Honestly, looking back at 2017, Arrow was in a weird spot. Season 5 had just ended on that massive cliffhanger where literally everyone we cared about was stuck on an exploding island. We all spent the summer wondering who’d actually make it back to Star City in one piece. When the arrow season 6 cast finally showed up on our screens, the lineup felt familiar, yet fundamentally broken.
It wasn't just about who survived Lian Yu. It was about how the dynamics shifted. You had the "OG" trio trying to hold things together while the "Newbies" were starting to feel like they didn't belong in the bunker anymore. That friction defined the entire year.
The Core Team: Who Stayed and Who Stepped Up
Stephen Amell was back as Oliver Queen, obviously. But he wasn't just the Green Arrow this time around; he was a dad. That change in his character changed the whole show's vibe. Watching him try to parent William Clayton—played by Jack Moore—while running a city and fighting crime was a lot.
David Ramsey returned as John Diggle, but he was dealing with some serious nerve damage from the explosion. He spent a good chunk of the season hiding a drug addiction just so he could keep his arm steady enough to hold a bow. It was heavy stuff. Then you had Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, who finally got her own tech startup (Helix Dynamics) and officially tied the knot with Oliver.
🔗 Read more: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
But the biggest promotion news for the arrow season 6 cast involved the two new recruits. Rick Gonzalez (Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog) and Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake/Black Canary) were bumped up to series regulars. It felt like they’d finally earned their masks, but that didn't stop them from eventually turning on Oliver when things got messy.
The Return of the Sirens
One of the most talked-about moves was bringing Katie Cassidy back full-time. Fans were still mourning the "real" Laurel Lance, so having her play the villainous Earth-2 doppelgänger, Black Siren, was a bold choice. She spent most of the season being a thorn in everyone's side, working for the bad guys while Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) desperately tried to find a spark of his daughter inside her. It was heartbreaking to watch Paul Blackthorne put so much hope into a woman who basically enjoyed blowing things up.
New Blood and the Villains We Loved to Hate
Instead of one big bad like Prometheus, season 6 gave us a whole "cabal" of villains. It was a bit of a mixed bag, if I'm being real.
💡 You might also like: Wrong Address: Why This Nigerian Drama Is Still Sparking Conversations
Michael Emerson, famous for Lost and Person of Interest, joined as Cayden James. He was this genius hacker who blamed Oliver for his son's death. He wasn't a physical threat, but he held the city’s data hostage, which felt very 2018.
Then there was Kirk Acevedo. He played Ricardo Diaz, aka "The Dragon." Initially, he just seemed like a mid-level thug working for Cayden James. But man, did he take over. Acevedo brought this gritty, street-level ruthlessness to the role that made him feel way more dangerous than a guy with a keyboard. He didn't want to destroy the city; he wanted to own it. By the time we realized how deep his influence went, he’d already bought half the police department.
Notable Recurring Faces
- Willa Holland (Thea Queen): This was a tough year for Speedy fans. Willa’s contract had been reduced, so Thea spent a lot of time in a coma before eventually leaving the show mid-season with Roy Harper (Colton Haynes).
- David Nykl (Anatoly Knyazev): Oliver’s old Bratva brother returned, but he wasn't a friend anymore. Their fallout was one of the more grounded, painful parts of the season.
- Sydelle Noel (Samanda Watson): She played the FBI agent who was absolutely convinced Oliver was the Green Arrow. She was relentless, and honestly? She was right.
Why the "Civil War" Split the Fanbase
The mid-season split of Team Arrow remains a massive talking point. On one side, you had Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity (Team Arrow OG). On the other, Rene, Dinah, and Curtis (New Dog/Team B-Squad).
📖 Related: Who was the voice of Yoda? The real story behind the Jedi Master
It happened because Oliver didn't trust the new guys. He spied on them. When they found out, Rene felt betrayed, Dinah was mourning a boyfriend killed by Black Siren, and Curtis felt like a second-class citizen. Seeing Echo Kellum’s Curtis Holt walk away from the bunker felt like a huge shift. For a show called Arrow, having half the cast leave the main set made the world feel much bigger—and a lot more lonely for Oliver.
Essential Takeaways for Fans
If you're revisiting this era of the Arrowverse, there are a few things that actually matter for the long-term story:
- Quentin’s Exit: This was the final season for Paul Blackthorne as a series regular. His death in the finale "Life Sentence" is a massive turning point for both Oliver and the Earth-2 Laurel.
- The Identity Reveal: The season ends with Oliver finally admitting to the world that he is the Green Arrow. This sets up the prison arc in season 7, which many consider one of the best in the series.
- The Rise of Diaz: Ricardo Diaz isn't just a one-off villain. His presence in season 6 is just the beginning of a much longer, more annoying (for Oliver) reign of terror.
Next Steps:
If you want to understand the full weight of these character arcs, watch the crossover event Crisis on Earth-X. It happens early in the season and features several "Dark" versions of the arrow season 6 cast, including Stephen Amell as a Nazi version of himself. It’s also where Oliver and Felicity finally get married, which changes their dynamic for the rest of the show's run. Check out the episode "Next of Kin" if you want to see the exact moment the trust between the two teams starts to crumble.