It looks like a face from Oliver Queen’s past is about to return in an upcoming episode of Arrow season 6. Star Stephen Amell took to Twitter recently to share a shot of a cast member’s chair from the set of the show, featuring a name that will jump out to fans: Colin Donnell, a regular on the series back in season 1 as Ollie’s best friend Tommy Merlyn.
Though Tommy died in the season 1 finale, that hasn’t stopped Donnell from returning now and again, in the form of hallucinations or flashbacks. The last time we saw the actor on the show was during the “Crisis on Earth-X” crossover event earlier this season. There, he cameo’d as an evil alternate version of Tommy from Earth-X, who was that Earth’s version of Prometheus.
Thanks to Amell’s informative caption – “21 episodes into Season 6 and I still haven’t shot a flashback. So this picture… this picture feels really good!” – we also know just how Tommy will return. Though the show has moved away from the recurring flashback structure of the first five years, it looks like the device will make a comeback. We’re guessing it’ll jump back to the events of season 1, too, going by Tommy’s appearance.
Amell’s caption also reveals when we can expect to see this flashback. Going by his comment about being 21 episodes into season 6, Donnell will return in either the 21st outing of the season or the penultimate 22nd installment, ahead of the season finale in episode 23.
Donnell isn’t the only old school Arrow star set to reprise their role on the show for the first time in a while, either. Caity Lotz recently revealed that she’ll crossover from Legends of Tomorrow as Sara Lance is set to return as Black Canary in the finale.
Suffice it to say, fans have much to look forward to as the hit CW series looks to wrap things up with its final batch of episodes.