Arrow has brought in a gallery's worth of terrifying supervillains so far, but none have been as downright chilling as former friend turned psychotic enemy Slade Wilson. While actor Manu Bennett has left the show, star Stephen Amell surprised the audience at the Wizard World Comic Con in Louisville by sharing a tantalizing tease that Slade’s influence is not altogether lost for the future of the series. Here’s what Amell had to say:
I’m gonna drop a spoiler. I would say that if you’re looking for iconic fights, that there might be a fight coming up with another Wilson.
Amell was otherwise tight-lipped on spoilers, but the name “Wilson” is more than enough to get fans speculating. While there’s no shortage of characters called Wilson in the comics, Arrow has already proved more than willing to depart from the source material, and the only other Wilson to be mentioned in the history of the show has been Slade’s son, Joe.
Joe Wilson is hardly the most notable name ever dropped on Arrow. He was only mentioned twice, and even then only in passing. There was no indication of his age or his personality or his feelings about his father, but it’s probably safe to guess that he hasn’t gotten his hands on any Mirakuru to follow exactly in Slade’s footsteps.
Still, Slade was a formidable fighter even without the drug in his system. Joe may well have inherited combat readiness from his dear old dad, and Slade's imprisonment could definitely be motivation enough to come after Oliver. Heck, if Joe managed to get in touch with his father, he’d have motivation to go after Felicity. After all, Slade has vowed to keep his promise to destroy Oliver, and their last encounter ended with Slade asking after Felicity.
Of course, Slade has more desire than just wanting to destroy Oliver to want to harm Felicity. Felicity was instrumental in taking him down at the end of Season 2. If Slade ever escapes Lian Yu and makes it to Star City, Felicity may well find herself in some serious hot water.
Sadly, things are not looking too great for Slade himself to be reappearing the terrorize Oliver or Felicity. Although Manu Bennett did make an appearance in a Season 3 episode, the actor was publicly displeased with how his character was handled. Slade being defeated by an injured Oliver and teeny tiny Thea was definitely a fall from grace from terrifying supervillain, and it’s hard to blame Bennett for wanting to leave Slade behind.
It’s therefore pretty awesome that Arrow managed to casually mention Joe Wilson a couple of times in earlier seasons. Slade doesn’t have to come back himself for a Wilson to take up the mantle of enemy of Oliver Queen. The casual mentions may turn out to be early Easter eggs that will come back with a vengeance in Season 4 and beyond.
Slade keeps his promises, kids, and the Wilson name will carry on.
