Fair warning: spoilers lie ahead for Episode 2 of Arrow Season 6, "Tribute." If you haven't watched the episode yet, you may want to check out until you get the chance to see it for yourself.
Arrow aired one of its most potentially game-changing episodes to date with "Tribute" as Oliver finally realized that he could not exist as Green Arrow, Mayor Oliver Queen, and William's devoted dad all at once. After he was outed as the Green Arrow in the Season 6 premiere, Oliver and Team Arrow were pulling double duty to try and figure out how his identity was leaked and how he could battle the Bratva incursion in Star City when eyes were on him (including those of an FBI agent). Throw in the fact that William was upset at the idea that Oliver could be killed any time he steps out as the Green Arrow, and Oliver had a full plate.
By the end of the episode, Oliver came up with a big plan that would require major changes to the team. He would step down from his role as the Green Arrow and focus on saving Star City as mayor and taking care of his son, who only has one parent left after the tragic death of his mom. Oliver decided that he would pass the torch (and the green leather) on to Diggle to take on the identity of the Green Arrow savior of Star City. It's a great plan... on the surface. Here are some reasons why it's a plan that's doomed to fail.
Diggle as Green Arrow won't work from a practical standpoint, and not just because he's noticeably bigger than Oliver and has limited expertise with a bow and arrow. Poor Digg was injured in the explosion of Lian Yu and is left with degenerative nerve damage in his dominant hand. He was about to tell Oliver about the problem and presumably bench himself when Oliver broke the news that he wanted to pass Green Arrow onto Diggle. Nobody else on Team Arrow is qualified or deserving of the Green Arrow mantle. Star City needs the Green Arrow and Digg can't be the Green Arrow in the long term; Oliver will need to return to the hood and bow. Besides, Diggle has a son too. Maybe he won't want to risk John Jr. (formerly known as Sara Diggle) losing his father.
We have to face the reality that Oliver probably won't be able to keep himself on the bench. He has always struggled with not being able to jump into action, and that likely won't change just because he decided to be a better father. There's no denying that Oliver full intends to focus on raising William and not risking his life on a nightly basis, but how long can Oliver really keep himself from jumping into danger? He won't be able to just turn that part of himself off, and he'll probably be itching to get back in the field before too long, especially if he finds out about Diggle's problem.
Then there's the fact that his name is Oliver Queen and this show is called Arrow. Even though the change to the title cards for Season 6 indicates that the show will likely have more of an ensemble feeling moving forward, Stephen Amell is the star and Oliver is the main character. Unless Amell is planning on leaving the series, Oliver Queen will not stay out of the field for good. He can work as mayor and name-drop big DC Comics names and bond with his son for a while, but my money is on Oliver back in the hood by the big crossover. Hopefully William won't have to die for it to happen.
To see how Arrow moves forward without Oliver as Green Arrow, tune in to The CW on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
