Given how much the popularity of comic books and their associated characters has started to move into the mainstream, it's perhaps unsurprising that the CW's Arrow took off with the success that it did. The network renewed the show for season 2 long before season 1 was finished, which means that the writers have had plenty of time to set up potential second season plots - they certainly wrapped up season 1 with a bang.

Fans of the show won't have to wait too much longer to find out what happens next, however, as the CW has announced the date on which their top-rated show will return: keep a mark in your calendar for Wednesday October 9th, 8:00-9:00 PM E.T. Here is everything we know (and quite a lot of pure guesswork) about what Arrow season 2 will bring.

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ARROW SEASON 1 AHEAD!

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Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen - DIY First Aid in 'Arrow'

The big shock of the finale - perhaps even more so than the destruction of the Glades - was the death of Oliver's best friend and rival for Laurel's affections, Tommy Merlyn. It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that this will put a wrench in the works (or a metal rod through the chest ... sorry, too soon?) for the two young lovebirds, since not only did Tommy spend his last few minutes saving Laurel's life and revealing that he was in love with her, Stephen Amell has also dropped a major hint that Oliver will not be in Starling City when season 2 begins.

Given the impermanence of dying in both comic books and television (the CW's Supernatural has seen its main characters die so many times that it's become a running gag on the show), many of the characters - both friend and foe - who died in the first season of Arrow could potentially make a return for the second season, but right now a greater amount of interest is being directed towards the question of which new characters from the DC universe might show up.

Earlier this year, producer Mark Guggenheim teased that Oliver would be making a trip to Blüdhaven, the home of Nightwing, but warned that "Nightwing will not be there." This visit turned out to be quite brief, as Oliver only dropped in to rescue Walter from the Dark Archer's clutches, but it nonetheless established Blüdhaven within the Arrow universe, leaving the possibility open for Nightwing to emerge as a character. We also know, based on the words of executive producer Andrew Kreisberg, that there are "two cities [Oliver] will probably never go to" - presumably Gotham City and Metropolis, where the titans of the DC universe reside.

Stephen Amell taking aim in 'Arrow'

Another fact dropped by Amell is that, when season 2 opens, Oliver will probably not be working as a vigilante any more. Since his primary motivation for dressing up and fighting crime was to save his city - the Glades in particular - it's understandable that he'd be a bit dejected after seeing the neighbourhood reduced to rubble. He won't have long to rest, however, as Guggenheim has warned that season 2 will, like the first season, have two big bads, and they will both be very recognizable names from the comic book series.

Where will we find Oliver Queen when season 2 returns? Who will be on his side, and who will be fighting him? More importantly, are people ever going to stop calling him "the Hood" and "the Vigilante" and assign him the proper title of Green Arrow, as suggested by Malcolm Merlyn last season? Tell us your theories in the comments.

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Arrow returns to the CW on Wednesday, October 9th, at 8:00-9:00 PM ET.