How Stephen Amell Returned as Arrow in The Flash Season 9: Every Theory
Stephen Amell Will Return as Arrow in The Flash Season 9, But How? Here are all theories about how Oliver could return to the picture.
Multiple theories offer possible explanations for Oliver Queen's return to the Arrowverse in The Flash season 9. After months of speculation about Arrow's return for one final appearance, it was finally confirmed that the Emerald Archer will indeed appear in the final chapter of the Barry Allen story. Stephen Amell plans to reprise his role as Oliver Queen in The Flash season 9, episode nine. From the character cameo that started it all. But Oliver isn't just the hero who started the Arrowverse. He personally helped turn Grant Gustin's character into the superhero he is today. His role in Barry's journey makes him a good fit for the final season. What's unclear, though, is how Oliver will be involved with the show since his death. That being said, there's no shortage of avenues the Arrowverse could take when it comes to bringing him back. Here are all theories about how Green Arrow could return to The Flash.
One of the most obvious avenues for Amell's presence in Season 9 is Speed Force. In earlier seasons, it was an easy way for Barry to interact with faces from his past. Since the resurrection, Speed Force has been seen as Nora Allen, but its history of appearing as Barry's love interest has raised questions about its possible use of Oliver's face. While this situation may lead to a heartfelt moment for Barry, it will be a disappointment for those hoping for the return of the real Oliver Queen. That's not quite what was promised either. When announcing Amell's involvement, The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace spoke of "Grant and Stephen saving the world together again," implying that Amell will be doing more than just advising Barry as the Speed Force.
5/5 The Speed Force Uses An Oliver Queen Disguise
Curiously, Amell's cameo coincides with the return of Bloodwork a.k.a. Ramsey Russo. Given Ramsay's ability to hallucinate to fool his victims, Oliver's appearance in the same episode as the Flash season 6 villain has raised some red flags. As Diggle and Wally West are expected to appear alongside the returning Arrowverse A character in Episode IX, it was suggested that Bloodline was behind it. From a narrative standpoint, Bloodwork's use of Barry's relationships with Wally, Diggle, and Oliver to manipulate him does make sense. But by the same token, Oliver's return as Speed Force would have been problematic, and it wasn't the most appealing option.
4/5 Oliver Queen Appears As A Hallucination
The mistakes of previous seasons taught Barry a lot about the dangers of time travel, but that didn't stop the concept from being used repeatedly as a plot device throughout the series. For some reason, Grant Gustin's Barry Allen may find himself reliving moments from his life. If true, it would explain why Barry meets Wally, Diggle, Oliver, and Bloodwork in one episode. If his situation is desperate enough, Barry might be willing to risk the consequences to ask for help from Oliver in the past. Moving in this direction might be the only way for the Arrowverse to get a proper team-up between The Flash and Arrow in Season 9. will find a good It is possible to be very different from the past that many people remember. It's worth noting that the rebirth of the multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths led to a number of changes in Oliver's history as Arrow. For example, Moira Queen and Tommy Merlyn never died, and Diggle had two children. The Arrowverse hasn't had a chance to explore Oliver's altered backstory yet, but a time travel story with Green Arrow will make season 9 possible.
3/5 Barry Travels Back In Time
The Flash has avoided doubles and alternate universes since "Crisis on Infinite Earths", but certain developments prove that they still exist in the multiverse. At the end of the crossover, it was revealed that the only other Earth in the new multiverse host character was from other DC shows, but the Superman & Lois season 2 finale confirmed that Earth-Prime didn't exist on its own. Since Superman & Lois takes place on a copy of Earth-Prime, it's not out of the question that there are more of them out there. One could be a timeline in which Oliver Queen is alive and active as Arrow.
Evidence supporting the alternate timeline theory is the apparent inclusion of Red Death. Collection photos have been sent Apparently, The Flash season 9 will bring back Batwoman's Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) as the gender-swapped Red Death. In the comic books, the Red Death is an evil Batman doppelganger who steals the Speed Force from Earth's Barry Allen and goes to war with the Justice League. These photos provide evidence of two versions of Batwoman fighting each other, making it more likely that an alternate timeline story will occur. If so, The Flash season 9's Oliver Queen could be from Red Death's Earth.
2/5 Barry Meets A Green Arrow Doppelganger
Arrow did die in "Crisis on Infinite Earths", but it is possible that the Ghost lives on. Oliver morphs from DC Comics into a classic cosmic entity in time for his final showdown with the Anti-Monitor in a crossover event. When he resurrected the multiverse, the ghost's essence may have been reconstituted elsewhere in the multiverse. A recent comic tie-in with the Arrowverse states that this is Specter's post-Crisis fate.
As for how Oliver's becoming a ghost in Season 9 fits into the Arrowverse timeline, Oliver's being alive isn't a problem at all in some capacity. It's no secret that he'll be reunited with Felicity in the afterlife in 2040, so The Flash can use Ghost freely in modern-day storylines without taking back or spoiling the Arrow series' finale. After years of working with Barry, he can still get a happy ending in Felicity. In this case, of course, the ghost can appear in season 9. But to involve someone of the power level of Specter would be a huge threat to the universe.
1/5 Oliver Queen Returns As The Spectre
NEXT: The Flash Brings Surprising Frost Reforge for Season 9
