Colton Haynes and his character Roy Harper are headed back to Arrow for a multi-episode arc when season 6 resumes. In the early days of Arrow, every nod to the comics was a source of excitement for fans. Since then, the sprawling Arrowverse has lost all shyness about mining its DC Comics source material for new characters and plots (the Crisis on Earth-X crossover is proof of that). However, there was a time when the addition of Roy Harper was a big deal.

Green Arrow's main ally in the comics, Roy Harper has been Speedy, Red Arrow, and Arsenal, as he's drifted across teams and dealt with all sorts of trauma. Arrow changed his story a bit, but still hit many of the same beats - and sure enough, Roy eventually suited up to join Team Arrow. Thanks to Colton Haynes' acting career, Roy has taken multiple hiatuses from the series. Some fans have been hoping to see him show up on Legends of Tomorrow, but the same scheduling issues would arise from that proposal. Luckily, Haynes is always down to return to Arrow from time to time.

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The CW has announced that Colton Haynes will be returning for an undisclosed number of episodes next year on Arrow season 6. His arc will kick off when Roy Harper returns for episode 15 of the season, and executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle are teasing some major implications for Thea as a result:

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“We’re thrilled to announce that Colton Haynes will be reprising his role as Roy Harper for a short arc on Arrow this year. Roy is called back to Star City to help resolve an urgent matter with high stakes for the team. His short visit turns into something surprising when he reunites with Thea and sparks a change in both of their lives that will have long-lasting consequences...”

To most people, Roy is considered the original Arrow, due to a rather convoluted scheme that cleared Oliver Queen's name (though that hardly ever lasts long) and allowed a rebranding as Green Arrow. Though the move was motivated by Haynes' desire to do other things, it still left a sour taste in the mouth of fans who were disappointed to see Arsenal go. And with Thea not even donning the costume, many have wondered what the future holds for both of Oliver's former sidekicks.

The tease for Roy's return arc seems to hint that Thea could finally get back in on the action. Though Willa Holland masterfully handles whichever role Thea is given, it's hard to deny seeing her suit up again wouldn't be exciting. As for Roy, could his comeback be permanent? Even if he doesn't stick around, the tease from Guggenheim and Mericle certainly leaves the door open for Roy to, say, join Legends of Tomorrow, should Haynes decide to return to superhero TV for good.

The midseason premiere trailer for Arrow teased a villain team-up, meaning Team Arrow could certainly use some additional help for the time being. Of course, we will have to wait and see whether Roy and Haynes are back for good, but a more prominent Thea story will be a long time coming. And even if Arsenal's return is only temporary - and even if he doesn't suit up - there's no denying fans will be excited to see Roy Harper back on Arrow.

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Arrow returns January 18 with 'Divided' on The CW.

Source: The CW