If you know anything about comic book universes, you know that death is generally only the beginning. That being said, fans of The CW's Arrow still all collectively reeled from the overwhelming shock of the death of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) during the latter half of this season. Although her earlier appearances were less popular with some fans, she eventually solidified her place as a strong member of Team Arrow as the Black Canary. We all were shocked when she died at the hands of Damien Darhk (Neil McDonough), but now it seems that we won't have to completely say good-bye after all.
The San Diego Comic-Con panel for Arrow revealed a number of interesting tidbits about the upcoming Emerald Archer series. However, one of the most notable things to come out of the affair was the reveal by Marc Guggenheim that Katie Cassidy will continue to feature prominently on Arrow. In fact, she will even make her way into other DC series such as The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow well into the coming season. The exact nature of these appearances -- whether they will be through time travel, alternate realities, simple flashbacks or some combination of these -- hasn't been completely explained yet, but we can 100% guarantee that Ms. Cassidy will stick around a little while longer.
It isn't difficult to understand why the producers opted to kill Laurel during the last season of Arrow. Love it or hate it, Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) romantic entanglement with Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) has become a central aspect of the show, and it's something that definitely outshined his initial romance with Laurel during the first two seasons. Beyond that, Oliver already has a platonic, sisterly relationship with his actual sister Thea (Willa Holland), meaning that Laurel pretty much always felt like the member of Team Arrow who lacked a definitive role in Oliver's life.
Just because a death is logical doesn't mean we have to like it, though. We really cannot express how interested we are that Katie Cassidy will continue to have a presence on The CW. In many ways it felt as though Laurel Lance had only just begun to really hit her stride as a character and a hero, and the actress' recent stint as Black Siren showed that she's an incredibly valuable asset even when she's not portraying the Earth-1 Laurel.
Check out Laurel's death scene from the last season of Arrow, below to take a not-so-pleasant stroll down memory lane:
Although we still have quite a bit of time until all of The CW's DC series return, the promise of Katie Cassidy has given us something to mull over. We will bring you more information concerning the Green Arrow's hit series as more details become available to us. Arrow will return to The CW on Wednesday, October 5. Make sure to check out our fall premiere guide for more information related to all of the most highly anticipated TV debuts and check out what we know about Season 5 of Arrow, here.
