for him. However, faking your death? Surely there’s more than a welcome home cake for that. Surely there will be an explanation to cover THAT up. Maybe he’ll say he was taken captive for all these years? Or was brought back to life? Or has been on Scream Queens in the meantime, I don’t know!

Whatever we are getting next season, the writers have numerous roads to travel down. The show has started becoming slightly stale, and I’ll admit, season six wasn’t my favourite year of the series. Hopefully, seven brings back something the show skipped for a year: Flair.