Emily Bett Rickards Is Down To Return As Felicity In An Arrow Revival, And I Love Her Reason Why

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In the TV series “Arrow,” instead of Green Arrow being romantically linked with Black Canary as is often portrayed in comics and other media, Emily Bett Richards’ character Felicity Smoak stepped into that role. First appearing in Season 1 as a character inspired by a minor Firestorm character, Felicity quickly became one of the show’s most beloved characters and Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) love interest. It has been five years since “Arrow” ended, with Rickards last portraying Felicity, and she recently gave an excellent explanation for why she would be open to returning to her groundbreaking role in the future.

The actress is at the moment making public appearances for the 2025 premiere of “Queen of the Ring”, in which she portrays professional wrestler Mildred Burke. One of her stops was “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum”. In her chat with the show’s host, she hinted at a possible return to the character Felicity by expressing her openness to revisiting that role.

Probably, yeah. I want to give Felicity her flowers, to be honest.

Emily Bett Rickards expressed readiness when Michael Rosenbaum asked if she’d reprise her role as Felicity Smoak should Arrow return, either as a film or a limited series of six episodes. Starting from Season 1, Rickards was upgraded to regular cast member in Season 2 and remained so until Season 7. She was absent during Season 8 but reappeared for the final episode. Despite a divided fanbase on Felicity (as well as other characters), Rickards expressed interest in portraying her character in a more optimistic light if given the chance. In her own words, she stated:

I’m deeply appreciative of the fanbase, yet there are moments I feel Felicity should have been more assertive. I believe she did express such strength behind the scenes. Honestly, it’s not about Arrow or the fans; I’d be doing this for Felicity. And fortunately, everyone else benefits from that too!

Towards the closing moments of the final episode of Arrow, Felicity Smoak stepped through a gateway to the afterlife crafted by Mar Novu in 2040, joining Oliver Queen there – a reunion reminiscent of their encounter in the pre-Crisis multiverse’s alternate future. Although this may mark the end of her character arc or perhaps just another alternate reality, there remains ample scope for storytelling between that point and where we last saw her in the series finale. Should they manage to bring back Stephen Amell as Oliver, portraying Felicity would be a breeze.

Regarding her current sentiment towards the TV series Arrow, Emily Bett Rickards shared with Michael Rosenbaum that she continues to recall both the show and her character Felicity Smoak affectionately. However, this doesn’t mean she didn’t express some constructive feedback as well.

I’m incredibly thankful for both Arrow and Felicity. I take great pride in the person Felicity became, though I felt she seemed to struggle a bit in the later episodes. If only I had been the one writing those stories, I would have loved to guide her differently, but alas, I was not the writer.

Later on, Rosenbaum inquired whether Rickards had voiced her opinions and discussed with the creators of Arrow how they might develop Felicity’s storyline. To this, she replied:

Initially, I managed it, but I believe I could do a better job now. You see, I might have been less than perfectly clear before, and perhaps I was under time constraints. I think TV is quick-paced, which can lead to feeling pressured, and producing 23 episodes in a season is challenging, even for the most skilled showrunners. They’re doing their best given the circumstances.

Following the conclusion of “Arrow”, Stephen Amell reappeared as Oliver in an episode of the final season of “The Flash”, and David Ramsey reprised his role as John Diggle within that series too. Additionally, he made guest appearances on “Supergirl”, “Batwoman” and “Superman & Lois”. “The Flash” wrapped up the main continuity of the Arrowverse in 2023, while “Superman & Lois” marked the end of the franchise as a whole last year. Currently, most upcoming DC TV shows with a live-action format are either set within the DC Universe or share a universe created by “The Batman”. However, there might be a time when DC decides to revisit “Arrow”, and should that happen, we’ll eagerly await its return.

Until that time, feel free to enjoy streaming ‘Arrow’ and numerous other shows from the Arrowverse using your Netflix account. If you prefer more DC-related films and television series, opt for a Max subscription instead.

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2025-04-02 05:38