Fans are still mourning Thea’s departure from Arrow and the show has already found her replacement. Oddly enough it’s Roy … who left with Thea to destroy Lazarus Pits with Nyssa al Ghul.
On Monday, it was announced that Colton Haynes will be returning to recently renewed Arrow as Roy Harper for the upcoming seventh season. In fact, according to Variety, he will be a series regular.
The executive producers are welcoming Haynes back with open arms. “While we’ve always enjoyed Colton’s returns to the show, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him return as a proper series regular, and we’re very excited about all the creative opportunities Roy Harper’s return affords us,” they said in a statement.
Haynes made his debut during the show’s first season as troubled teenager Roy, who became a love interest for the young Thea Queen. After an upgrade to series regular, Roy become The Green Arrow’s sidekick and took up the mantle of Arsenal. The character made his exit during the third season by faking his own death and leaving Star City.
'Arrow'
Since Haynes’s exit, he has made several guest appearances, including an arc that ended with Thea’s departure.
While Arsenal fans may be happy about his return, shippers of him and Thea are scratching their heads. Roy’s return seemed to be a nice touch to Thea’s exit story, but his returning to Star City raises the question about Thea’s status. The status of their relationship, mission to destroy Lazarus Pits and the young couple’s relationship is all up in the air. The Variety report does include the fact the network did not comment on Holland’s Season 7 status.
With the addition of William, new Team Arrow members, and Thea’s exit, there’s a lot of new on Arrow. Roy’s return is a nice reminder of days past.
Arrow airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. Eastern on The CW.
