Arrow fans, rejoice! The series finale is poised to hit the target thanks to the return of one of the most significant characters in the history of the series: Felicity Smoak. Emily Bett Rickards, who seemingly ruled out coming back to Arrow after making her dramatic departure in the Season 7 finale, will reprise her role as Felicity for the final episode of Arrow's shortened final season.
News of Felicity's return doesn't come by rumor or leaked set photos, either! The Green Arrow himself took to social media to share the news. Check out Stephen Amell's Twitter post:
There you have it! Stephen Amell's tweet suggests that he wanted to get ahead of spoilers that are bound to leak as Arrow films its series finale, which has started production. The return of Emily Bett Rickards almost certainly would have been spoiled sooner rather than later.
After all, huge Arrow-verse events have been spoiled in the past, including the death of Laurel Lance and the double marriage of Oliver/Felicity and Barry/Iris, both of which filmed outdoors. Even Grant Gustin's new Flash suit was leaked online before an official reveal. Now, there is official confirmation of more Felicity. Thanks, Stephen Amell!
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Personally, I'm guessing it'll be a while before we get much more in the way of hard details on the official front. Arrow has barely begun airing its final season, and Arrow-verse news is likely to be dominated by "Crisis on Infinite Earths" teases rather than the last episode of Arrow for now. This may confirm that there will be no Emily Bett Rickards cameo in "Crisis," which makes her one of few superhero show alums who seem to not appear in the mega crossover.
The odds do seem pretty good that Felicity will have a significant role in the series finale, if attempts aren't even being made to conceal her return. Shows have managed to find ways to conceal huge plot twists in the past, with the return of Ziva in the NCIS Season 16 finale as just one example. Unless Felicity appears in one scene and it happens to film outdoors, then Arrow might have been able to keep a lid on her return.
Then again, if anybody even spotted Emily Bett Rickards in Vancouver, news would start to circulate. Lucifer star Tom Ellis only had to appear in Vancouver while "Crisis on Infinite Earths" was filming for rumors to start flying that he was going to play the Devil in the crossover. (He has since debunked these rumors.)
Fortunately, Arrow didn't really write Felicity out in a way that 100% means she can't come back without some serious retroactive continuity. She was alive and well when she met up with The Monitor to join her husband after their long separation in the flashbacks at the end of Season 7, and Team Arrow (other than Oliver, it seems) has been in contact with her while she's in hiding with baby Mia. There are ways for Arrow to bring her back without changing the Season 7 canon.
That said, the 2019-2020 season of the Arrow-verse has proven that The Monitor isn't all that he seems, as he's been telling Barry on The Flash some very different things than he's been telling Oliver on Arrow, he's concealing an alliance with Lyla Michaels (although comics fans could have seen that coming), and Oliver just found out that The Monitor may be working to bring about the Crisis rather than prevent it. Could the future be changed?
Arrow did just bring the future Team Arrow to the present, and I for one would be okay with a timeline change that allows Oliver to spent 20+ years with his family rather than separate while his wife raises their daughter alone. And I'm somebody who usually hates it when Flash-esque twists come to Arrow! (Never forget Baby Sara.)
Find out what unfolds ahead of Emily Bett Rickards' return for the series finale when new episodes of Arrow air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
