Team Arrow of Star City is short-handed, which leaves room for Arsenal to make his return.
On Wednesday, Deadline reported that actor Colton Haynes will reprise his role in Arrow of Roy Harper, a.k.a. Arsenal, “for a short arc” this season. Haynes previously left the series in 2014 when his contract expired, though he made a guest appearance in Season 4 in 2015.
In a statement to Deadline, Arrow executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle confirmed the return of Haynes as Roy Harper. “Roy is called back to Star City to help resolve an urgent matter with high stakes for the team,” they said, hinting that Roy’s romance with Thea (Willa Holland) will be revisited in his time back in the show.
“His short visit turns into something surprising when he reunites with Thea and sparks a change in both of their lives that will have long-lasting consequences.”
It is unknown when Haynes’s episodes of Arrow will air.
David Ramsey as "Diggle" (left) and Colton Haynes as "Arsenal" (right) in Season 3 of 'Arrow.'
Right now is a good time for Arsenal to lend a hand. In the Season 6 mid-season finale, Team Arrow was fractured when Mr. Terrific (Curtis), Wild Dog (Rene), and Black Canary (Dinah) left the team, feeling betrayed that “the originals” Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity didn’t completely trust them.
Rumors of Haynes’s return were fueled by Arrow star Stephen Amell. On Monday, Amell shared a photo of him watching old episodes of Arrow that starred Haynes on Facebook, with the caption: “Boy oh boy do I love Colton!!!” Amell’s personable and easygoing Facebook presence is well known, so a random photo of Colton Haynes isn’t out of place from Amell’s daily social media. Still, the post fueled some rumors of Haynes’s return, which now turns out to be true.
After Haynes’s exit, the costume of Arsenal was taken up by Thea Queen, who operated under the name “Speedy,” a childhood nickname lifted from the comics. In the Green Arrow comics, Roy Harper began as the Green Arrow’s sidekick, going by the name Speedy, until he fell to a severe drug addiction which fractured his relationship with his mentor. Years later after he recovered, Roy took up the name Arsenal, and in 2005, adopted the identity Red Arrow.
*Arrow will return January 18 on The CW.
