Arrow rejuvenated the superhero genre for television. Sure, there was Smallville as well but Arrow managed to remain popular with fans for eight seasons while simultaneously establishing a universe of interconnected TV shows that was named after the show that launched a thousand spin-offs: the Arrowverse.
Arrow is renowned for its gritty style of drama, and within that genre comes many surprise twists. Sometimes these shocks were executed perfectly and fans were left aghast and in disbelief as one or even two of their favorite characters met an unfortunate demise. However, there were also some twists that everybody could see coming.
Surprising - Felicity Is Paralyzed
During Arrow’s fourth season, a mystery was introduced as it was revealed that a main character would die later on in the season. Throughout Season 4, various hints were given as to who it might be, with the gender of the to be deceased slowly revealed as a female. This led to lots of speculation, and fans were understandably alarmed.
However, despite all the hype, the show lulled viewers into a false sense of security when Felicity and Oliver got engaged, only to have their limousine gunned down by Hive. This was completely out of the blue, and suddenly Felicity’s life was on the line. Although she survived, Felicity still remained paralyzed for the majority of the season.
Saw It Coming - Every Time Shado Returned
Shado was a very popular character during the first two seasons of Arrow. As well as being a formidable warrior in her own right, she and Oliver shared a short-lived but sweet relationship while they were stuck on the island. Unfortunately, near the beginning of Season 2, Shado was killed by Ivo instead of Sara Lance.
Shado’s death had a profound effect on both Oliver and Slade Wilson, but it didn’t stop her (or at least, Celina Jade) from appearing in subsequent seasons. While it was nice to see Shado again, the frequency in which Arrow brought her back became slightly boring and predictable and diminished her original demise.
Surprising - Oliver Goes To Prison
Despite the unevenness, the sixth season of the series managed to throw some fairly major punches. Although it was a shame that Team Arrow was divided for most of the episodes, it was an interesting take on the show. There were some great episodes but there were also others that just didn’t feel right.
In the season finale, Team Arrow teamed up once more to take down Diaz once and for all. However, they needed more than just bows and arrows to defeat Diaz. Hence, Oliver made a deal with the FBI; if they helped him stop Diaz, he would publicly admit to being the Green Arrow and give himself in. It was definitely a major shock for everyone.
Saw It Coming - Sara Isn’t Dead
It’s kind of hard to pinpoint which resurrection we’re talking about here because Sara has died so many times. Her first ‘death’ was when the Queen’s Gambit sank and it was made to look like she had drowned. Her second ‘death’ was weirdly similar. However, her third demise seemed a lot more final.
No matter how many times Sara died, though, she always found her way back to the land of the living. Eventually, just like Shado’s many reappearances, the audience grew weary of finding out that Sara wasn’t actually dead. Of course, we’re definitely glad that Sara is currently alive as she is an integral member of the Legends.
Surprising - Moira Queen Dies
Season 2 of Arrow is widely considered by fans to be one of its best. It has a great villain in the form of Deathstroke, and lots of interesting drama happening in between episodes. Moira’s redemption arc was just one of those ongoing plot points.
In the previous season, Moira had conspired with Malcolm Merlyn to destroy the Glades, thus killing thousands of innocent people. Although she found her conscience and gave the citizens advance warning, the damage was already done. Throughout Season 2, Moira worked hard to get her children to love her again, and just as she had achieved her goal, she was murdered by Slade Wilson to protect her family.
Saw It Coming - Laurel Dies
Just a heads up, there will be a lot of surprise deaths in this list, as it’s something that Arrow does surprisingly well. Unfortunately, Laurel’s death is the exception that proves the rule. In Season 4, the show informed viewers that a major character would kick the bucket later on in the season.
There were several red herrings before that moment, including Felicity’s near-death experience. However, it turned out it was Laurel who Oliver and Barry were mourning in the beginning of the season. This death was tragic, but kind of foreseeable, and it killed off a fan-favorite character in the process.
Surprised - Sara Dies
As we’ve previously mentioned, Sara has ‘died’ quite a lot of times over on Arrow, making it harder for the viewers to take each of her ‘deaths’ seriously. However, when the Season 3 premiere aired, everyone was shocked and heartbroken by the tragic fate of our favorite Canary.
All of the main parts of the episode had been resolved and there was no more major danger to face. Sara had helped Team Arrow once again and had just spoken with her sister. However, no one could see what was coming. Sara was suddenly impaled by multiple arrows and fell backwards off the roof. The sheer audacity of killing Sara in such a brutal manner was completely shocking.
Saw It Coming - Quentin Dies
Clearly, it’s extremely bad luck to have the surname Lance in the Arrowverse, with only the matriarch of the Lance family currently still alive. In fairness to poor old Quentin, he managed to survive a lot longer than both of his daughters, but it was almost inevitable that the Grim Reaper would eventually catch up to him.
Quentin lasted 6 seasons and in that time, he was both an ally and an enemy to Team Arrow. Thankfully, he was more of a friend by the time of his tragic demise. Unfortunately, it was revealed prior to the season finale that Paul Blackthorne was leaving this season and so fans already knew that at least something would happen to Quentin.
Surprised - The Future Becomes The Present
Arrow’s unique episodic format has received decidedly mixed reviews from both fans and critics alike. Initially, in the first two seasons, the flashbacks were pivotal to the plot, explaining how Oliver became the Green Arrow and, rather more crucially, they mapped out Slade Wilson’s path to becoming Deathstroke.
However, after Season 2, the flashbacks became rather redundant. Therefore, in Season 7, they were scrapped altogether and replaced by flash-forwards, which were possibly even worse. The future was so bleak and grim that it was repulsive. However, Arrow rectified this in Season 8, when Mia and her team were sent back to our present day, a twist that literally no one saw coming.
Saw It Coming - Laurel Redeems Herself
The first Laurel we encountered in the Arrowverse was Earth-1 Laurel. She was Oliver’s ex and a fantastic lawyer with upstanding moral principles. She fought alongside Team Arrow as Black Canary until she was fatally stabbed during a run in with Damien Darhk. That wasn’t the end of her appearances in the Arrowverse though.
Laurel’s evil counterpart from Earth-2, also known as Black Siren, came to Earth-1 to wreak have on Teams Flash and Arrow. As a result, both Oliver and Quentin were desperate to reach out to this new Laurel to see if they could save her. As intriguing and tense as this storyline was, there was never really any doubt that Laurel would turn her back on her evil ways eventually.
