Arrow Season 4 News: New Headquarters Revealed

Arrow season 4 is already in production, and there's already news about it creeping out there. We'll collect it all and keep it right here for you.

There are spoilers ahead, so be careful!

The Latest News

Team Arrow will get a much fancier place to hang out once Arrow season 4 kicks off.

“One of the fun things about this lair is that as opposed to one big space, where everyone would congregate, it’s now a much larger space divided up into smaller spaces,” Marc Guggenheim told Entertainment Weekly. “There is an area for Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] to work, there is an area for Oliver to work out, and there is a garage. There are many different places we’ll continue to discover over the course of the season that give you a sense that this thing is a bit bigger than we got used to in the first three years.”

Check it out here:

That round table with all the chairs...sure does look like a traditional Justice League headquarters, doesn't it? And there seems to be room for lots more costumes. Who else is gonna be hanging out with the team this year?

We have a complete list of confirmed Arrow season 4 villains if you scroll down a bit...

Arrow Season 4 New Costume

Check out the first image from Arrow season 4 right here, fresh from San Diego Comic-Con! It's a brand-new, more heroic Green Arrow costume for Oliver Queen and Stephen Amell.

Please note that just a few hours before this unveiling, Stephen Amell jokingly answered my question about a new costume for Arrow season 4 by saying "yeah, jogging pants and a hoodie," sticking to the story that Oliver was giving up superheroics at the end of season three.

Hilarious.

He then took to the stage in Hall H on Saturday night wearing the brand new costume. Does this mean Cisco from The Flash designed it?

The SDCC panel also revealed that minor Batman villain/ally Anarky will show up this year, as will Justice Society member, Mr. Terrific!

Arrow Season 4 Premiere Date

It's official! The Arrow season 4 premiere date is Wednesday, October 7th. We'll see you there!

But the big question, of course, is always who the next big baddie is. Well, now we know...

Arrow Season 4 Episode List

We have the first details on Arrow season 4 episode 1 right here! They're not telling us the actual title yet, but here's what we've got.

Arrow season 4 episode 1 will be written by Marc Guggenheim and new co-showrunner Wendy Mericle, from a story by Greg Berlanti and Beth Schwartz. Thor Freudenthal will direct. How do we know this?

#desktop @MericlesHappen @ARROWwriters pic.twitter.com/Di5PUYJKrg

— Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) June 17, 2015

We also know that Arrow season 4 episode 1 is called..."Green Arrow."

Arrow Season 4 begins filming tomorrow. @GBerlanti @SchwartzApprovd @MericlesHappen. @ThorFreudenthal pic.twitter.com/O3EW6M0oqD

— Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) July 13, 2015

Here are the first details for episode 2..."The Candidate"

Arrow Ep. 402, co-written by @ketomizu, begins production today. pic.twitter.com/TUMaphBYAE

— Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) July 23, 2015

Jeri Ryan will play Jessica Danforth, who may not actually be a villain, to be fair. This may be the same character from an earlier leaked casting description:

"a mayoral candidate who is deeply committed to her city and willing to risk her life to stand up for the people...a peer and an old friend of the late Moira Queen, and was once close with Oliver and Thea. She is also a mother, and cares for her daughter above all else."

So, who could that daughter be? 

Access Hollywood says that "Her political ambitions will place her in the crosshairs of a menacing antagonist." While it sounds like she's on the side of the angels, things are never as they seem in Starling City, especially when it comes to politics (see: Sebastian Blood) or anyone who was tight with Moira Queen.

Arrow Season 4 Trailer

Alright, so it's not quite a trailer, but ust for kicks, enjoy this video of Marc Guggenheim tormenting teasing fans about what's in store for Arrow season 4...

Arrow Season 4 Spoilers

Season three ended on a surprisingly happy note, with Oliver and Felicity riding, quite literally, off into the sunset. And when Oliver says he's done being the Arrow, he apparently means it. At least that's what star Stephen Amell told TV Line. 

“Roy outed himself as the Arrow, so if I were to re-create the suit and go out, it would undo all of the sacrifice that he made. So the Arrow persona, for better or for worse, it can’t exist anymore.”

Ah, but the clever interviewer knew enough to ask Mr. Amell if adding the word "Green" to the "Arrow" codename would be a way out of this situation. "I mean, would that do it?" Amell said with a smile. "We’ll see." In another interview (conducted the same day at the CW upfront) he told E! Online that "Arrow is done. No more Arrow suit. I've worn the Arrow suit for the last time." 

