Arrow's Cancellation Basically Spoils Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover

The Arrowverse began, naturally, with Arrow, a series currently in it's seventh season of Oliver Queen risking his life as Green Arrow, the vigilante protector of Star City. With the announcement of an eighth season, it seemed Oliver's adventures were far from over, but last week star Stephen Amell shocked fans with the news that the ten episode season will be the final one for the series.

While that may not seem to be an automatic death sentence, it does play into a theory CBR already floated about the hero's fate. We already had our suspicions that Oliver wasn't going to survive Crisis on Infinite Earths, the next Arrowverse crossover, and the revelation that Arrow is coming to an end reinforces our belief that Oliver Queen isn't going to be walking out in one piece.

The Writing On The Wall

Oliver Queen is the original hero of the Arrowverse, which has grown to be far, far more than just a single hero trying to save his city. The universe has produced heroes and villains that operate on a cosmic scale, and threats beyond anything a guy with some trick arrows can fully handle. If anyone were to die in the coming battle, than it makes sense for it to be Ollie finally going up against something that he can't survive.

But it's more than just the cancellation that hints towards his impending doom.

A major subplot running throughout the seventh season of Arrow has centered around a look at the Star City of 2040. Things are not going great for the city in a future where crime runs rampant, a future where Oliver Queen is implied to be dead, or at least to have been missing for years. His children haven't spoken to him in ages, and no one seems to know (or want to admit) what has become of him during the twenty year time jump.

Looking back instead of to the future, and Ollie may have signed his own death warrant in last year's Arrowverse crossover, "Elseworlds." After learning that Flash and Supergirl would be killed in their attempt to save the world, Ollie spoke to the apparently omniscient and all-powerful Monitor, striking a mysterious bargain in order to spare their lives. Ollie seems burdened by whatever information he knows, but refuses to tell anyone about it. Could it be his own foreknowledge of the sacrifice he'll have to make to even the cosmic scales after saving his friends? It would make perfect sense as the completion of his arc from an angry vigilante into a genuine hero.

Dead Star Walking

Stephen Amell has defined Oliver Queen for an entire generation of fans, helping usher in a golden age of superhero television on the CW. It's because of Arrow that the channel currently airs four different shows set in their version of the DC Universe, with a fifth on the way in the form of Batwoman. (Though a DC show, Black Lightning exists in its own non-Arrowverse reality.) The universe has grown to the point where it really doesn't need Green Arrow anymore, and it would be a fitting send-off for the character if he died in the line of duty.

Amell in particular seems to be giving off the impression that Green Arrow isn't heading towards an entirely happy ending. The actor appeared choked up when he released a video on Facebook confirming the end of the series, perhaps knowing it meant the ned of Oliver as well. The shortened season will conclude just in time for Crisis on Infinite Earths, giving the show plenty of time to let the cast have an emotional send-off before letting Ollie go out swinging.

Of course, even death likely won't keep Oliver Queen completely out of the picture. "Something tells me, even when I'm done, I won't be gone," Amell said during the Facebook video, hinting at another version of the character appearing from an alternate universe, or perhaps even a resurrection for the original.

Given how big the Arrowverse has gotten, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Oliver play a role in the remaining series in some manner. But between the shortened episode count, the show's current focus on Star City's future without him, and the still-secret ramifications of his "Elseworlds" bargain looming over him, it's looking more and more like he's not going to survive "Crisis on Infinite Earths."

Airing Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW, Arrow stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Colton Haynes as Arsenal, Kirk Acevedo as Diaz and Katie Cassidy as Black Siren.