Arrow might be ending with its upcoming eighth season, but it’s going to pack a lot of fan-pleasing returns into its brief 10-episode run. The latest bit of casting news reveals that former regular Willa Holland will be back for the last hurrah and she won’t just be returning as a guest star but will stick around for a recurring role.
TV Line has spilled the beans that Holland will soon be back as Thea Queen AKA Speedy, Oliver’s younger sister and one-time member of Team Arrow. Thea’s a firm fan favorite, though she hasn’t been seen on the series for a while. If you’ll recall, Holland was a regular for the first four years before she trimmed down her episode count in season 5. The actress then departed for good in season 6.
The last time she was seen, Thea left with the briefly-returned Roy Harper to destroy the remaining Lazarus Pits. Roy came back alone, however, in season 7, with the two having fallen out over Thea’s risky decision to resurrect him via one of the pits. Roy was also depicted without Thea around in the flash-forwards taking place in 2040. Clearly, there are some big questions we have about her whereabouts in the present and the future, so it’s good news that Holland’s returning to clear these mysteries up.
That’s assuming Holland’s playing the same Thea we’ve got to know. Stephen Amell has already confirmed that Oliver will be working with the Monitor in season 8, which will presumably take him to other Earths and at different points in the timeline. Hence how dead characters such as Colin Donnell’s Tommy Merlyn, Susanna Thompson’s Moira Queen and John Barrowman’s Dark Archer are back.
Arrow season 8 kicks off on Tuesday, October 15th. It remains to be seen whether Holland’s return means she’ll take part in the big “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, too, but we’ll soon find out.