With Arrow Season 3 coming to CW this fall, a new trailer released at Comic-Con 2014 reveals new characters and plot details.
Arrow Season 3 will debut on the CW network on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 8pm ET. Here is a brief overview of things to come. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!)
Oliver Queen Meets 'Friendly' Rival, Ray Palmer
Stephen Amell will reprise his role as billionaire-turned-superhero Oliver Queen, who fights crime in Starling City as the Green Arrow. Pretty soon, he will not be the only superhero in town.
The trailer reveals Ray Palmer attempting to buy out Queen Consolidated after events in the second season. In the DC Comics universe that inspired the series, Palmer will become superhero Atom. Even so, showrunners have yet to reveal whether Palmer is going to don the mask in the next season. There have been hints in gossip circles that Palmer will compete with
Palmer is played by actor Brandon Routh, who is no stranger to the DC film franchise. Back in 2006, Routh happened to be the "Man of Steel" in DC's Superman Returns.
Sara Lance Returns as Black Canary. What about Laurel?
Sara Lance is back, as revealed in the trailer.
"Don't look so surprised. I haven't been gone that long," she says to a stunned Oliver. In the previous season finale, Sara rejoins the League of Assassins. Before boarding a ship, she hands her signature black leather jacket to older sister Laurel.
The DC comics list Black Canary's real name as Dinah Laurel Lance, the Green Arrow's original love interest.
Due to the name similarity with the comic and TV Laurel, fans have speculated whether the older Lance sister will become the next Black Canary. It has often been pointed out that Laurel is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat.
Viewers will have to wait and see if Sara ultimately surrenders the Black Canary role to Laurel.
How long will Oliver and Felicity Romance Last?
CW's story shows Oliver having past romance with both Laurel and Sara, which is explored in flashbacks. Oliver's current relationship with Laurel continues to be ambiguous as it is revealed they have become business partners.
This is complicated by his mutual attraction with tech-assistant Felicity Smoak. The trailer shows Oliver asking Felicity out on a date. At the restaurant, Felicity is wearing a red dress.
Near the end of the trailer, a grief-stricken Oliver stands over a bloodied Felicity who is still wearing the dress. Both of them are covered in soot from what appears to be an explosion. It is not clear if Felicity is dead or seriously injured.
Hong Kong Flashback Sequence
During the date scene, Oliver tells Felicity that he was not always at Lian Yu Island in his five years of exile. The scene changes to a flashback showing Oliver running away from A.R.G.U.S. agents in the streets of Hong Kong. He is quickly apprehended, and is brought before A.R.G.U.S. director Amanda Ward.
"You should know that I will never stop trying to escape," Oliver defiantly tells Ward.
"And, you should know that it's extremely easy to kill someone the world thinks is already dead," Ward coolly replies.
In the second season finale, a flashback sequence shows Oliver dueling with Slade Wilson. He seemingly kills Slade by stabbing an arrow in his eye, but is knocked unconscious in an explosion. The protagonist wakes up in a rundown apartment in Hong Kong where he finds himself under A.R.G.U.S. custody. Season 3 should explain what plans the secretive agency has for Oliver.
'Speedy' Becomes the Arsenal
Throughout the first two seasons, Roy is under Oliver's tutelage. The headstrong youth is injected with the Mirakuru serum, which makes him mentally unstable. Roy spends the majority of last season trying to control his anger. Oliver eventually finds a cure for Roy, who is returning to Season 3 as an all-new hero.
A masked Roy is seen dressed in a red-hooded costume, while firing off an arrow. Even before the trailer was released, showrunners have confirmed that audiences are seeing the arrival of DC-hero Arsenal.
Still, the hero may confront former lover Thea Queen, who is also Oliver's beloved half-sister. Thea left the Queen family, when she finds out she is the biological daughter of supervillain Malcolm Merlyn. She eventually joins Merlyn, and may return to the series as a minor villain.
Better known as the Dark Arrow, Malcolm is Oliver's greatest nemesis in both the comics and TV-adaptation.
Ra's al Ghul is the Main Villain
It was previously rumored that Malcolm will be the main villain in Arrow third season, but it now turns out to be false.
Ra's al Ghul's presence was hinted at in Season 2. Despite rumors, he never made an appearance. Instead, it is one of his daughters Nyssa who appears on the show.
The recent trailer confirms that viewers will see the iconic DC villain and his League of Assassins in Season 3.
Official Arrow Season 3 Comic-Con Trailer
