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[Spoiler] Exiting ARROW as Series Regular

Last night’s episode of Arrow was without a doubt one of the biggest and most game-changing of the season. It featured Oliver Queen and Ray Palmer/The Atom teaming up to take on the metahuman Deathbolt, while they and other characters were in the midst of the ramifications of the previous episode. This week’s installment also ended on a shocking cliffhanger which will lead directly into the next episode. Perhaps most significantly, however, this episode marked the departure of a series regular character from the show. Deadline spoke with Arrow writers/producers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim about this unexpected exit.

[WARNING: The Following Contains Major SPOILERS From This Week’s Arrow. Stop Reading If You Have Not Seen The Episode Yet.]

So, at the end of Arrow S3E19, Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) fakes his death in prison and then leaves Starling City to start a new life. His farewell to the rest of Team Arrow was very emotional. While Harper will return in another episode of Arrow this season, he will no longer be a series regular on the show. This development was a result of Haynes’ two-year contract on the show expiring.

Of course, this likely won’t be the last we see of Roy Harper. Talks are underway to have him guest star on The Flash or even the untitled third series, the latter of which will team-up several heroes and villains from this universe. Guggenheim says, “The hope is that he’ll continue to be part of the universe we are building. We love working with his so much. We’ve talked to him about returning to one of the three shows, and if available, he has expressed interest. He is gone but definitely not forever.”

Berlanti says that the crew always knew when Haynes would leave the show, and they were grateful to have him when he was fielding many other offers. “He brought a lot of notoriety and viewership to Arrow when we were growing, and the show wouldn’t be the show it is without him. He is such a talent and such a nice guy, everybody from the crew to the writers were so enthusiastic to have him for the time we had him. We are sad to see him go but excited to see what he does next.” Guggenheim adds, “We were able to deign his arc for the season with the end point in mind. We always knew he would take a heroic stance and redeem himself for his actions. It’s always a blessing when you know where exactly you are going to end up.”



When asked if they considered killing off Roy – a move made for some of the show’s prior series regulars – Berlanti says, “We wanted to do something different. These characters are so young, they represent the next generation of superheroes, and we love the idea of having them just out there. And as a person we like Colton so much, we all would love to see him back. Such a talented, great guy.” The two writers go on to tease the “shocking” season finale.

For the rest of Deadline’s interview with Guggenheim and Berlanti, click the link above. Are you disappointed by Roy Harper’s departure from Arrow?

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WOBAM! Entertainment.