The Flash is in its final season on The CW, and while the series hasn't been able to bring back a number of its former stars over the years, it will bring back a very big one soon. Stephen Amell will reprise his role as Oliver Queen in the upcoming episode "It's My Party And I'll Die If I Want To," which is a character return that star Grant Gustin didn't see coming. Having previous posted behind-the-scenes photos together, both actors recently spoke about the reunion ahead of the episode and shared some details about the return.
Barry Allen will reunite with Oliver Queen in an adventure involving returning villain Dr. Ramsey Rosso, who crashes Barry's birthday party. It's not entirely clear how Stephen Amell's Oliver will return in The Flash, which might be why Grant Gustin confessed to TVLine he wasn't sure it would happen. Gustin talked about the return and how he didn't believe Stephen Amell's return was actually possible:
I didn’t think it was on the table. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.
Arrowverse fans might've felt it was impossible for Stephen Amell to return as Oliver Queen as well considering he's dead. Of course, the DC universe has any number of ways to bring a hero or villain back from the dead, and The Flash only adds to the number of possibilities. We've learned that Barry will actually team up with the original Oliver from the afterlife, which is a new one, even for this series.
What was it like for Stephen Amell to get back into the saddle after leaving the Arrowverse? The actor has managed to stay busy with his series Heels since the end of Arrow, but that didn't make the return to The CW any less stressful for him:
It was nerve-wracking, getting picked up on the first day and shooting my first scene. but after 15 minutes, it was like, ‘OK. I’m here…. When’s lunch?'
Stephen Amell had some jitters when he first showed up to the set, but once he had some time to get back into the swing of being on an Arrowverse set, he was comfortable. I wouldn't have expected anything differently given he was a fixture on the network for the better part of a decade.
Overall, Stephen Amell is happy that he was able to return for the final season of The Flash and to share scenes with Grant Gustin. Amell talked about the experience briefly, and confirmed how great it was to be on the show:
[Coming back] was really special. It was nice to be there, and it was nice to see him.
Stephen Amell is just one part of what looks to be an exciting final stretch of episodes for The Flash. Among other things, it's looking like we'll finally get to see Cobalt Blue and some more returning villains. After being disappointed by some of the earlier surprises in this season so far, I'm hoping the show can finish strong with this appearance by Stephen Amell and others toward the end.
The Flash airs on The CW on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm ET. This season is hurdling toward the finish line, so be sure to take a look at our 2023 TV schedule to see what new shows are on the way after it's over.
