John Barrowman has been a part of the Arrowverse virtually from its inception, debuting as Malcolm Merlyn (aka the Dark Archer) early in the first season of The CW's "Arrow." In that time he's menaced Oliver Queen and his allies time and again, assumed leadership of the League of Assassins, appeared on "The Flash" and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," helped found the Legion of Doom, and even sang. However, now it appears he's saying farewell to Oliver & Co., at least for a while.

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Appearing this weekend at Planet Comicon in Kansas City, the "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood" alum reportedly told attendees he won't be returning to the Arrowverse next season.

The second season of "Legends of Tomorrow" ended with Malcolm Merlyn returning to the present, seemingly ending that storyline. Barrowman signed a deal last summer making him a series regular across all the Arrowverse shows, which presumably covered only his "Legends" run, his guest appearance on the Flash/Supergirl musical crossover and his return to "Arrow," in time for the Season Five finale. His comments will undoubtedly lead to speculation what the end of the season holds for Malcolm Merlyn.

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“He’s going to be a huge factor leading up to the finale,” executive producer Wendy Mericle told CBR last week. “This season is all about legacy, and when Malcolm comes into the story, it’s really rooted as much by necessity from Oliver’s point of view as it is about what Malcolm means to him and what Malcolm means to Thea. It’s a great story, because it’s going to have a lot of action but it’s also going to have this kind of emotional undercurrent that is going to lead to a really big, huge series moment for him. I think it’s a great story to tell, and it’s great stuff for John [Barrowman] to play.”

Airing Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, "Arrow" stars Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey and Willa Holland.

(via Screen Rant)