‘Arrow’ Loses Fan Favorite as Series Regular (original) (raw)

The character will return for an additional episode this season.

'Arrow' Loses Fan Favorite Series Regular

Cate Cameron/The CW

[Warning: Spoilers ahead for Wednesday’s episode of Arrow, “Broken Arrow”.]

Team Arrow said goodbye to one of its key members Wednesday.

Colton Haynes (Roy) is exiting The CW drama, which he has appeared on since season one, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He will appear in an additional episode this season.

In Wednesday’s episode, Roy (Colton Haynes) faked his own death in jail, where he was protecting Oliver (Stephen Amell) by taking the blame for being The Arrow.

After turning himself in to authorities, Roy was apparently stabbed to death, but it was all part of a plan he concocted with Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Diggle (David Ramsey). The man doing the stabbing was an ARGUS contact with the skills to stab someone without killing them.

The world now thinks both Roy and The Arrow are dead. This means Oliver can move on with his life without suspicion of being The Arrow. But that also means Roy needs to leave Starling City. He’s off to start a new life with a new identity, and will not be interacting with team Arrow on a regular basis.

“Colton will not be returning to the show as a series regular in Season 4, but will appear in one additional episode this season,” a rep for Warner Bros. TV, which produces the show, tells THR. “Like all characters that exist in this universe, there will always be the potential for him return moving forward.”

Haynes joined the show in a recurring role in the 15th episode of season one, and was upped to series regular in season two, with his rough-around-the-edges Roy Harper quickly becoming a fan favorite.

If Haynes’ exit weren’t shock weren’t enough, Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable) returned in the final moments of the episode to brutally attack Thea (Willa Holland). But he also said an incantation, which opens the possibility for her being healed. Ra’s al Ghul has been attempting to force Oliver to take over his mantle, and this could be the leverage ne needs.

Earlier this year, executive producer Marc Guggenheim said the show would explore the mythology of the Lazarus Pit, a supernatural pool Ra’s al Ghul uses in the comic books to regenerate himself — or even bring people back from the dead. In the show, Ra’s has already used the pit to heal a wound.

Judging by the trailer for next week’s episode, the Lazarus Pit will be in play.

Arrow airs at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays on The CW.

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