After season 4 of Arrow saw Oliver Queen and company suffer a horrible loss at the hands of Damien Darhk, the series’ fifth season has changed the team dynamic. While John Diggle recently rejoined the team - after a brief stint in military prison - Oliver’s sister, Thea (played by Willa Holland), has moved away from life as a vigilante. In her place, Oliver has been training a new set of recruits including Wild Dog (played by Rick Gonzalez), Ragman (played by Joe Dinicol), Artemis (played by Madison McLaughlin), and Mister Terrific (played by Echo Kellum).
With no shortage of vigilantes in Star City, Thea has spent most of this season operating as Oliver Queen’s chief of staff, also helping former police captain, and struggling alcoholic, Quentin Lance deal with his grief over the loss of Laurel. While Thea’s new role has helped push the show in a fresh new direction, some fans are wondering whether we have seen the last of her crime fighting days as Speedy.
Willa Holland spoke with fans at this weekend’s Heroes & Villains Fan Fest (h/t Comic Book) where she was asked whether she would be donning the red costume sometime soon. “Yeah, I definitely do! I miss that leather outfit a lot,” Holland said. “I miss being in the Arrowcave. I miss shooting on set all the time!” Holland will next be seen in the red Speedy outfit during the massive ‘Invasion’ crossover, which just happens to occur simultaneously with Arrow’s milestone 100th episode.
Holland, though, assures fans the crossover will not be the last time she will suit up as Green Arrow’s sidekick. “The crossover photos have leaked out…You see that I put my costume back on after 8 episodes of not wearing it,” explains Holland. “I have a feeling she’s going to be periodically putting it back on whenever it’s necessary.”
While a big part of Arrow’s much improved fifth season is the presence of some new blood (in the form of the recruits), it is not unexpected that the old team would eventually get back together. As the Prometheus threat grows, Oliver will surely need all the help he can get. While Ragman is undoubtedly an asset (he’s pretty much bullet proof), Wild Dog is still reckless, Mister Terrific is consistently over matched, and Artemis’s trustworthiness is no longer certain after the big reveal that she has a connection to Prometheus.
As Prometheus’s plans continue to take shape, it may get to the point that Thea can no longer sit by and watch when she knows she has the ability to act. She was, after all, trained by a former Ra’s Al Ghul (no matter how much that may annoy fans). While it is unknown when Thea will suit up in later episodes, fans can still look forward to Speedy in the upcoming crossover.
Arrow continues on November 30 with its 100th episode, which is also part of the ‘Invasion!’ Arrowverse crossover event.
Source: Hereos & Villains Fan Fest (via Comic Book)
