Arrow: Who is in the grave?

Damien Darhk

Hang on, get ready for a curveball. Could the grave Oliver is standing over actually be that of this season’s most dastardly villain? Seems like a long shot, but here me out.

The chilling ending to the trailer shows Oliver vowing that he’s “going to kill him.” We assume that the “him” in that statement refers to Darhk, who the Green Arrow furiously hunts down throughout the trailer before finally engaging him in battle. Presumably it’s Darhk that kills someone close to Oliver, setting him on a rampage intent on revenge, but what if it’s actually Oliver that kills Darhk? Perhaps with a push from one Ra’s al Ghul.

Oliver has come a long way from the man that he was when the series began, when he was merely a vigilante content with killing the scum that was causing his city to rot. In an effort to clean up his image in order to be viewed as the hero he wants to be, the Green Arrow no longer commits acts of murder. See, he is a good guy!

But what if the morally vacant Malcolm manages to convince Oliver that the only way to stop Darhk is by killing him? Even if the Green Arrow were to succeed in doing so to save the day, it’s a decision that would haunt Oliver in the aftermath of their battle. Reverting to his old ways of killing could unleash a more ferocious side of the Arrow as he struggles to fight the urge to kill again. This could set him off on a path to seek revenge on Malcolm, who he blames for making him abandon his moral code.

This would set up a new plot line where Oliver battles his inner demons in a fight for his soul. Along the way he would inevitably end up pushing those closest to him away, which would explain why he was alone at the funeral before Barry showed up to check on him – at which point Oliver tells him that he wants to be, yup, left alone.

In this scenario, Oliver isn’t getting teary eyed over the loss of his adversary, but instead is struck with grief over losing himself.

Too far fetched? Probably, but if the writers really wanted to throw us a twist, this would be an interesting way to do it.

Next: Felicity Smoak