Five years ago, Oliver Queen returned home to Star City after half a decade away on remote islands and far off places like Hong Kong in the first episode of Arrow. The fifth season of the CW series is finally catching up to its five-year flashback structure, and lead actor Stephen Amell just teased the end of a journey that’s coming full circle.
On Monday, Amell posted on Twitter a picture of a familiar prop from the very first episode of Arrow: Deathstroke’s mask. In that premiere, Oliver ran past a mask belonging to the villainous Slade Wilson, who went by the codename “Deathstroke.” The mask, which viewers got a glimpse of while Oliver was being rescued, was hoisted on a pike with an arrow through its right eye.
In the tweet, Amell posted a new picture of the old prop with the caption: “Hello old friend.” Another photo, which Amell tweeted a little while later, was of the same rocky shore that Oliver Queen was rescued from.
Manu Bennett’s Deathstroke, who was stranded with Oliver and was the first person to train him how to fight, hasn’t been seen on Arrow in a while. Slade was the major villain of the show’s second season after a complicated love triangle with another stranded survivor, Shado (Celina Jade), in which Slade turned on Oliver and became Deathstroke. Oliver stabbed Slade’s eye with an arrow, and placed the pierced mask on a pike as a sort of trophy, finally explaining what was up with that black and orange mask from Episode 1’s flashback.
It’s unlikely Bennett will return to reprise his role in the new season — Bennett himself has said he hasn’t been approached — but what is likely is that Arrow, which is currently filming the last episodes of the season, is wrapping up five years of storytelling.
Deathstroke's mask, as seen in the first episode of 'Arrow.'
See Amell’s tweet below.
Arrow airs Wednesday nights on the CW.
