'Arrow' season 8: Diggle Lantern, Future Flash and everything else fans would like to see in the series finale
After nearly a decade on the air, 'Arrow' is finally preparing to take its last bow in the fall of 2019. The superhero drama kicked off DC's TV multiverse and has arguably become one of the comic giant's most popular projects, so much so that the multiverse that 'The Flash', 'Arrow', 'Supergirl' and the other DC TV shows occupy has been dubbed Arrowverse by fans.
Season eight will aim to tie off all the loose ends and provide Stephen Amell’s iconic Emerald Archer with a fitting goodbye. It is also set to culminate in the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', the major crossover event of the year for the Arrowverse. Here's a look at all the things fans of the show would like to see in the final season.
A popular fan theory on Reddit suggests that season eight will follow Oliver as he travels across the multiverse with the enigmatic Monitor. Of course, we don’t know how much of the multiverse still exists after 'Elseworlds' but a universe-hopping trip would be a great way to bring back old fan-favorite characters and introduce new versions of the heroes and villains we know and love.
"The next season could possibly the best one yet. Oliver and the Monitor traveling throughout the multiverse in order to stop the crisis. That has so much potential! They could visit alternate earths with cameos from already existing characters (barry, kara, sara, etc.) and characters who have died (Moira, Robert, etc.). (Hoping for a Smallville cameo since its probably the best time for it besides crisis). The show will probably still have some sort of 'earth of the week' structure unless it goes full serialized storytelling with it all building towards crisis. While this episode was really sloppy, the ending really holds a lot of promise." says the Reddit user.
The 'Elseworlds' crossover also dropped a hint that John Diggle might actually be an alternate universe version of the Green Lantern, John Stewart. Fans might finally get a chance to see Green Lantern in the last season, especially if it involves parallel worlds.
The seventh season introduced a bleak future for Star City through a series of flash-forwards. Fans have been divided over the visions of the future with some finding it annoying while others say they would like to know more about how the future (with a dead Oliver Queen and a new Team Arrow featuring the children of the present team) came about.
While there are multiple potential successors lined up for Oliver in the future, the Green Arrow himself is pretty much expected to die in the final season, especially since he doesn’t appear in the future world shown in season seven. If 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' is going to be anything like it was in the comics, it is very likely that there will be at least one permanent death. With the Monitor hinting that Oliver might be the hero who sacrifices his life for the multiverse, the likelihood of his death seems almost certain. But then, there is the Barry Allen of it all.
'The Flash' introduced Barry and Iris' daughter Nora who traveled back in time to prevent her father's disappearance but accidentally ended up accelerating it. Perhaps the season will set up Oliver to die, but then have the future version of the Flash take his place and sacrifice himself to save both the multiverse and his beloved friend.
Another wild card in the mix is Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor. The last time we saw the nefarious villain, he was dead and his corpse was in the possession of the Monitor. Perhaps the new season will see Luthor resurrected as the Harbinger, the Monitor’s herald. In the comics, the Harbinger was Lyla Michaels (the wife of John Diggle) who aided the Monitor during the Crisis, eventually falling under the control of his rival, the Anti-Monitor. While Luthor becoming the Harbinger seems pretty likely, it is just as possible that the position might go to Oliver or even Lyla herself.
One thing we know for sure though is that Emily Bett Rickards' Felicity Smoak will not be returning for the final season. The actress left the show at the end of season seven after appearing on the series since its inception. Felicity's death might just be what motivates Oliver to give up his life. Whatever direction the season goes, fans would love to see the Green Arrow getting the farewell he deserves; even if that means he doesn't get to have a happy ending.
Season 8 of 'Arrow' will arrive October 15, 2019.
