Warning: spoilers lie ahead for the Season 6 premiere of Arrow, called "Fallout." If you haven't caught the episode yet, you may want to check out until you have the chance to watch.
Arrow has finally returned to the airwaves for Season 6, and we got our answers about who lived and who died following that harrowing Season 5 finale cliffhanger. The majority of the episode followed how Team Arrow picked up in the aftermath of the Lian Yu explosion in the face of an attack by Black Siren and her crew, but it was the very last scene after all the baddies had gone back to the shadows that was the real kicker. Felicity called Oliver to tell him to turn on the news. He flipped on the TV just in time to see a news broadcast announce that the identity of the Green Arrow had finally been revealed in an exclusive photo. That photo is quite clearly of Oliver in the Green Arrow suit without his mask on. After five seasons, Oliver has been outed as the Green Arrow. Dun dun dun!
Of course, the trailer for next week's episode teased that Oliver will be denying that he's the Green Arrow, but it seems quite clear that Oliver won't be getting away with any scapegoats or excuses this time around. The photo of him in the Green Arrow suit is very high quality, and there's no mistaking him. My bet is that once people really start thinking about Oliver and the Green Arrow, they'll realize that one seems to leave a scene right before the other just so happens to arrive. Oliver's secret is out, and it could have major consequences for the rest of the Arrow-verse. Here's how:
Arrow
Well, for one thing, Oliver is probably going to find himself in trouble with a lot of the citizens and even law enforcement in Star City. While some will undoubtedly support him as the hero who helped save the city time and time again, others might object to the fact that their mayor is technically a vigilante killer with a lot of blood on his hands and a whole lot of property damage to his name. Oliver may be the hero of the show, but he's also caused a lot of damage, and most of his activities are against the law. He may have to face what he's done, and that could theoretically cost him his job as mayor. Then again, the reveal that an assistant district attorney was a vigilante didn't result in all of her cases being overturned, so we can't say for sure what kind of legal repercussions Oliver will face.
There's also the point that the reveal of Oliver as the Green Arrow puts everybody in his life in even more danger. While the rest of Team Arrow has acknowledged and signed off on the danger they face, others like Raisa and William haven't. On the upside, maybe Oliver being outed as the Green Arrow means Roy can come back! Yes, Roy was technically supposed to have been killed in jail, but he wouldn't be the first character to come back to the limelight after seemingly being killed, and the whole reason he was in jail was because he claimed to be the Green Arrow to take the heat off Oliver. Colton Haynes is supposed to be returning. Sign me up for more Roy!
The Flash
Oliver has always been famous within the Arrow universe, first due to his status as a Queen and then thanks to his election as the handsome-but-unqualified mayor of Star City. His relationships have been famous, with an episode of Season 4 playing on Star City's obsession with the "Olicity" wedding. He was already famous prior to being outed as a vigilante. Now that Oliver's identity as the Green Arrow has been revealed, many of his relationships will undoubtedly be under close scrutiny. If Oliver goes to visit his pal Barry (or vice versa) and the Green Arrow suddenly teams up with the Flash, people will probably be able to connect the dots, and the secret identities of everybody on Team Flash will be in danger.
The same may even be true for Felicity and the Central City crew. Team Arrow and Team Flash may not be able to interact and team up the way they have over the years so far. Oliver's profile is extraordinarily high, and that's not a good thing for his friends who need to keep their own profiles low. Dynamics are probably going to have to change.
Legends Of Tomorrow
The Legends of Legends of Tomorrow don't have to be quite as cautious with their secret identities thanks to their time travel capabilities, and most of them don't even bother hiding their faces, so a connection to Oliver Queen the Green Arrow might not do any damage to their identities. The Season 3 premiere even featured the Legends giving up on their civilian lives because they needed more excitement in their lives. Oliver might not pose much of a danger to them.
The trouble is that the Legends might pose a lot of danger to Oliver these days. Now that all of Oliver's identities are very public, even minor changes to his timeline could have significant consequences to any and all around him. More eyes than ever are going to be on him, and his life probably shouldn't be tweaked in time. The Legends might need to keep their distance from Oliver as well.
Supergirl
Supergirl is the one show in the Arrow-verse that might not be affected by the reveal that Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow. The action on Supergirl takes place on Earth-38, whereas Oliver and Co. are in action on Earth-1. Kara's life in National City won't be changed by the bombshell that the mayor of Star City on Earth-1 is a vigilante who has been killing bad guys off and on for half a decade.
That said, it's possible that Oliver could use his position as Green Arrow/mayor to encourage Earth-1 discussions about welcoming alien life. If Oliver can vouch for Supergirl as a counterpoint to the Dominators who wreaked havoc in last year's crossover extravaganza, perhaps he could usher in an age of welcoming aliens to the planet. I'm not sure that it would be a good idea to introduce aliens on Earth-1 on a regular basis, but at least Oliver using his position as superhero mayor could make the world a better place in an entirely unique way.
Only time will tell. You can catch new episodes of Arrow on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. The other superhero action takes place earlier in the week, and you can find the days you need on our fall TV guide.
