By now, I’m presuming anyone that’s interested saw “Schism,” the season finale of Arrow. If not, be warned, there are spoilers here for that. And some news about season five. So, with that in mind, off we go.

At the end of Schism, Team Arrow was down to two: Green Arrow Oliver Queen, and Overwatch Felicity Smoak. Everyone else took off. On the one hand, this makes the team leaner, resembling the early days of either the Birds of Prey comic or the first season or so of Person of Interest. On the other, they’re down a lot on firepower now, and even Oliver needs help sometimes. So who can they bring on? I have some ideas below:

I’ll start with people that have previously appeared on the series for possible Team Arrow fill ins. There have been quite a few, and I don’t see why at least some of them couldn’t come back. So, in no real order:

Arsenal- Roy Harper. He was one of the first recruits to the team’s cause, going from annoying fan to useful sidekick. He was a big part of the team, then left, then came back once. Could he return? There’s no real reason why not. This whole “he’s in hiding to keep Oliver’s secret” bit is kind of lame, really. And Colton Haynes, the actor who played him, doesn’t seem to be doing a whole lot else at the moment from what I can find on IMDB. Bring him back!

Wildcat- Ted Grant. Wildcat was supposedly a vigilante in Starling City before the Arrow ever showed up. Later, he helped train Laurel to become the second Black Canary, and even helped the team by suiting up as Wildcat again. He was left to a very uncertain fate in the episode “Uprising” and never seen or mentioned again. JR Ramirez seems to be working on the Starz series Power, but maybe he could at least guest shot?

Huntress- Helena Bertinelli. She wasn’t the most stable character on the show, but she’s a heroine in the comics. Maybe she could earn her way back to being one on the show? Besides, she was a love interest of Oliver’s, and maybe that will help nudge him and Felicity back together. Jessica De Gouw left the show for the short-lived Dracula series, and now is on Underground, but maybe she could return.

Katana- Tatsu Yamashiro. She was part of Oliver’s past in Hong Kong, then showed up in the present to help out as Katana, wearing the DCNU version of the costume. She’s a skilled hero who just kind of disappeared, and she’d certainly help bring some diversity to the show. Rila Fukushima doesn’t look to have a lot going on, judging from her IMDB page. The big problem might be that, despite DC’s rather inane decision a while back to keep their tv shows and movies separate, DC management forced the Arrow show to lose any character who would be appearing in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie, and Katana is.

Nyssa al Ghul. She has been both an enemy and ally of Team Arrow (as well as Oliver’s wife). She’s an incredibly skilled fighter. She’s popped up in Star City since disbanding and escaping the League of Assassins. Nyssa could be a great addition to the team and an interesting complication for Oliver and Felicity. Actress Katrina Law doesn’t seem to be regularly appearing anywhere at the present.

Black Canary III- Evelyn Sharp. She showed up after Laurel died, a crazed vigilante bent on avenging her family’s death. She was more a plot device than a character, forcing the team to reveal Laurel’s secret. But she’s still out there, and left behind a lot of unanswered questions, most notably how did a high school kid defeat Cisco’s encoding of the Canary Cry? Could she come back and learn from Green Arrow?  Madison McLaughlin seems to be available to return to the show.

Upcoming possibilities:

There are two new characters who have been announced for Season Five that have ties to the DC Universe of heroes. The new DA (a job with a lethally high turnover rate) is going to be Adrian Chase. Chase is best know to comic book fans as the first of the modern era characters to use the name Vigilante. He was a character in the New Teen Titans before getting his own book and then shockingly committing suicide. Now, just because they are using the name doesn’t mean they will follow the hero route. Another former (and dead) DA from the show was Kate Spencer, who was one of many Manhunters in DC Comics. She died before becoming a hero on the show. Adrian Chase will be played by Josh Segarra. Of course, if they use Adrian Chase, they probably won’t use Greg Saunders, the Golden Age cowboy hero, voiced by Nathan Fillion on Justice League Unlimited.

They also announced the casting of Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog. Wild Dog is a very obscure DC hero who a non-powered vigilante with a homemade costume and arsenal. Given his attitude (somewhat like the better known Marvel character Punisher), I’m not sure if he’ll be an ally or hindrance to Green Arrow.

Mr. Terrific- Michael Holt. Ok, Curtis Holt has been a recurring character on the show, and he shares several traits with the comic book character Michael, including the science skills and former Olympic training. Will they let him become a hero? I don’t know, but I’d love to see it. Echo Kellum, who plays the character, is excited about the possibility according to interviews I’ve read. He’s even been seen using Mr. Terrific’s trademark “T spheres” on the show.

What about Vixen? I haven’t forgotten her. I think Megalyn Echikunwoke’s portrayal of Vixen was one of the highlights of the season. But they’ve announced a different version of the character will be showing up on season two of Legends of Tomorrow, and I think the show runners would claim that would be confusing.

So who else would work? DC has a history going back to the 1930’s, and there have been a lot of characters who might work on the show. I’m going to list a few of the ones I like I believe would fit in on Arrow.

The Question- Victor Sage. Reporter by day, vigilante by night, the Question is a non-powered hero who might be right at home in the world of Arrow. Marc Guggenheim, Executive Producer for the show, has been heard to say he likes the character. The blank-faced vigilante is also, thanks to the Justice League Unlimited cartoon, linked in the minds of many fans with Huntress, who I discussed above.

Blue Beetle-Ted Kord. Kord’s company has shown up several times on Arrow. There are more or less confirmed rumors that they wanted to bring Ted on the show and then hopefully gradually show him as his heroic alter ego. From what I’ve read, DC claimed to have other plans for him, which is how Ray Palmer, the Atom, ended up on the show. Of course, DC hasn’t done a damn thing with him since then…

Richard Dragon. Dragon is one of the best fighters in the DCU. He’s fought, and beaten, just about everyone, including the big bad Batman. In some versions of DC’s history, Dragon helped train characters like Batman, various Robins, Question, Huntress, and Black Canary. He was also associated with Bronze Tiger, who showed up on Arrow a few times but fell victim to the Suicide Squad edict mentioned above.

I’m not discussing any of the Bat-characters here, because I just don’t think they’d be allowed to show up on the series. Then again, both Ra’s al Ghul and Anarky were Bat-foes, so who knows?

I could probably keep going on this, but you get the idea. What will happen on Season 5 of Arrow? Will any of these characters show up? I guess we’ll find out this fall.