'Arrow' Season 8: Here's our pick of who will inherit Oliver's mantle as the new Green Arrow post 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'
When 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', the Arrowverse’s upcoming grand crossover event finally comes to screens, one hero will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save every world. Everything we know so far points to Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), the Green Arrow, being the one to take one for the multiverse. While this would be a fitting end for the hero, who kicked off the Arrowverse and proved that superheroes can work just as well on TV as on the big screen, Oliver’s demise brings up an important question: Who will take up his mantle as the protector of Star City?
Over the course of 'Arrow's seven-season run on television, we have been introduced to a number of people who would be eligible to wear the Emerald Archer’s iconic hood. Some of them, like Season 7’s Emiko Adachi (Sea Shimooka), are already dead while others are yet to be born. That said, here are the top three contenders for the title:
The Loyal Partner
John Diggle (David Ramsey) has fought beside Oliver since his very first season and has worn the hood in the past which makes him a serious contender for the position. Diggle has demonstrated the fighting skills and the heroic spirit necessary to become the Green Arrow. While it would be so much cooler to see Diggle become the Green Lantern, something that was teased during the ‘Elseworlds’ crossover event, nobody can deny that he deserves to inherit his friend’s heroic legacy.
The Future Daughter
Katherine McNamara's Mia Smoak was pretty much the highlight of season seven's flash-forwards to the abysmal future where Oliver is no longer around to protect his city. She is a formidable fighter trained by Nyssa al-Ghul herself and she has already proven her prowess with the bow, the Green Arrow’s signature weapon. The Monitor has hinted that she will one day become a great hero, so it makes sense that she might do so while carrying forward her father’s name and memory.
The Once and Future Green Arrow
Connor Hawke is our favorite to earn the title of Star City’s protector for a number of reasons. For one thing, he already has, at least in a possible future shown on the Arrow spinoff series ‘Legends of Tomorrow’. Diggle’s adopted son popped up again in Season 7’s future world, this time minus the hood and the arrows. In the comics, Connor is the second Green Arrow so there is already plenty of reasons why he deserves the title. With Joseph David-Jones, the actor who plays Connor, having been bumped up to a series regular position for the final season, it’s starting to look very likely that he may be the one ultimately destined to take up Oliver’s title.
Of course, we don’t yet have a definite idea about how Season 8 will play out. Whether Oliver really does bite the bullet and pass on his title to a successor is something we will only know once the new season comes out. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and watch for updates on the Emerald Archer’s final season.
'Arrow' season eight premieres on The CW on October 15, 2019.