The end of Arrow draws ever closer, with star Stephen Amell announcing that season 7 has officially wrapped. Starting life as a standalone series, Arrow debuted on The CW in 2012. Over time, however, the show expanded into what's become known as the Arrowverse. Starting with The Flash, and later incorporating both Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, the small-screen DC universe has mastered interconnected storytelling in a fashion not dissimilar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
During 2018's installment of their annual crossover event, titled Elseworlds, the universe expanded even further, introducing Gotham City and setting up a Batwoman spinoff. With Arrow having already been renewed for season 8, fans expected the show to continue alongside it. The news came down shortly afterward, however, that season 8 would be Arrow's last. The series dropped another bombshell soon after, with Emily Bett Rickards (who plays Felicity Smoak) announcing she would bow out with the conclusion of the current season. Rickards has been a staple of the series since the first season. Starting off as a guest star, Rickards quickly turned Felicity into a fan favorite regular and Oliver Queen's primary love interest.
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Posting on social media (as reported by CBR) Amell revealed that it was the end of an era on two fronts. Firstly, on Twitter, he announced that principal photography had officially wrapped on the penultimate season. The message was a short and sweet one, no doubt saving the truly emotional posts for after the 10-episode final season still to come. Over on Instagram, it proved to be a much more poignant and heartwarming affair. With the final day of shooting also serving as Rickards' final day overall, Amell shared a video in which his daughter serenaded his co-star with a song to mark her departure. Both posts can be seen below.
Arrow isn't the only CW show soon to be leaving the network. The Golden Globe-winning Crazy Ex-Girlfriend recently aired its series finale. iZombie will also air its final season in the coming months. Most notably, the long-running series, Supernatural, will wrap-up with its landmark 15th season. Amell recently posted a jovial photo of himself with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki, as they humorously lamented their status as soon-to-be out-of-work actors. Season 7's storyline has heavily featured flashforwards, documenting the future exploits of such characters as Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy), and Rene Ramirez (Rick Gonzalez). As such, given that the future presents them as still operating in Star City, it's expected that they will all be back for the final ten episodes. Recent rumors even suggest that that corner of the universe may live on even after Arrow's conclusion, serving as yet another spinoff.
Speculation will remain rife as to Oliver Queen's ultimate fate, however. Numerous theories currently suggest he'll make the ultimate sacrifice - completing his transition from brutal vigilante to an actual hero. The departure of Felicity no doubt adds credibility to that theory. Any happy ending has been increasingly tied to his relationship with Felicity. With the character no longer on the show, it paves the way for a more bittersweet end to Oliver's arc. Whatever the case, though the looming end of the series has been met with mostly humor and levity, these latest posts mark a turn towards the poignant - for fans and everybody working on the show alike. The end of the show is closer than ever now. As such, the lasts will undoubtedly come thick and fast in the coming months, as the series heads towards its inevitable conclusion.
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Season 7 of Arrow continues with 'Lost Canary', April 15, 2019, on The CW.
Source: CBR