Ben Lewis Joins Arrow For Flash-Forward Arc

 

If you watched Arrow on Monday, you may have noticed a mystery flash-away from the events in Ollie’s (Stephen Amell) prison cell and Star City. It featured actor Ben Lewis as an unknown, but strangely familiar person making his way to a seemingly restored Lian Yu. By the end of the episode, his identity was clear. As was the fact his search was occurring some time in the future. His real reason for seeking out the person he finds on the island, however, remains a mystery.
But it is a mystery the series will be exploring throughout the season.
Deadline reports Lewis has joined the show for the rest of the season as a grown-up version of Ollie’s son William. The younger version of William, played by Jack Moore, was sent off to a British boarding school by Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) in the latter part of the Season 7 premiere. It is unclear if her decision will ultimately lead to William’s trek to the island where his father spent three of his five years of Hell, but it is not a bad guess. Despite her claim to the contrary, it is possible Felicity never came back for him.
Which means William’s real goals in the flash-foward could be revenge. But considering the persona Lewis gave the character, that is unlikely. Perhaps William needs the exiled Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) to teach him how to be the Green Arrow. And with Roy in the future plot, it leaves viewers wondering who is the counterfeit Green Arrow in the present. The flips during his key action scene suggested Roy, but maybe its someone else. Or even something else.
No matter what, it means the William and Roy storyline is the most intriguing aspect of the new season as Arrow starts telling a completely new tale with the most unlikely characters.
Arrow airs Mondays on The CW.