The Dark Archer may make a cameo in Arrow’s final season

Stephen Amell let it slip that John Barrowman might be reprising his role as Malcolm Merlyn during Arrow’s final season — and honestly, we couldn’t be more excited about it.

Arrow has had plenty of compelling villains over its seven-season run, but some bad guys are just more beloved than others — and that description certainly applies to Jack Barrowman’s Malcolm Merlyn, a villain who stole the show during the earlier seasons of the series. (Let’s be honest, though, any character played by Barrowman is sure to be a hit.)

And despite Barrowman’s departure from the show back in season five, when Merlyn gave his own life to save Thea’s, it looks like he might be returning for Arrow’s eighth and final season. Stephen Amell teased the prospect during Fan Expo Boston, after being asked if he’d once again be delivering Barrowman a birthday cake while wearing a skimpy bathing suit. (Yes, that’s a thing that has happened before.)

According to Comicbook.com, Amell responded by saying, “It’s part of the deal, every 10 years I put on a tiny suit and I deliver John Barrowman a birthday cake. He’s back in the show in season eight, and that was actually a rider that he put into his contract, so…”

He may not have meant to let that little detail slip, but fans were quick to respond with enthusiasm to see the character again — particularly if he’ll be putting on the Dark Archer suit one last time. Of course, the series will need to bring him back from the dead to pull off a cameo or two. But with the Lazarus Pits still around, there’s a straightforward way to do that.

With reveals like this — along with the recent promise that the final season’s premiere will be a “love letter” to the series’ pilot episode — it’s hard not to be excited about Arrow‘s last hurrah. We’re going to miss regulars like Felicity and Roy, but knowing that we’ll get some memorable cameos from originals like Merlyn makes us feel slightly better about the situation.

What do you think of John Barrowman returning to Arrow one last time? Let us know in the comments below.