In addition to what we already knew and suspected about HIVE and Damian Darhk showing up for Arrow season 4, Mr. Amell said two magic words: Coast City. Can Hal Jordan be far behind?

Watch the brief interview here:

Meanwhile, executive producer Marc Guggenheim discussed with io9 about what the tone for season four would be.

"Every year you want to mix things up and there was sort of a collective desire on all of our parts to try to inject a little bit more lightness into the show, a little bit more humor. It’s not going to radically change. The show’s still going to be the show but in terms of tone we’re coming off a very very hard season for all of our characters. We wanted to try to mix it up a little bit."

We'll see how that works out!

Arrow Season 4 Villains

The name has been kicking around the internet for awhile, but the Arrow episode "Al Sah-Him" confirmed it. Damian Darhk will be the villain of Arrow season four. In the comics Damian Darhk is a pretty minor Teen Titans villain, but it sounds like they're putting a new spin on him for Arrow.

Here's the official description of Damian Darhk:

Damien Darhk is a mysterious and sophisticated villain, and an adversary of the late Ra’s Al Ghul. Now the leader of his own clandestine group, this cunning foe will prove to be one of the Arrow’s greatest challenges.

He'll be played by Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan to you Marvel fans!).

Ra's al Ghul told Oliver about Damian, a man who thought he should head the League of Assassins, and then took off with their secrets and some waters from the Lazarus Pit to form his own organization. We know that organization is HIVE, which in the comics is known for having some super awesome technology. So Arrow season four may have a villain as devious and physically capable as Ra's al Ghul, but with sci-fi technology to back it up.

As for what HIVE might want David Ramsey (John Diggle) told E! Online: 

"From my understanding, H.I.V.E. is going to be a big part of next season's big baddie...We are going to delve right into why H.I.V.E. hired Deadshot to kill Andy and what H.I.V.E. is all about to begin with. There will be a lot of Diggle's connection to H.I.V.E. next season so stay tuned."

The HIVE connection has been teased since season two, and their name has popped up from time to time in season three. 

I originally thought that perhaps this "Damian" was referring to Damian Wayne. Arrow has an ongoing flirtation with Batman mythology, and it's never been more obvious than during season three, which chose Ra's al Ghul as the baddie of the year. But even before that, the League of Assassins (that's the League of Shadows to you Batman Begins fans) was a major presence in season two, which also showed us a hint of Harley Quinn, introduced minor Bat-villain the Dollmaker, and so on down the line.

I was dead wrong, of course. There's never been so much as a mention of Gotham City, let alone Batman, on this show. But if they had decided to use Damian Wayne, perhaps a teenaged Damian Wayne who has never met his father, it would set up the possibility that perhaps Batman has been operating quietly in the shadows for years. Perhaps he even retired before Oliver put on a hood. 

Anyway, that ain't happening. We'll see what Damian Darhk can do to Starling City in the fall!

John Barrowman will definitely be back for Arrow season 4, which means we haven't seen the last of the League of Assassins either. Mr. Barrowman was at the Amazing Las Vegas Con where he told the crowd that filming begins in July (probably right after SDCC) and that he has finalized his deal to return. He gave some other little hints as well (thanks to ComicBook.com for this): 

"I'm very excited about going back, I can't tell you anything because I do know a bit about what's going to happen. But if you love Malcolm Merlyn, if you love Oliver Queen, if you love Thea Queen, if you love the Canary sisters, and I say that with a bit of a twist and a joke in it, you're going to love what's going to happen across the DC world."

Baron Blitzkrieg will also join the list of new villains for Arrow season 4. THR reports that British actor Jimmy Akingbola (Holby City) has been cast as the villain of the flashback sequences, who is the leader of a faction called Shadowspire in the comics. 

It should be clear, though, that Akingbola will not be playing a Nazi supervillain on this show. “We took the name Baron Reiter without any intention of turning him into Baron Blitzkrieg,” Marc Guggenheim told Entertainment Weekly.  “We never planned on actually telling a story about a bad guy who is a Nazi...In fact, when people meet this character, he’s not German, he’s not a Nazi, he doesn’t subscribe to any Nazi philosophies. We were attracted to an organization that actually in the comics had been associated with Deathstroke called Shadowspire. In the comics, Baron Reiter became associated with Shadowspire.” 

