Season 5 (Arrow)

On March 11, 2016, Arrow was renewed for a fifth season by The CW. It premiered on October 5, 2016. It takes place in conjunction with Season 3 of The Flash and Season 2 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

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
 * Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt/Mister Terrific
 * Josh Segarra as Adrian Chase/Vigilante
 * Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance

Recurring cast

 * Colton Haynes as Roy Harper/Arsenal
 * Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog
 * TBA as "James"
 * TBA as Prometheus
 * Madison McLaughlin as Evelyn Sharp/Artemis
 * Chad L. Coleman as Tobias Church
 * Tyler Ritter as Billy Malone
 * Carly Pope as Susan Williams
 * David Nykl as Anatoly Knyazev
 * Joe Dinicol as Rory Regan/Ragman
 * Dolph Lundgren as Konstantin Kovar
 * Wil Traval as Christopher Chance/Human Target
 * David Meunier as Ishmael Gregor
 * Juliana Harkavy as Tina Boland
 * Lexa Doig as Talia al Ghul

Universe regulars

 * Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold
 * John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer
 * Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance

Synopsis
''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.''

''Newly appointed Mayor Oliver Queen finds himself challenged as he fights on two fronts for the future of Star City. With Diggle back in the military and Thea adamant about hanging up her hood as Speedy, Team Green Arrow is down to just Oliver and Felicity – but they’re no longer the only vigilantes in town. Green Arrow’s public defeat of Damien Darhk at the end of Season Four has inspired a new crop of masked heroes to step up and defend the city, though their painful inexperience makes them obstacles, rather than allies, in the field. The arrival of a deadly new adversary will force Oliver to confront questions about his own legacy, both as mayor and as the Green Arrow.''

Confirmed plot points

 * There will be a crossover between Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow in December 2016, with one episode from each series acting as a chapter in a four-part story. The plot for the crossover will be an adaptation of DC Comics' "Invasion!" story event from the late 1980s. In keeping with the source material, the villains of the television event will be an alien race known as the Dominators.
 * Arrow 's will be the 8th episode in the season, and the 100th episode of the series overall.
 * Kara Danvers/Supergirl is confirmed to appear and play a major role during the crossover.
 * 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.
 * 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."
 * The main villain is a direct result of Oliver's actions when he returned to Starling City at the beginning of the series.
 * Talia al Ghul shall appear in 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.
 * Christopher Chance/Human Target: A professional bodyguard and master of disguise who assumes the identities of those targeted by assassins, the character (aka Christopher Chance) will appear in Episode 5 when he takes on a new client: Mayor Oliver Queen.
 * Ishmael Gregor: The slick and intimidating Pakhan (“Godfather”) of the Bratva, whom Anatoly reports and takes a special interest in Oliver Queen.
 * Tina Boland: A detective formerly of Central City. Boland is brash yet tactful, tough, speaks her mind, and is not the easiest person to impress. She also has a problem with vigilantes like Green Arrow and his new team of recruits: Wild Dog, Artemis, Curtis Holt and Ragman.