Why Oliver Queen Should Out Himself As Green Arrow in Season Six Finale

For those who have been watching Season Six of the show, or the show since day one to be honest, you know that Oliver Queen has sometimes struggled with keeping his identity as a vigilante a secret. Seasons One and Three have seen Oliver have to cover up his identity as Star City’s (or Starling City’s) hero, one of those incidents causing Roy Harper, Oliver’s trusted sidekick, to take the wrap at one point and fake his death.

But the latest season has given Oliver his greatest challenge in covering up his identity yet. Being Mayor at this point, and having an edited photo of himself in his Green Arrow getup without his hood and mask, has caused the FBI to bring an impeachment his way to remove him from office and prosecute him for his activities as The Green Arrow.

A lot of people may think it would be a mistake for Oliver to give up fighting the world and just say who he is, some seeing it as too much and some seeing it as a copy of what Justin Hartley’s Green Arrow did in Smallville. But hey, on the flip side...

It’s the game changer we’ve been waiting for.

Those of you who keep track of what the cast says in interviews will know that Stephen Amell is usually vocal about where he’d like to see the show go. Amell was once quoted as saying he’d like to see Oliver have his "I am Iron Man" moment. This is, of course, in reference to Tony Stark’s identity reveal at a press conference in the first Iron Man film.

Add this to the fact that the Showrunners of Arrow have said this year’s season finale will be a "game changer" and they will do something they can never come back from. For Oliver to out himself in public would truly be a game changer they can never come back from. Only time will tell, I guess.

It would give the show a new trajectory.

Each season of Arrow has Oliver dealing with something new. Season Three dealt with him having an identity crisis, trying to balance his lives as Oliver Queen and The Arrow. Season Five dealt with Oliver recruiting a new team and dealing with new personalities whilst he’s out in the field.

What would be interesting is Oliver having to deal with EVERYONE! If Queen’s identity as a vigilante was outted, meaning no more sneaking around and hiding who he really is, it would create an interesting plot. He would certainly be paying for his decision. His son and wife would be a target point for his enemies. There would be split opinions from characters on whether he deserves to rot or he did right by his city. The entire way of how Oliver operates would change forever. Remember, the finale is going to be a "game changer" and something they can’t come back from. Need I say more? There would also be the problem of Oliver being outted as a murderer also, dropping many a body since as early as the first episode. Which brings me to...

It would explain the return of Roy Harper!

For you eagle-eyed fans, you will be aware that Colton Haynes is returning to Arrow in Season Seven. This time, though, he’s coming back as a series regular once again. Now as I mentioned briefly before, Harper (due to feeling guilty for killing a cop whilst under the influence of the lunatic-making drug, Mirikuru) turned himself into the police as penance and as a way to protect Oliver with the help of fellow Team Arrow members, Diggle and Felicity.

Haynes left the show for personal reasons, but now the character is being brought back due to Haynes’ issues being cleared up and the showrunners somehow finding a way to bring him back into the show full time. Now I have two theories for this. One, when Oliver outs himself as The Green Arrow, he may also admit to being the "first" Vigilante, The Arrow. By doing this, he erases Harper’s guilt for being that vigilante meaning Harper is a free man, allowed to come and go as he pleases. The only snags with this theory are that Harper is currently on a mission with Nyssa Al Ghul and his lover Thea to rid the world of the remaining Lazarus Pits, and also Harper fakes his death, which could get him in trouble with the police still. I guess the writers will have to throw in that the star-crossed lovers known as Roy and Harper just happened to not work out, and that a lie along the lines of Roy was threatened to leave town by Oliver or he’d kill him was orchestrated. Hmmm. Theory number two, is more of an alternate to theory one. What if when Oliver outs himself and is inevitably thrown into Iron Heights, Roy is nabbed and thrown in as well for his conspiracy in helping cover up Oliver’s identity? It would make a lot of sense. Plus, the season Finale is called "Life Sentence." If Oliver really does reveal he runs around in a hood with a bow and arrow, it seems he will be behind bars by the end of the episode, so theory two is looking likely. Or maybe he returns on the simple note that he wants to help get Oliver out of prison.

On the whole, if Oliver owns up to his activities for the past six years, it's going to throw everything up in the air. Yes, Season Five’s finale kind of already did that in blowing up an entire island and leaving us wondering for six months who survived. But if Oliver owns up, gets thrown in prison and then villains move in knowing he can’t protect the city, imagine the possibilities and excitement of having a six month time jump and seeing what has become of the cast and Star City. Time will tell, I can’t wait for the finale yo!

Happy Nerding!