Season 6 of Arrow will see Oliver continuing his role as a mentor by channeling his 10 years of experience. After two strong seasons, Arrow lost its way a bit during its third and fourth years as it struggled to redefine Oliver and the world around him. Wisely, the end of season 4 saw the show reset itself a bit, teeing up the strong fifth season. By focusing on Oliver's attempts to train a new batch of recruits while dealing with the threat of Prometheus, the series was able to refocus the narrative and provide some new energy.

When season 6 premieres in October, Oliver will be dealing with the fallout of the season 5 finale. There will be more than death in order it seems, and part of that is likely to come in the form of Oliver reexamining his life. Some of that journey will see him grow closer with his son William. However, for those who loved watching Oliver build a new team, don't worry - that aspect of the character will still be on display.

EW spoke with executive producer Marc Guggenheim about where we will find Oliver in Arrow season 6, and the aftermath of the season 5 finale will help to usher in a new era for the character:

“This season, we’re trying to give you a different version of Oliver. Because of the journey he went on in season 5, he finally got to a place where he was ready to follow everyone’s advice and discard the past and move on with his life. The Oliver Queen that you’ll meet in 601, he’s still the Oliver you know and sometimes love, but he has a different sense of himself."

As Guggenheim states, Oliver finally learning to listen to his friends has helped to make him less secretive and burdened by the weight of what he does. That new outlook will be key moving forward, as some dark times look to be ahead. Still, not everyone will have perished on Lian Yu, and it'll be up to Oliver to help shape them:

"In season 6, I think you’ll see Oliver giving the people in his life the advice for a change. He’s been through five years of being this superhero and he went through five years of hell before that, so he’s got 10 years of very heavy experience to start to bring to bare [sic], and that’s something we’re interested in seeing more of a mentoring Oliver as the various people in his life face their challenges.”

Part of the new season will involve pushing Oliver closer to his appearance in the comics. For one thing, that means a more lighthearted and social conscious hero. Hopefully, Oliver's war with Prometheus will drive him closer to that new direction and see Arrow begin to utilize a bit more humor when telling its stories. After all, the tone will definitely need to shift a bit if we're ever going to see that Arrow/Supernatural crossover.

Next: DC Villains That Need to be in Season 6 of Arrow

Arrow season 6 premieres October 12 on The CW with 'Fallout'.

Source: EW