Arrow: Marc Guggenheim promises Felicity will be acknowledged in Season 8

Although Felicity has bid farewell to Star City, Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim promises Felicity will be acknowledged in final season including in the Season 8 premiere.

As the seventh season of Arrow came to a close, The CW’s long-running drama bid farewell to one of its most beloved personalities with the exit of original cast member Emily Bett Rickards. It was a hard pill for fans to swallow in knowing that Rickards’ quirky tech whiz Felicity Smoak would not be involved directly in the show’s farewell season.

Although Felicity will not have an active on-screen presence in Season 8, the character’s impact will continued to be felt as the creative team will not stray away from referencing the character. In fact, they’ve already planned a sweet Felicity centric moment for the Season 8 premiere!

"“The great thing that the writers did in season seven is they explained in a great way, why Felicity is his absent. Felcity’s acknowledged [in Season 8],” Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim revealed in speaking with press at Comic-Con. “It’s scripted so I never can promise what’s going to make the final cut, but there is a very sort of Felicity centric moment in the season premiere.”“The main thing is, we don’t deny the existence of the character,” Guggenheim continued. “I think a lot of shows, when a major actor leaves the show, they suddenly like, forget that character and don’t acknowledge that character. And we don’t do that. Like we’re constantly referencing Felicity. Felicity is super important, so she’s alive in the show even if Emily’s not in the show.”"

But have we truly seen the last of Felicity and is there any possibility Rickards could return for a cameo before the series finale?

While a lot of conversations would have to be held, Guggenheim admitted the door has been left open and he would love nothing more than to see Rickards return before Arrow takes its final curtain call.

"“We of course want Emily as involved in Season 8 as she would like to be,” Guggenheim confessed. “We will be darkening her doorstep, but at the end of day, she has to do what’s right for her. We’ve written out the character in a way that’s satisfying, but if we can work out a way for her to return for the final season, of course we would love [for her to return]. There’s a lot of conversations that have to be had.”"

For more from our interview with Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim check out our full interview below:

Arrow will return for its eighth and final season October 15 at 9/8c only on The CW. 

Are you happy to hear that Arrow will acknowledge Felicity in its final season? Would you like to see Emily Bett Rickards return as Felicity before Arrow‘s final season comes to a close? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below!