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Arrow Season 4: Who's in the Grave?
NYSSA
WHY IT’S HER: Oliver will likely need “all hands on deck” in the fight against Darhk and his “ghosts,” and when the going gets tough, that usually includes the League-trained badass. But Nyssa is far enough removed from the team to serve as a (sad) casualty.
WHY IT’S NOT: Oliver would lament the loss of his onetime “wife,” but would he shed a tear? And would Barry care so much?
MIDSEASON UPDATE: The assassin has been largely absent since destroying the Lazarus Pit, an act of defiance that makes her more of the League’s concern than anyone’s in Star City.
ORIGINAL LIKELIHOOD TO DIE:
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THEA
WHY IT’S HER: What if the “him” Oliver alluded to with a hiss is actually Malcolm, and the League leader’s latest dastardly plot inadvertently got his own daughter killed? Oh, the cruel twist of fate!
WHY IT’S NOT: Oliver needs at least one surviving family member!
MIDSEASON UPDATE: The younger Queen’s ability to weaken Damien Darhk could prove fatal if she decides to be a hero and take down the Big Bad. Good thing she has that immunity.
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SAMANTHA
WHY IT’S HER: Since she (and Oliver’s son) live in Central City, Barry’s appearance at the grave would make more sense. (Maybe he was involved in whatever went down? Maybe it happens during the #Flarrow crossover!)
WHY IT’S NOT: OBM’s death would thrust Oliver into insta-fatherhood, meaning a new responsibility he’d hate to put at risk with his job.
MIDSEASON UPDATE: Samantha’s death would be the perfect (but sad!) catalyst for unearthing the secret son Oliver is keeping from fiancée Felicity and sparking drama galore for the newly engaged couple.
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WILLIAM
WHY IT’S HIM: There’d be great manpain to tap into were Oliver to say goodbye to the son he never knew just as he learns of (let’s call him) Connor‘s his existence.
WHY IT’S NOT: Surely The CW would prefer to keep alive a possible successor to this Green Arrow/Stephen Amell.
MIDSEASON UPDATE: The death of a child is quite a downer, even for Arrow. But since the latest #Flarrow crossover revealed that William isn’t comic book figure Connor Hawke, he could be considered expendable. Not to mention, his demise would eliminate concerns about fitting a kid into the show.
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DIGGLE
WHY IT’S HIM: Dying at the hands of Damien Darhk after avenging his brother’s “death” would be quite a way to go. At least we’d know that he’d arrived at a certain peace.
WHY IT’S NOT: If this season is in part about Oliver regaining Dig’s trust, would they really torpedo that bromance just as it’s being restored?
MIDSEASON UPDATE: Dig’s futile attempts to get through to his not-so-dead brother could lead him down a dangerous road. And now that their friendship is back on track, Oliver would be heartbroken by his own “brother’s” death.
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LAUREL
WHY IT’S HER: It would be heroic and tragic to see Laurel, just as she is reaching her potential as Black Canary, take one for Team Arrow, sacrificing herself to save the others.
WHY IT’S NOT: How many iterations of Black Canary can the show possibly go through?
MIDSEASON UPDATE: Laurel’s been relatively danger-free thus far. When Damien Darhk went after Oliver’s loved ones, he didn’t track down the Green Arrow’s ex and take her captive, too. So yay for her?
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LYLA
WHY IT’S HER: Much as we love her, she’s peripheral enough of a character that the series could survive her demise. But could Dig?
WHY IT’S NOT: They wouldn’t dare leave li’l Sara motherless and Dig a single dad, would they? (Who the heck would watch the baby?!)
MIDSEASON UPDATE: The upside of Lyla’s lack of screentime? It bodes well for her safety.
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FELICITY
WHY IT’S HER: Killing off Oliver’s love would certainly have a huge emotional impact and be painful enough to drive the former vigilante to kill again. And on a strictly practical front, new IT guy Curtis Holt could fill the techie void on Team Arrow.
WHY IT’S NOT: Surely, Oliver, not to mention her waterworks-prone pal Barry, would have spilled more tears if it was she who died, right? Also, there’s the fact that Jewish Felicity would not have a gravestone until a full year after her death. Plus, what percentage of the series’ 2.6 million viewers are “Olicity” fans?
MIDSEASON UPDATE: Damien Darhk’s determination to take away the people Oliver loves most already left Felicity bleeding out. While all evidence points to the blonde surviving that attack, another one down the line could be her undoing. Still, it’s hard to imagine the series without the character.
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DONNA
WHY IT’S HER: Charlotte Ross’ ever-growing episode count now has us very worried. Plus, if you subscribe to the (since-refuted) theory that Darhk is Felicity’s father, that’d give Donna reason to truly get mixed up in it all — for better or for (eep!) worse.
WHY IT’S NOT: Dispatching with bubbly Donna would be like cancelling Christmas (or Hanukkah, as the case may be). Plus, Felicity weeped plenty last season.
MIDSEASON UPDATE: Mama Smoak has been spending quite a bit of time in Star City, visiting her daughter and new boyfriend Lance, and that much proximity to the dangerous metropolis is never a good thing. Plus, Oliver has grown close to his future in-law, so he might shed a tear if she was killed.
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TAIANA
WHY IT’S HER: Oliver’s Lian Yu hook-ups do have a way of resurfacing in his hometown. And he seems to be just the right amount of sad over the loss of a onetime love.
WHY IT’S NOT: Would we care?
MIDSEASON UPDATE: At the glacial pace the flashbacks are moving, Taiana is more likely to appear in Star City in six years, not six months. Plus, she is still a long ways off from being anything close to a “onetime love.”
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LANCE
WHY IT’S HIM: The Captain’s repetitive war with Starling City’s masked heroes has left him with nowhere to go, storyline-wise. Plus, making an alliance with Damien Darhk — even under misguided circumstances — has, “This is going to end badly,” written alllll over it.
WHY IT’S NOT: How many parents can this show tragically kill off?
MIDSEASON UPDATE: A new romance with Donna suggests Lance’s life is looking up, for once. Or is that a bad omen…?
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ROY
WHY IT’S HIM: With Colton Haynes set to reprise his role as the reformed street rat in Episode 12 (the third one after the holiday break), there certainly will be opportunity. Plus, offing a onetime team member — and Thea’s ex — who now is off the canvas leaves no “void” while drumming up big drama.
WHY IT’S NOT: Perhaps the only case against snuffing the onetime Arsenal is that it would be too easy, and perhaps seen as a “cheat” by the writers…?
LIKELIHOOD TO DIE:
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
Image: Courtesy of The CW
