With only one day to go until Arrow returns for another ass-kicking season, we still don't know much about the overarching plot of this Season 6 adventure. We need answers to the Lian Yu cliffhanger, as well as how Oliver's life will change (or reboot, if you will) as he adjusts to fatherhood. Amid all of those questions, we've been dying for a glimpse at this season's villains, and it seems that we officially have our first look at the season's two central big bads, as well as Slade Wilson's son. Check out the sizzle reel below.
Arrow is once again about to go dark (even if Oliver himself gets a bit lighter) and there's going to be no shortage of bad guys to punch this year. The first primary villain of the season to appear in this sizzle reel is none other than Richard Dragon, as played by The Walking Dead alum Ricardo Diaz. Described as a wrongfully accused ex-con who wants to take over the Star City criminal underworld, Dragon is a master of hand-to-hand combat who will likely put up a pretty impressive fight against Oliver Queen and his team.
It's also worth mentioning that his quick shot in the trailer shows him holding a mysterious vial of liquid, suggesting that the strange substance -- whether it's a drug, a biological weapon, or something else entirely -- could play a significant role in his upcoming arc as the season gets started.
Then there's fan-favorite Lost actor Michael Emerson, who shows up in the final moments to cap off the sizzle reel. His character has been kept almost entirely in the dark during the leadup to this season of Arrow, and while we still know very little about him, people close to the show have consistently praised his performance as the currently unnamed DC baddie.
Michael Emerson knows how to play creepy, even if he's not meant to be, and he kills it in his brief appearance during this trailer.
Although we don't have too much specified information on the two main villains who show up in this sizzle reel (and Season 6), it's also worth mentioning that we get a pretty good look at Slade Wilson's son Joe as well -- who was teased as earlier as Season 1. Now fully-grown up and played by Liam Hall, the Aussie badass (who has presumably followed in Slade's footsteps) is seen talking to Slade as he explains that he no longer believes in heroes; he just wants to be a winner.
We very much expect to see Joe get a fairly substantial role during one of Arrow's upcoming mini-arcs this season. As played up in the trailer above, Slade Wilson is going to get a two-part episode delving even further into his backstory, and that tale will likely go a long way towards informing what Joe thinks of Slade and his relationship with heroes like Oliver Queen.
Of course, amid all of the newcomers who show up in this trailer, the sizzle reel also helps remind us of specific characters set to return to the Arrow-verse. Namely, we get a few good shots at Vigilante (as well as the hint at his eventual unmasking) as well as a tease of the return of Anarky and Anatoly. Put all of that together, and it looks like Star City is about to become full of bad guys gunning for both Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow this year.
We're coming in hot off of the Season 3 premiere of Supergirl, the Season 4 premiere of The Flash, and the Season 3 premiere of Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow will round out the pack tomorrow night -- Thursday, October 12 -- when The Emerald Archer's solo series returns to The CW at 9 p.m. ET. However, plenty of non-superhero TV shows are coming this fall -- such as Stranger Things Season 2 and The Walking Dead Season 8 -- so check out CinemaBlend's fall TV premiere guide to keep yourself in the loop on all of them!
