Arrow has set its sights on Comic-Con International in San Diego. Stars Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Echo Kellum, Rick Gonzales, Juliana Harkavy and executive producers Wendy Mericle and Marc Guggenheim were on hand to discuss the show's deadly Season 5 cliffhanger, as well as what's in store for Season 6.

"As you can imagine, they were all very excited to hear we're blowing everybody up," Mericle laughed. "We really wanted to wrap up Oliver's story, which was going back to where Oliver started."

"We're not rebooting the show. In fact, we're going to double down on a lot of things that really resonated with people in Season 5," Guggenheim added. "We're going to see a different Oliver Queen... we're looking forward to telling some very different stories."

"He's not the best dad," Amell said of his character Oliver Queen. "My first day on Season 6, and you see a little bit in the footage... it was all with Jack, the kid who plays William... I was really, legitimately nervous... not only was he equal to the task, he exceeded my expectations... to start on episode 116, and to be able to do fun new stuff as Oliver has been a real joy so far this season. But yeah, he's a shit dad."

"Obviously, so excited to be back. It feels like I never left," Cassidy shared. "It's been home, and we're family. It's definitely been pretty easy just getting back int he swing of things. I will say it's interesting, the dynamic between Black Siren and other characters... the different points of view.... it's good."

"When you put on that costume, you can't help but feel like a hero," Harkavy said. "It's a really powerful and a really emotional moment to put on the costume." She added that it changed the way she walked and held herself as soon as she put it on.

"We took the momentum of Season 5 and carried it into the first few episodes of Season 6," Amell said. "My jaw has not dropped when I read a script... it's happened a couple times... the first three scripts that I read are really tight, they're action-packed, they move the story forward, but I feel like we're taking our time... I feel like we've earned that."

"Season 5 was really about building up this team," Guggenheim explained. "We started thinking in terms of a group of villains... we're going to have a few familiar faces, like David Nykl is coming back... He's coming back with a literal vengeance... One of the other members of this villainous cabal is going to be played by Michael Emerson, and we could not be more excited. We are really, really thrilled. You can also expect a really cool announcement about a character whose name is Richard Dragon from the comics, who will also be among our villains we'll be seeing this year... These are characters we'll be seeing throughout the season."

"Arrow is not doing a musical episode," he said, when asked.

Asked about Vigilante's secret identity, Guggenheim said, "You can probably expect that whoever is behind that mask is someone familiar to you."

"The relationship with Quentin has been an important thing to her," Cassidy shared. "What path it leads her down, I think we'll see more of. I definitely think that's something in her world, Earth-2, that will be explored."

Arrow Season 6 will feature a flashback story for Manu Bennet's Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. "He's also coming back for a special two-part episode in the first half of the season, where we're really going to be focusing hard on his character post everything he experience," Guggenheim announced.

A young cancer patient approached the microphone to ask about Amell's "Fuck Cancer" campaign. In response, Amell gave her his necklace, which was made for him by a friend. He told her that he hopes to see her next year at the panel, where he said he will give her something in exchange for getting the necklace back.

Starring Stephen Amell as the Emerald Archer, Arrow returns Thursday, October 12 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW. The series also stars Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Willa Holland and more.