Season 8 of the CW’s Arrow, based off the DC Comics about vigilante Green Arrow, will be its last. During the Armageddon Expo in New Zealand, actor Tom Welling stated he will be featured on Arrow for its last season. So far, the extent of his role or his character has not been detailed. But it is worth noting that he turned down a role as Superman in CW’s Supergirl, despite having played the Man of Steel on Smallville.
This news comes from Twitter account worldofmera, who claimed to have footage of the event but was unable to post due to the privacy of the Armageddon Expo. This isn’t the first time rumor has spread that Welling will appear in the Arrowverse – which pertains to the connected universe of DCTV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Welling played Superman for about a decade, and stepping back into the shoes should come easily to him, but if he turned down playing the character in Supergirl it is highly unlikely he’ll don the red cape again for Arrow. However, with “Crisis on Infinite Earths” heading to the Arrowverse this Fall, anything is possible.
If Welling isn’t playing Supes again, we might see him in the same fashion as actor Brandon Routh. Routh played Superman in 2006’s Superman Returns movie. He appeared on Arrow as the character of Ray Palmer, later known as The Atom, and then joined the cast of Legends of Tomorrow. Perhaps Welling is set to play another superhero that will appear in the eighth season.
Arrow has had a successful run and sparked massive fan involvement in the Arrowverse. It airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW and stars Stephen Amell in the titular role. Other cast members include David Ramsey as John Diggle, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Juliana Harkavy as the Black Canary, Colton Haynes as Arsenal, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, and Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog.