Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
After Laurel’s death and Diggle and Thea stepping away from the team, Oliver tries to protect Star City while serving as mayor and training new recruits: Rene Ramirez, Curtis Holt, Evelyn Sharp and Rory Regan. Dinah Drake, a former detective with a sonic scream, becomes the new Black Canary. The recruits discover how much Oliver withheld about his first years as the Hood, and their trust is tested as they learn that his old list of targets is linked to a string of killings. The district attorney, Adrian Chase, appears to be a useful ally, while Oliver’s Russia flashbacks show him joining the Bratva, working with Anatoly Knyazev, and being trained by Talia al Ghul as he pursues Konstantin Kovar.
Chase is exposed as Prometheus, the son of Justin Claybourne, a man Oliver killed during his early campaign. He uses Oliver’s history and relationships to break apart the team, turns Evelyn against Oliver, and kidnaps William. Oliver gathers Slade Wilson, Nyssa al Ghul and Malcolm Merlyn to rescue his friends on Lian Yu. Malcolm takes Thea’s place on a land mine and apparently dies; the escape plane is sabotaged, so Oliver sends the others toward a ship while he confronts Chase with William. Oliver wounds Chase rather than killing him, but Chase then shoots himself, activating explosives across the island. Oliver and William watch Lian Yu erupt, and the season closes without showing the others’ immediate fate.