Crisis on Infinite Earths is poised to be one of the biggest storylines in the history of the Arrowverse. But it's also coming alongside the series finale of the Arrow, the flagship show for which the shared superhero universe on The CW is named. Fittingly, Oliver Queen himself will feature heavily at the center of the upcoming cosmic crossover, unlike in the original comic.
During an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego with CBR and other outlets, Arrow star Stephen Amell spoke about seeing Oliver rise to such a major role, his thoughts on leaving the series and which character he'd like his to meet.
Season 7 of Arrow ended with Oliver Queen leaving Star City and going into hiding with Felicity. They're able to be happy for a short time before the Monitor arrives. Calling on Queen to uphold his side of the deal they made during the "Elseworlds" crossover, the Monitor leads Oliver to play his part in Crisis on Infinite Earths. The cosmic scales of the story aren't the typical narrative for the street-level superhero, something Amell acknowledges. "Thankfully, it didn't happen in [the second episode]," Amell explained. "The slow, gradual introduction of powers and resurrections and time travel makes Oliver joining the battle of a cosmic being a little more palpable. You never anticipate this stuff. That's why you never say never..."
Amell was adamant the series not forget its roots, even in big moments such as those. With Felicity actress Emily Bett Rickards leaving Arrow at the end of Season 6, there was a chance that the huge events of Crisis could have distracted from her departure. But Amell revealed, "I'm very very grateful. I'm very grateful for the way we ended [Season 7], and how it includes Emily. A lot of that was my pitch. I thought that we had to write to that episode like we're never going to see her character again. And if we're never going to see her character again, then you better give her a goodbye. You better wrap that up. I thought it was cool for fans to realize 'okay, somewhere out there, she's there.'"
As Crisis approaches, more and more former actors from across various DC adaptations have made been announced to join the event. With the numerous guest stars set to appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths are a veritable slew of fan-favorites. This even applies stars like Amell, who have their own dream DC superheroes they want to team up with. Amell revealed, "for me personally, I love Superman Returns. I really hope that Oliver gets to interact with Brandon [Routh's] Superman. On top of working with Tyler [Hoechlin] again.
"I hope Bruce Wayne would show up for some interaction. I know who'd I love to play that character, don't ask me. I'm not going to tell you. Beyond that, there are a couple of characters that I would love for Oliver to interact with. I think Oliver, there's a call-sign for him in the DC Universe and I hope that we get the chance to see him interact with others."
After forming most of the core of the Arrowverse, Amell is the first to admit that he's ready for a bit of a break. "Part of the reason I want to be done with the show is that I have trouble being an aspirational thinker when I'm walking on the set. I give all of myself to it. That's a fancy way of saying I have no idea. What I do know is that I want to get my skin back in the game. I want to read a script and do a part, and hopefully not for 23 episodes."
However, that doesn't mean Amell is ruling out an eventual return to the Arrowverse in some form down the line. "If people ask me, 'is this your last season of Arrow?' Yeah. 'Are you going to be done after 10 episodes?' Yeah. 'Are you ever going to play Oliver Queen again?' If I say no, never, that leaves me no room. What am I going to do if in five years, Grant [Gustin] calls me up and says 'hey, I've got an idea.' What am I going to say? 'No? New phone, who dis?'"
Returning Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak, Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke and Ben Lewis as William Clayton-Queen.