Shadowspire first appeared in Deathstroke Vol. 1 #53 (1995). The Baron's operatives included Steelhawk, Kodrescu, Mourn I and Mourn II. No word as of yet whether we'll see those guys in season 4, too.

JR Bourne (Teen Wolf) will play Double Down, a pretty minor Flash villain who has...ummm...tattoos of playing cards that he can use as weapons. I'd say this one screams "villain of the week" but the fact that a metahuman Flash villain is set to appear on Arrow indicates that he's probably part of an upcoming crossover episode. So, y'know...cannon fodder. Thanks to The Wrap for this bit of news.

Falling Skies is about to wrap up its final season, but Ryan Robbins has just found a home on another genre show...Arrow! Robbins will play someone named Conklin, "a sadistic and ruthless member of Shadowspire who will be an adversary for Oliver (Stephen Amell) in the flashback sequences."

Shadowspire is the criminal organization that will be annoying Ollie during the flashbacks, which presumably will also have some ties to Coast City. Another new Arrow season 4 antagonist Baron Reiter (not Baron Blitzkreig, as the producers have been quick to point out) is also a member.

Robbins will be a recurring character, so he's not just hear to have his ass handed to him in episode three (when he first shows up) and then leave.

Matt Ryan will reprise his role as John Constantine on Arrow season 4 episode 5, known as "Haunted." That story is too big to get into here, but I wrote a lot more about it at this link.

TV Line reports that Thea Queen will have a new love interest. Parker Young will play Alex Davis, "a political consultant working for Oliver." This sure makes those "Oliver Queen is running for mayor" rumblings sound more interesting, doesn't it? 

True Blood's Rutina Wesley is coming on board in an undisclosed role, said to be for "a multi-episode arc" as well. No word on who she might be playing, though. (via The Wrap)

Elysia Rotaru will play a new love interest for Oliver. Don't worry, though, Olicity fans...it's just for the flashback sequences. So, y'know, expect her to die horribly before the season ends or something. (via THR)

Arrow Season 4 New Characters

Mr. Terrific is coming to Arrow season 4! Echo Kellum (Ben and Kate) will play Curtis Holt, an employee of Palmer Technologies. Entertainment Weekly first reported the news. We won't have to wait long to meet Mr. Terrific, as Kellum will make his debut in the second episode of the season.

As you might imagine from someone working at Palmer Technologies, Holt has a tremendous intellect and inventor, but he's also got the athletic chops for superheroing. No word on when we'll see him in costume, but it sounds like it will happen this season.

Here's a look at his comic book version...

While we're at it, another secondary Batman villain, Anarky, is also joining the party. Anarky was recently seen on the short-lived Beware the Batman cartoon series. He might not be quite the character you know from the comics this time, as he's described as "an elite criminal for hire." 

Anarky will be played by Alexander Calvert.

Arrow Season 4 Storyline

It's not much, but we do have an official synopsis for the upcoming season. Don't expect any real spoilers here, but it's all they're giving us right now...

"After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. He returned home to Starling City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice.  To do this, he created the persona of the Arrow and allied himself with former military man John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), billionaire inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), lawyer-turned-vigilante Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), and his sister Thea (Willa Holland). Uneasy alliances and rivalries will shift as Oliver faces his most difficult challenge yet." 

Arrow Season 4 Details

Things will look a little different next year, though. Arrow season four is getting a new showrunner. Well, a new co-showrunner, at least. Marc Guggenheim announced that Wendy Mericle will be taking over some more duties for Arrow season four. Ms. Mericle is no newcomer to the Arrow world, having written and produced a stack of episodes, and serving as executive producer.

With the Arrow-verse about to expand by another show (DC's Legends of Tomorrow) and possibly two (with Supergirl assuming that fits in this world) you can see how they might need some help next year.

Lexi Alexander (Punisher: War Zone, Green Street Hooligans) will direct an episode of Arrow season 4. We don't know which one yet, but it'll have to be an early one, because she's going to shoot in August, right around the time the show goes back into full production mode. Maybe it's the season premiere?

Ms. Alexander broke the news on Twitter...

They have not. But I'm excited to direct Arrow in August. ;-) https://t.co/hoMNh6N8B2

— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) June 4, 2015

Meanwhile, Bex Taylor-Klaus (who plays Sin on the show) isn't sure if she's going to show up in the fourth season just yet, telling E! ""It's up to them if they want to bring me back or not, and I'm just here for the ride if they're ready." 

She may be busy with MTV's Scream TV series, though.

See you in the fall!