Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Flash season 9, episode 9, "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To."Oliver Queen was given a better, more satisfying ending to his story, thanks to Stephen Amell's appearance in The Flash season 9. Amell's return to the role that he played for eight seasons in Arrow helped to settle several questions that went unanswered following Oliver Queen's death in the Crisis on Infinite Earths event. It also addressed the fact that Oliver Queen's death denied him a proper farewell to many of his loved ones.
The action of The Flash season 9, episode 9, "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To," centered around the return of the villain Bloodwork, who crashed Barry Allen's birthday party and brainwashed Kid Flash. It was Bloodwork's intention to use Kid Flash, who had recently discovered how to travel the multiverse using the Speed Force, to spread his corrupted blood cells across reality, allowing him to take control of multiple worlds. With all reality threatened, Oliver Queen was able to take action in his new role as The Spectre, leading to one more team-up between Oliver Queen and Barry Allen for the highest stakes imaginable.
Stephen Amell's The Flash Return Gives Oliver & Diggle Proper Closure
The battle with Bloodwork also allowed Oliver Queen to once again fight alongside John Diggle, who was in Central City for Barry Allen's birthday party. Known as Digg to his friends, John Diggle was the first ally Oliver Queen recruited for the war to save his city. The two became brothers in battle, with Digg officiating Oliver's wedding to Felicity Smoak. Despite this, the two never got a chance to say their goodbyes before Oliver Queen's death or his rebirth as The Spectre.
The Flash season 9, episode 9, "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To," gave the two brothers a long overdue chance to talk once Bloodwork was defeated. Digg confirmed that he had been looking out for Felicity and Oliver's children, William and Mia. Oliver thanked him, but noted that he had been doing the same for Digg and his family as The Spectre, assuring his brother that "all of your brightest days are ahead of you." While their parting was bittersweet, both men received a much-needed sense of closure that the Arrow finale lacked.
Stephen Amell In The Flash Answers Questions About Oliver's Fate & The Multiverse
The return of Oliver Queen also answered several questions that were ignored by the Arrow finale regarding the scope of Oliver Queen's powers as The Spectre and whether he continued to serve as the Angel of Vengeance once the new Arrowverse was born. The Flash season 9, episode 9, "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To" confirmed that Oliver Queen was still The Spectre, and acting as a guardian angel across the multiverse. The episode also affirmed just how powerful Oliver Queen is as The Spectre, but that he is limited in how he can exercise that power.
As The Spectre, Oliver Queen can rewrite reality at will, bringing the dead back to life (as he did with Barry Allen) or curing Bloodwork's HLH cancer and taking away his powers. Oliver is limited in that he can only act directly when the stability of the multiverse itself is threatened. He is, however, apparently allowed to indirectly guide living heroes into helping others, like when he gives the new Snow sister Khione a feeling that she should return to STAR Labs, enabling her to save Chester from the Bloodwork zombies created from the rest of Team Flash. Finally, Oliver is reportedly forbidden from making contact with his family.
Will Stephen Amell Ever Play Oliver Queen Again?
Stephen Amell's guest appearance in The Flash season 9 helped to explain why it took a major disaster for Oliver Queen to make his presence known after three years. It also explained why Oliver didn't make an appearance in the final episode of Arrow, apart from the flash-forward where he was finally reunited with his wife, Felicity, in the afterlife. However, the fact that Oliver Queen is established as a literal guardian angel guarding millions of worlds raises the possibility that Stephen Amell might play Oliver Queen once again in future DC Comics projects.
The fact that The Spectre can only act when the multiverse itself is threatened could tease a role in the upcoming The Flash movie, which will involve multiple DC Comics universes being endangered. While Grant Gustin has denied having a role in the upcoming movie, nothing has been said about the possibility of Stephen Amell appearing in it as The Spectre. Ultimately, the answer may depend upon the whims of DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran and if they officially want to acknowledge the Arrowverse as part of the new DC Multiverse.
The Flash season 9 continues on Wednesdays on The CW.
