‘Arrow’ Season 5: Deep Dive Into the First Action-Packed Trailer

Arrow isn’t holding anything back in its first season five trailer.

The footage, which debuted at Comic-Con, revealed the resolution to one of the biggest cliffhangers from season four, as well as introduced the new members of Team Arrow and the new villain terrorizing Star City this year. There’s a lot to unpack from the promo so The Hollywood Reporter went through the trailer to break it down scene by scene to dive deep into what Arrow fans can expect from this season.

0:10 – “I know you wouldn’t approve of what I did,” Oliver is heard saying in voiceover while footage of his final showdown with Damien Dahrk (Neil McDonough) replays. “And I know that it’s not what you would have wanted.” It is then revealed that Oliver is speaking to Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) grave with Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) at his side. “But you were always better than me, Laurel.” Is Oliver really feeling guilty about killing Damien Dahrk, especially after what he did to Laurel? It was the only way to stop the magical psychopath.

0:29 – Perhaps Oliver’s new day job as Star City Mayor is changing his morals. Here he is shown getting sworn in. During the show’s Comic-Con panel, the producers and cast revealed that when season five begins, Oliver will be focusing more on being a Mayor and moonlighting as the Green Arrow instead of the other way around.

0:32 – In a shocking move, The CW’s superhero drama revealed the promise that Laurel made Oliver agree to before she died in the hospital. While producers made it seem like her final words were a huge secret, it wasn’t game-changing at all. “I need you to promise me something,” she told Oliver. “Your instinct has always been to go it alone. Ollie, you can’t.” Her words are intercut with Diggle (David Ramsey) leaving Team Arrow in the season four finale, making it clear that it will be hard for Oliver to keep that promise going forward.

0:44 – “You have been waiting for things to go back to the way things were,” Felicity tells Oliver in the Arrow Lair. “They’re not.” Felicity has been trying to convince Oliver to “put together a new team” now that Laurel’s gone, Diggle re-enlisted and Thea (Willa Holland) quit to find herself. Looks like he struggled with this idea for a while, but Laurel’s promise pushes him to finally agree.

0:47 – Meet the new Team Arrow that Oliver and Felicity are going to work into shape: Evelyn Sharp aka Artemis (Madison McLaughlin), Rene Ramirez aka Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) and none other than Felicity’s new BFF Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum). While Oliver considers them all to be “amateurs,” Felicity reminds him that they’re all inspired by the Green Arrow. So maybe the Green Arrow is the right person who can turn them into trained fighters.  

0:57 – Although Curtis could use some extra training, if his time on Oliver’s salmon ladder is any indication of his skills. 

1:10 – The first lesson? Showing them all how much they have to learn. Oliver, dressed as the Green Arrow, takes all three wannabe heroes down in the old HIVE headquarters. Even Felicity cringes at how much they eat mat. But everyone has to start somewhere.

1:13 – Here we get a glimpse of the forthcoming flashback storyline. While the past few seasons have left much to be desired in the flashbacks, season five promises to be much more connected to the core Arrow story. Viewers will finally learn how Oliver got involved with the Bratva, the Russian mob. The trailer shows his initiation, where he takes out other wannabe members in a brutal fight.

1:19 – Thea hung up her red hood in the season four finale after she was appalled at her own actions when she threatened the life of a little girl. Oliver tries to explain his violent ways to Thea, that he needs to be able to do whatever is necessary or else he shouldn’t be out there at all, and she responds, “Which is exactly why I can’t be.” So what has she been up to with all her free time now? Unfortunately the trailer does not reveal that.

1:26 – The footage does give a quick glimpse at some of the new villains Oliver will be facing off against this season. One is a mysterious large hooded figure, another is gangster Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) and some flashback Bratva mobsters.

1:30 – After losing his job, Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) left Star City to start a new life. But what brings him back into Oliver’s orbit? And why does he look so down?

1:30 – This is the only new footage shown of Diggle overseas. He actually looks happy, so he’s probably video chatting with his wife Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) and their daughter.

1:31 – Maybe the old Team Arrow isn’t done after all. Here we see Thea almost smiling as she’s back in the Arrow Lair, along with Quentin, Felicity and Curtis.

1:36 – But here’s the money shot. This is the big bad for season five, as producers revealed at Comic-Con. This large, dark archer who wields a sword and wears a creepy mask is Prometheus. “But it’s not the Grant Morrison, Howard Porter Prometheus from the Justice League,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “He’s a new character that fits in with the theme of legacy for this season. He’s pretty badass and mean.”

Check out the trailer below:

Arrow returns for season five on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. on The CW.