Warning: Spoilers for The Flash season 9, episode 9
Oliver and Felicity’s ending in Arrow is made considerably more tragic by what The Flash season 9 revealed about Stephen Amell’s character. The events that took place in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” saw the Green Arrow make the ultimate sacrifice. However, it’s known from what happened in the Arrow series finale that Oliver and his wife, Felicity, will reunite in the afterlife when she inevitably meets her end.
The Flash season 9, episode 9, titled “It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To,” brought back Oliver for emotional reunions with both Barry Allen and John Diggle. In addition to giving him a team-up with his former allies, The Flash season 9 was able to dive a bit deeper into Oliver’s role as the Spectre. Through his talks with Barry, a great deal was learned about how things work for him now that he resides in the afterlife. And while it confirmed that Oliver’s situation isn’t quite the same as death, it wound up making his Arrowverse exit an even sadder event.
Stephen Amell’s Return Confirms Oliver Can’t Interact With Felicity Or His Kids
Thanks to The Flash, it’s now understood that Oliver’s death is more complicated than originally thought. While he is most assuredly still dead, he can apparently leave the afterlife under certain circumstances. According to him, he can return to the land of the living when the multiverse in danger. It was this exception that enabled him to help the Flash defeat Bloodwork in the episode. Curiously, Oliver wasn’t forced to immediately return once the threat was resolved. He was able to stick around for a short period afterward, but as Oliver said, he still can’t interact with Felicity, William and Mia.
It would seem that the “rules” Oliver mentioned to Diggle actually allow him to enjoy himself after saving the multiverse, given that he participated in Barry’s birthday party before going back. He even had time to have heartfelt talks with Diggle and Barry. But using that time to visit Felicity and his children is off the table. Instead, Oliver can only observe how their lives progress from the afterlife and refrain from interfering directly.
Why Oliver Queen Can’t Visit Felicity As The Spectre
When explaining that he can’t check in on Felicity, Oliver told Diggle, “Our destiny is already written.” It’s not confirmed within the episode, but it’s possible that this comment is tied to Oliver’s Spectre powers. Clearly, he possesses some degree of omniscience, meaning that he may already know what the future brings. In other words, there’s a good chance he’s aware of the reunion he’ll one day share with Felicity in the afterlife, as shown in the Arrow series finale. It appears that Oliver understands that he isn’t supposed to see her again until she dies. Knowing better than to defy his “destiny” with Felicity, Oliver is maintaining his distance.
How Stephen Amell’s Arrowverse Return Makes Oliver & Felicity’s Ending More Tragic
The extra chapter added to Oliver’s story in The Flash season 9 brightened certain aspects of Arrow’s ending, but the same can’t be said for his relationship with Felicity. Before Oliver’s return, it was presumed that Oliver’s death had no caveats, as it made sense that he would not see any of his loved ones again until they too died. But as it turns out, it’s specifically Felicity – and by extension, his two children – that he can’t see. The fact that Oliver can return home but has to deprive himself of any moments with the people he desires to see the most makes their story all the more heartbreaking.
The Arrowverse hasn’t featured Felicity since Arrow ended, but these rules are just as sad for her, if not more so. It’s easy to imagine Felicity’s pain if she were to find out about Oliver’s return as the Spectre and his adventure alongside the Flash in Central City. Understanding that he can come back and reunite with anyone but her and the kids has to be a difficult realization. What likely makes this reality easier to bear for Oliver is the comfort of knowing that they will meet again in the afterlife, but Felicity – who doesn’t share his omnipotent powers – lacks the same sense of clarity that he has regarding their situation.
Does Stephen Amell’s Return On The Flash Retcon Arrow’s Ending?
All things considered, what transpired “It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To” drastically changes the impressions given off by Arrow’s ending. Now that it’s been revealed that Oliver can come back to Earth when the need arises, it no longer feels as final for Oliver Queen as it once did. It even left the door open for him to return later, though with the Arrowverse ending when The Flash season 9 airs its final episode, these stories would have to happen offscreen. Theoretically, Oliver could fight beside Diggle, Barry, or even the entire Justice League team in a future adventure.
The idea that these things happen contrasts greatly with the somber tone of Arrow’s ending and the tragedy of it all, but it doesn’t do enough to retcon it completely. It’s important to note that for all the additional details The Flash season 9 has provided, it hasn’t necessarily contradicted “Crisis on Infinite Earths” or the Arrow series finale. After all, neither story established the rules for Oliver’s status as the Spectre. It wasn’t made abundantly clear if Oliver still had his abilities following the rebirth of the multiverse. Since he still does carry this responsibility, it’s understandable that he would be permitted opportunities to save the multiverse, see Barry again, and a get proper goodbye with Diggle.
Furthermore, the reference to Felicity helped The Flash keep Oliver’s original ending intact. As sad as it may be that Oliver can reunite with Team Flash and Diggle but not Felicity, going in this direction prevented the series from rewriting one of the biggest moments in the Arrow series finale. Had Oliver taken advantage of his brief stay on Earth-Prime to go visit Felicity, the show would indeed have retconned Arrow’s ending. While it was never clarified in Arrow whether Oliver can leave the afterlife as the Spectre, it was strongly implied that Felicity’s reunion with Oliver was their first since his death. For that reason, this was one thing about Oliver’s death that The Flash couldn’t touch.
