Oh Barry Allen, what have you done? If you've kept up with all of the latest and greatest drama from the Arrow-verse, then you already know that Grant Gustin's Scarlet Speedster decided to truly mess up the timeline by going back to save his mother during the Season 2 finale of The Flash, thus leading to the iconic Flashpoint storyline. It's a big deal for The Flash, but it will also have serious ramifications elsewhere in the Arrow-verse.
With that in mind, outside of Barry Allen's own series, it looks like Arrow could become The CW series most affected by The Flash's reckless actions. We've compiled a list of five specific ways that Flashpoint may affect Arrow in the coming season. Check out our entries and let us know what changes you think are coming to The Emerald Archer's solo series. Now, without further ado, let's get the Flashpoint ball rolling with one of the most controversial Arrow storylines of all time...
Felicity's New Love Interest
The Olicity romance has become one of the most polarizing relationships in the history of television. With Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) taking some time at the end of Arrow's Season 4 finale, everyone's been left wondering whether or not things will work out for them. Although Ms. Smoak will continue her work as a member of Team Arrow going into Season 5, it's been revealed that the series will almost immediately introduce us to a her new boyfriend when the season premieres. While this could simply be her rebounding from the breakup with Oliver, the massive backlash against the Olicity drama leads us to believe that Arrow could use Flashpoint to do some serious retconning.
A Diggle Brother Reunion
When David Ramsey took the stage for the Arrow panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, he revealed that some pretty substantial events would unfold in John Diggle's life as a result of Flashpoint. In fact, it really sounds like John Diggle could possibly be the member of Team Arrow most affected by Barry Allen's actions. During the Comic-Con event, Ramsey teased a major impact on Diggle, and on his family specifically. This could mean that something will happen to Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) or Sara, but an even more likely scenario is that John will once again meet his brother Andy (Eugene Byrd) -- whom he killed at the end of Arrow's fourth season. The reunion might not be permanent, but it could potentially give Diggle the closure that he's been desperately looking for.
More Than One Malcolm Merlyn May Show Up
A couple of months ago it was revealed that John Barrowman inked a deal to reprise his role as Malcolm Merlyn a.k.a The Dark Archer across The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and his home turf on Arrow. We already know that the version of Merlyn we see on Legends of Tomorrow will be a central member of the Legion of Doom, and we also know that much of Legends will be far less affected by Flashpoint -- due to the fact that Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) and his team are always jumping around the timeline anyway. This has led some to believe that we may in fact see at least two versions of The Dark Archer pop up next season in the Arrow-verse: a typically evil one, and one affected in unforeseen ways by the nature of Flashpoint. Merlyn has played coy about a possible redemptive arc over the last few seasons, so anything's possible in the near future.
Tommy Merlyn Could Come Back To Life
These Flashpoint storylines have a nasty habit of bringing loved ones back from the dead. We know that several characters will return from the grave across several of the Arrow-verse series (the most prominent being The Flash's Nora Allen) and many have started to postulate that Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) may actually join the ranks of the newly revived. When asked about the potential for such an event, Colin Donnell simply described it as "not out of the realm of possibility," which means that we cannot rule this rumor out just yet. If Oliver's best friend does in fact return, then it will mark his first appearance on Arrow's present day continuity (aside from a Season 2 hallucination) since his tragic death in the Season 1 finale. I'm personally a huge Tommy Merlyn fan, so I kind of need this to happen.
Damien Dahrk Will Return To Wreak Havoc
The CW has made no secret of the fact that the charming big bad from Arrow's fourth season will return to become a central member of the Legion of Doom on Legends of Tomorrow. However, the way in which he comes back remains very much up in the air. Although it remains entirely possible that the Damien Dahrk (Neal McDonough) we see on Legends will simply hail from a time before his death, it's also been theorized that Flashpoint could effectively undo his demise at the hands of Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen. We know that Green Arrow will still be coping with his decision to kill Dahrk when Arrow's fifth season premieres, so Dahrk's resurrection could offer him the chance to atone for his sin and honor the memory of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) in proper fashion.
