Season 5 (Arrow)

On March 11, 2016, Arrow was renewed for a fifth season by The CW. It will take place in conjunction with season three of The Flash, and season two of DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Official description
''After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the North China Sea. He returned home to Star City, bent on righting the wrongs done by his family and fighting injustice. As the Green Arrow, he protects his city with the help of former soldier John Diggle, computer-science expert Felicity Smoak, his vigilante-trained sister Thea Queen, former police captain Quentin Lance, and brilliant inventor Curtis Holt. But sinister players with a connection to Oliver's past will push the team to its breaking point, threatening everything Oliver's worked for and his legacy as the Green Arrow.''

Main cast

 * Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
 * David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan
 * Willa Holland as Thea Queen/Speedy
 * Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak/Overwatch
 * Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance/Detective
 * Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt/Mr.Terrific
 * TBA as "James"
 * Josh Segarra as Adrian Chase/Vigilante

Recurring cast

 * Colton Haynes as Roy Harper/Arsenal
 * Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog
 * TBA as Derek Zaba
 * Madison McLaughlin as Evelyn Sharp/Artemis
 * Chad L. Coleman as Tobias Church
 * Tyler Ritter as Detective Malone
 * Carly Pope as Susan Williams
 * David Nykl as AnatolyKnyazev

Universe regulars

 * John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer
 * Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance

Guest Star

 * Cody Rhodes as TBA

Confirmed plot points

 * Laurel Lance's final words to Oliver Queen (what she needed him to promise her), never seen in, will be revealed in this season premiere.
 * The flashbacks are poised to be more engrossing and focused. Also, the flashbacks will reveal how Oliver got his Bratva tatoo, and how he learned to speak Russian.
 * There will be a four-way crossover between Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow in December 2016.
 * While Stephen Amell has admitted that he does not know if the season two finale of The Flash will impact the plot of Arrow going forward, he has said on several occasions that the show will be taking a grounded approach in its fifth season, stating that, "Arrow is at its best when we're dealing with problems in Star City. We're not a time-travel show, we're not a multi-Earth show, though obviously [we do that] with crossovers and stuff like that. We're Arrow, we deal with Star City, and I feel like we'll be better off focusing on that."
 * However, Amell later stated that it will "majorly" affect season 5.
 * John Diggle/Spartan will get a new helmet in this season.
 * Madison McLaughlin will return as Evelyn Sharp who will take on the mantle Artemis in the 2nd episode.
 * Oliver Queen will get a new Green Arrow suit, which will be "a slightly modified version" of the current design, this was revealed in the trailer that the suit was added sleeves..
 * A character who has not been seen in 2 full seasons will make an appearance..
 * Stephen Amell said that the season premiere will have the most violent fight in TV history, and it will be him shooting it, not his stunt double.
 * Stephen Amell's former rival and former WWE star Cody Rhodes will make a guest appearance in episode 3.
 * Rory Regan/Ragman will appear in the second episode.
 * The big bad of the season will be Prometheus, although he isn't the DC created character and instead a separate creation who will fit into the theme of "legacy".
 * Stephen Amell said that the season is very 'patient' and that they are "taking their time, so everything can go crazy in the second half of the year."
 * Curtis Holt will get his hero suit by the end of the season.
 * The main villain is a direct result of Oliver's actions when he returned to Starling City at the beginning of the series.

Confirmed new characters

 * "James": An "irrepressibly charming" contemporary of Oliver's who is described as "a man on a mission" — out as he is to avenge a tragic, violent loss from his own, years-ago past. The character is said to "just as easily shake your hand as your best friend or break your neck as your worst enemy — and you never know which one is coming. Either way, he's more than capable of having a good time as he does it." As far as Stephen Amell knows, he doesn't have superpowers.
 * According to Wendy Mericle; "This guy is going to be collateral damage who lost someone to the Hood and [has] spent the last several years training and plotting for revenge. He will be a true dark mirror to Oliver Queen."
 * Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog: A new vigilante in Star City whose reckless and cocksure nature prompts Green Arrow to take him under his wing.
 * Adrian Chase/Vigilante: Star City's new district attorney and an ally of Mayor Oliver Queen, who aims to clean up the streets through the legal system.
 * Derek Zaba: A man of fierce intelligence whose wit and humor belie a person wrestling with deep-seated demons. Derek looks to his Jewish faith to ground himself, having been raised in a devout family, and while usually kind and well-meaning, he also can come off as a physical threat.
 * Tobias Church: An imposing gangster looking to unite the various criminal enterprises in Star City under his own singular command.
 * Detective Malone: A new addition to the Star City Police Department following Captain Lance's departure from the squad last season.
 * Susan Williams: A journalist from nearby Coast City who comes to Star City "looking to make a name for herself" by targeting Oliver Queen for a big story.
 * Rory Regan/Ragman: A man fresh from a loss looking for answers in Star City going by the identity of Ragman.
 * Prometheus: A villain victim to the killing of the Hood seeking revenge. (Possibly the same character as James)