Let’s be real, since the earliest episodes of Season 1, Thea (Willa Holland) has been one of the strongest characters on Arrow. From her start as the emotionally-distraught party girl sister who called Oliver on his worst habits to her Season 6 role as superhero Speedy who still called Oliver on his worst habits, Arrow Season 8 (aka the final season) wouldn’t be quite right without an appearance from this OG character.
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According to Green Arrow TV, Holland is rumored to make her return in the third episode of Season 8, “Leap of Faith,” set to air October 29th. She will recur in the final season, though it is unclear at this point how many episodes that will translate to—it would be very cool to see her play a role in the big Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event (especially if it spells the end for Oliver Queen).
“We are thrilled to have Willa back in our final season,” Arrow executive producer Beth Schwartz told Green Arrow TV in a statement.
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Holland left Arrow as a series regular in Season 6. She returned for the 150th episode, but has not properly been on the show since that initial exit. (She appeared in Season 7 as a talking head in a documentary about Oliver Queen.) The last time we properly saw Thea, she was leaving Star City with Roy to shut down some Lazarus Pits, as you do. Roy returned to Star City in Season 7 without Thea, i.e. they broke up. Again.
As the only remaining character who knew Oliver before his five years on the island transformation, not to mention his only surviving immediate family member, Thea is a vital part of the Oliver Queen story. It’s good to hear that she will be coming back to close out Oliver’s story, and hopefully her own, in a satisfying manner.
In addition to Holland, other departed Arrow actors making their return include Colin Donnell (Tommy Merlyn) and Josh Segarra (Adrian Chase). You can read more about Arrow Season 8 here. The final season will premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9pm ET on The CW.
Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.