As filming on Arrow’s final season nears its end, star Stephen Amell suits up in the Green Arrow costume for the last time. Premiering in 2012, Arrow followed the journey of Oliver Queen as he returned following a mysterious five-year absence and embarked on a continued quest to save his city. The action-packed show quickly gained a passionate following and spawned what has come to be known as the Arrowverse. Earlier in the year, however, it was announced that season 8 would be the last.
The plot of season 8 has been kept largely under wraps, though it’s known that the season will tie firmly into the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Airing over five hours, each show in the collective DC universe will join forces in order to halt the multiverse-destroying machinations of The Anti-Monitor. With Crisis expected to be an Avengers: Endgame-level event, the build-up has already begun - with Arrow and The Flash undertaking the bulk of the heavy lifting. Having made a deal with The Monitor, and in spite of being prophesied to conclude with his death, Oliver has so far spent season 8 moving through time and space in order to gather the necessary ingredients for victory. The latest Arrow episode saw him meet Mia Smoak, his grown-up daughter, as she and her own team were brought mysteriously back from the future.
In the wake of that episode, Amell took to Instagram in order to remind fans that the end truly is nigh. Posting with the caption “one last time,” the image features Amell staring at something in the distance and wearing in his Green Arrow costume for presumably the last time. Given the amount of time the titular vigilante has spent engaged in reconnaissance and/or fierce battles on rooftops, it’s especially fitting that this location be one of the final scenes of Oliver suited up. The image has already been celebrated by the episode’s director, James Bamford, who also called it “the best time.” Other cast members also offered their support, urging Amell to make it count. Check out the full image below:
While the Green Arrow depicted appears to be looking toward something, it’s been a time of reflection for the actor - with Amell recently sharing his favorite Arrow season 8 scene. It’s unclear whether this shot is from the actual series finale or will be a part of the aforementioned crossover. Arrow started filming the series finale last week and it’s likely they’re still in production, though it’s no doubt coming to an end soon. Even if the image is from the final episode, however, it will likely not be a shock to see Oliver alive post-Crisis. It was, after all, previously established that while the majority of episodes would tie-in to the highly anticipated shared adventure, the final two episodes would serve as very much a standalone conclusion for the inaugural show and hero.
The episode is still some way off from actually airing, with the traditional Christmas hiatus looming and the finale not officially due until next year. It already promised to be a truly emotional one. The confirmed return of Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, however, will no doubt make it even more so. Not to mention the return of Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance. Though the world is set to continue, with a Mia Smoak-centric spin-off already in the works, many fans will be saddened to realize just how close to the finish line the flagship show actually is.
More: Crisis Theory: Arrow Just Introduced Anti-Monitor
Arrow season 8 continues with “Prochnost” November 19 on The CW
Source: Stephen Amell/Instagram
