The CW's longest running DCTV series, Arrow closed out its fifth season with a bang -- literally. While Team Arrow managed to take down Prometheus, the victory came with a price, though fans have yet to learn exactly who didn't make it off the island alive.

What we do know is that Oliver and his son William were safely on a boat when Prometheus’ explosives detonated (not that we'd expect wither of them to be killed in the first place). We've also seen plenty of footage of characters like Felicity, Wild Dog and others alive and well in Season 6, though the revelation that Arrow's use of flashbacks isn't quite over yet does manage to throw even their well-being in doubt.

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In tonight’s Season 6 premiere, we'll finally learn who lived, and who died. Ahead of those revelations, however, CBR spoke with showrunner Wendy Mericle about what she and the rest of her crew have in store for Team Arrow in Season 6. While she wouldn't offer so much as a clue regarding which character met their final fate, Mericle was more than happy to discuss the possibility of seeing Black Siren achieve some level of redemption this season, and hoe excited she is for Roy Harper to return n to Star City. And, she promises, fans can expect a definite answer to a question that's been haunting Oliver and company when the show reveals Vigilante's secret identity once and for all.

CBR: In what ways is Oliver picking up the pieces in the aftermath of his showdown with Prometheus and the island exploding?

Wendy Mericle: The last time we saw Oliver, he was standing on this boat with his poor son, William, watching everybody he loves possibly go up in flames. It’s very much where we pick up in the premiere. We’re going to see that exact moment. We’re going to come back to that. We’re also going to jump the normal amount of time. We’re going to pick up the island in flashbacks. We are going to see where Oliver is in Star City, as well. We’re going to get the benefit of seeing him in both places, psychologically, emotionally and physically. This season is very much, especially in the first half, about picking up those pieces and the fallout from that. Prometheus left a big trail of destruction in his wake.

Dinah Drake suits up in some snazzy new threads. What does the Black Canary mantle mean to her, and what are some of the obstacles she faces in embracing that identity?

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In the writers’ room, we wanted Dinah to feel like a full-fledged member of the team. Having those new threads, it’s a symbol that she’s really come into her own as a vigilante and as a member of the team. Last season, by design, she felt like part of the team. She was new and had a big ax to grind. She had come in a dramatic way. She wasn’t fully herself when we met her because she was on this mission of revenge and down this dark rabbit hole. That’s not who she is any more. We’re going to see Dinah having a little more fun, and also have the fun of seeing someone who is a vigilante, but also a cop. Having somebody in the SCPD in that role is something we haven’t done in the show before. We’re thrilled about seeing her in both worlds.

Oliver believes Black Siren is capable of redemption. He’s been down that road before. However, what does Black Siren want?

Black Siren is such a great, complicated character. It’s fun to have Katie Cassidy back on the show. She’s done an amazing job with that character. For her, we have gone down that road in terms of redemption. I think the difference here is she may be the Earth-2 Laurel, but she is still Laurel. It’s really a question of Laurel inside this version of Black Siren, drawing her our and seeing if that’s truly who she is. This season is really about parenting and family. One of the things that Oliver is going to be exploring is the question of nature versus nurture. Why is Laurel from Earth-2 so evil, when Laurel on Earth-1 is not? We will answer that question through the course of the season and figuring out if she really is incapable of redemption. We don’t answer that for quite a while.

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Where is Felicity’s head about Oliver and Team Arrow once the dust settles?

Well, I don’t know if she made it off the island.

Fair enough. Oliver recruited Deathstroke in the fight against Prometheus -- are they now frenemies? Does Oliver owe him one?

I don’t think he owes him one. Slade killed Oliver’s mother. Slade has a long way to go before he has any pull. I do think what is interesting about the relationship and the dynamic is that Oliver can never fully trust Slade. Slade is who he is and he’s never going to be fully trustworthy. Oliver enlisting him in the defeat of Prometheus is just the beginning. Speaking of redemption, if Slade ever has any hope of that, he’s got a long way to go with Oliver.

Most of Arrow’s opponents get physical with him. It’s difficult to imagine Michael Emerson trading blows with Arrow. What makes Michael’s top-secret character a worthy adversary?

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He’s super-smart. He’s one of the most intelligent villains we’re going to have on the show. Michael Emerson himself just brings this level of malevolence, intelligence and unpredictability. He’s not physical, and he’s not able to hold his own against Green Arrow or anyone who survives the island. But, he can do things in an unpredictable way. The show has been on for five seasons and we wanted to change it up in Season 6. We were looking for someone who could do things, who could wreak havoc and commit crimes and cause problems for Oliver in other ways.

Roy Harper has been M.I.A. What brings him back to Star City?

For us, it’s really going to come down to Thea. We talked a lot in the writers’ room about what Roy has been doing in the years he’s been away from Star City. Right now, the idea that we’re toying around with is he’s gotten himself into some hot water. When he comes back, it’s for a couple of reasons. It’s probably to ask for some help and also because he and Thea have some unfinished business in the relationship department. That’s a relationship that we felt Season 4 played very well and it’s something we’d like to continue and see where we go.

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One of the big themes this year is family. How will William prove to be Oliver’s greatest strength and perhaps his greatest weakness?

One of the show’s stock and trade is to talk about family. Oliver has always been very dedicated to his family. Like Moira in the pilot, she loved him more than anybody in the world, and, yet, she was the one who had him kidnapped and tortured.

For Oliver, he’s never been a father before. He’s known about William. We’re really going to get the opportunity to explore what it’s like for a superhero to be a father and have the joy of that, but, also, the burden of that. It is a liability. If people know about that, the child is vulnerable. That’s not something Oliver is happy about.

What other threats will Team Arrow need to deal with?

What we found really successful in Season 5 was the gritty, keeping things located in the city, keeping whatever the crimes are within Star City and very ground level. We’re going to continue in that vein. There will be a lot of street crime. A lot of guys from the criminal underground are going to be coming at them. But, there are going to be some surprises, too. The big bad of the year is not necessary going to be operating in that world, so they are going to be getting it from all sides.

With everything going on, where does Vigilante fit in?

We’re excited about that. We left that thread dangling in Season 5. We are definitely going to ask the question of who he is and who he is involved with. He won’t make an appearance initially. The reveal of who is he will take everyone by surprise.