Season 5 (Arrow)

On March 11, 2016, Arrow was renewed for a fifth season by The CW. It premiered on October 5, 2016.

Main cast

 * Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/The Hood/Green Arrow
 * David Ramsey as John Diggle/The Hood/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

Special appearance by

 * Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk
 * John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer

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
 * Mike Dopud as Viktor
 * Juliana Harkavy as Tina Boland
 * Lexa Doig as Talia al Ghul

Universe regulars

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

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 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

 * Amell stated that Flashpoint will "majorly" affect season 5.


 * 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 will initially appear in episode 10 and appear in multiple episodes.
 * Laurel Lance will be alive and well in episode 10 and Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with it.
 * In the season 5 finale, there will be a flashback to the scene of Oliver getting rescued from Lian Yu in the Pilot.

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.
 * 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.
 * Talia al Ghul: The daughter of Ra's al Ghul and the half-sister of Nyssa. Worldly and cultured, Talia is an elite warrior who doesn't pick sides but rather creates her own.