Big changes are coming to Arrow Season 5. Aside from Oliver recruiting an entire new team of vigilantes, working as mayor of Star City and recovering from a brutal breakup with Felicity, his old ties to the Russian Mafia may come back to haunt him.
It was previously revealed Season 5’s biggest villain has ties all the way back to Season 1. A hint came when Dolph Lundgren was cast as Kovar, a villainous member of the Russian government who isn't friendly with Oliver or the Bratva. If you remember back to Season 4, Taiana was the last to mention Kovar’s name. Right before Taiana died, Oliver promised to return to her village in Russia to free her people of oppressive rule, possibly Kovar’s.
“It’s part of Oliver’s promise to Taiana at the end of Season 4 and it’s going to be interesting because it’s going to get complicated and very messed up very fast,” Producer Wendy Mericle told Entertainment Weekly . "What's nice is Oliver is himself a recruit to the Bratva at the same time in the present day he's recruiting all these new people. There's a very organic, natural parallel between the two," Marc Guggenheim added at the Television Critics Association summer press tour panel last week.
However, Oliver may have another guy to worry about now that Felicity has a new boyfriend. Emily Bett Rickards (who plays Felicity) also revealed her character will be in a brand new relationship come fall.
“It is a true rumor,” Rickards told TV Line. “She steps on it pretty hot off the bat. You’ll meet him quite quickly.”
Stephen Amell spoke about how Felicity finding someone new will affect him.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Amell joked. “Or the opposite of that...We meet him in episode one, he dies in act four.”
Arrow Season 5 premieres Oct. 5.
