Yep, Stephen Amell is returning as Oliver Queen for The Flash’s final season too

After yesterday’s news about returning guest stars for the final season of The Flash (which premieres on February 8, 2023 on the CW), we noted that the slippery nature of death for DC heroes could allow for another favorite from the Arrowverse to return. Specifically, The Arrow himself, who perished (twice!) in the multiversal crossover event “Crisis On Infinite Earths.” So it has come to pass just a day later that Flash showrunner Eric Wallace confirmed that Stephen Amell would return for the big Arrowverse sendoff.

“As soon as our final season was announced, we knew we wanted Stephen to come back and reprise his iconic role as Oliver Queen,” Wallace says in a statement (per TVLine). “After all, it was Oliver who originally launched Barry Allen on his heroic path. That’s why everyone on Team Flash felt so strongly that it was important to create a full-circle moment with Oliver’s return in the final season of The Flash.”

Wallace describes Amell’s upcoming guest appearance as “an epic-yet-emotional episode we hope Arrowverse fans will enjoy.” He adds, “It’s all to say ‘thank you’ to everyone for watching and supporting our show throughout nine wonderful years. We absolutely cannot wait for everyone to see Grant [Gustin] and Stephen saving the world together again. And yes, there will be thrills, chills and tears.”

Thrills, chills, and tears, oh my! Given that this is likely the end of an era for DC television that Amell helped usher in, it only makes sense for him to come back for the grand finale. Whether it’s in the form of a flashback, some sort of Speed Force mirage, or a genuine resurrection, fans of this corner of the multiverse are sure to enjoy Amell’s return. For his part, the actor addressed the news on Twitter with the simple message, “Of course I’m coming back,” and a GIF of Barry and Oliver hugging.

This is far from the only bit of fan service The Flash’s final season is serving. Previously announced guest stars include Keiynan Lonsdale (a.k.a. Wally West/Kid Flash), David Ramsey (John Diggle/Spartan), Javica Leslie (a.k.a. Ryan Wilder/Batwoman), and Nicole Maines (a.k.a. Nia Nal/Dreamer), among other familiar faces from Flash’s rogues’ gallery.

Not yet announced, but in the “likely” category, are Flash OGs like Carols Valdes (a.k.a. Cisco Ramon/Vibe) and Tom Cavanagh, who played Eobard Thawne and various versions of Harrison Wells, most of whom died or were erased from the multiverse. Wallace confirmed in a previous TVLine interview that his character was indeed dead after the eighth season, but added, “I’m pretty sure that in Season 9, there’s some reason that you might see Tom Cavanagh again. I won’t go into it, but that’s a pretty safe bet.” Death isn’t really an obstacle anymore, after all.