Artemis’ betrayal was one of the most shocking moments of Arrow Season 5 thus far. If you weren’t familiar with her backstory in the comics and Young Justice. Artemis, also known as Evelyn Sharp, started off on Team Arrow with good intentions. But after she found out about Oliver’s Season 1 crusade to cross off names on ‘the list,’ she turned to Team Prometheus instead. Her new villain status will be revealed to Oliver in tonight's episode, “What We Leave Behind.”
Statements from actress Madison McLaughlin during an interview with CBR suggest we won’t find out Prometheus’ true identity and connection to Artemis until later in the season.
“Over the course of the season, they are going to uncover that and reveal a bit more. All of the answers will come. It’s a waiting-it-out thing. Every time I would talk to Marc [Guggenheim] or Wendy [Mericle], I would get excited with where they were going with it. I’m excited that you guys are finally getting to live the same anticipation I’ve been having for months,” McLaughlin said.
Obviously McLaughlin knows who Prometheus is, and his connection to Oliver’s past, but she was very good at holding back spoilers. She did, however, say nobody has guessed his identity, and the reveal shocked her more than the rest of the cast.
“It’s something that you really have to pay attention to. I think everyone is going to be just as shocked as I was,” McLaughlin said. “I was probably more shocked than everyone else. A few of us were together when I found out. It’s something I definitely did not see coming. I’m a fan of the show. I’ve watched it since the pilot and I had no idea where they were going to go with it. I was so caught off-guard. I love that. I’m really excited that nobody else has been able to guess it, either.”
Clues may go as far back as Arrow Season 1. Prometheus is said to have a connection to Oliver’s days as The Hood, and possibly even ‘the list’ his father gave him of the bad people of Star City. Prometheus may not be someone Oliver wronged directly, he (or she) could be a byproduct of Oliver’s vigilantism.
Speculation still stands strong for Tommy, but considering he didn’t appear in Arrow ’s 100th episode, it seems unlikely Colin Donnell would return in a regular role. There’s always Felicity’s new boyfriend, Police Detective Billy Malone, but that wouldn’t exactly be a surprise. Flashpoint could have turned Roy Harper a villain, but his presence doesn't necessarily connect to Season 1.
It’s a stretch, but Prometheus could also be related to the Yao Fei arc from Lian Yu. I’d love to see a female villain. She’s presumed dead, but it’s always possible Fei’s daughter, Shado, actually lived and went on to become another version of The Hood. After all, she is the reason Oliver donned the green hood -- to honor Shado and Yao Fei’s memory.
Also buried right next to Yao Fei is Taiana, whom Oliver most recently saw in a vision when he was learning how to counteract Damien Darhk’s magic. She had glowing yellow eyes, like she did when he fell under the influence of the totem and Oliver was forced to kill her. The Dark Magic Taiana had access to, granted by the Khushu Idol, gave her supernatural abilities. Taiana is the whole reason Oliver went to Russia and tried to take down Kovar. The series would certainly come full circle if Season 5 were to wrap of the Taiana arc.
Talia Al Ghul’s role after the mid-season break is also quite interesting, especially if her appearance ties into the flashbacks. In the Legends episode where Talia first appeared as a small child, Sara went back in time to Nanda Parbat to train with the League of Assassins. Before she left the 1960’s, she told Ra’s Al Ghul that in Oct. 2008 he must send his younger daughter, Nyssa, off the coast of Lian Yu. At the time, Nyssa had yet to be born. But Ra’s also told Talia she should learn from Sara’s skills, and it’s possible this interaction changed something in the future. If Sara hadn’t gone back to 1960’s Nanda Parbat, she may have never met a younger Talia. Presumably, it’s the Lazarus Pit that has kept Talia looking young between the time we saw her on Legends back in the day, to when she shows up in Arrow Season 5 episode 10 in 2016. We have no idea what happened to Talia in the time between 1960 and 2016.
Do you think Talia Al Ghul could have something to do with Prometheus? The villain’s getup does look like it’s been influenced by the League of Assassins - -a nice cross between Green Arrow and Malcolm Merlyn’s leather suits. Let know your theories in the comments below!
