This week, "Arrow" returned for the second half of its fourth season and the show also revealed Felicity's (Emily Bett Rickards) fate.
In the midseason finale, Felicity got shot when Damien Darhk's (Neal McDonough) men fired at her and Oliver's (Stephen Amell) limousine. Fans feared that this might be the end for the beloved character, but on Wednesday, it was revealed that Felicity is very much alive but is now paralyzed.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Wendy Mericle talked about how Felicity will be coping with what happened to her and how she and Oliver will be handling her current situation.
"She's really grappling with the question of getting through this tragic event and figuring out what her life is going to look like afterward," said Mericle, adding that despite what happened, Felicity will be focusing on Oliver.
Felicity will try to keep Oliver from reverting to his darker ways, which has happened in the past whenever things would get rough.
The producer also confirmed that despite fan theories, Felicity is not going to become the Oracle.
"She is not Oracle," Mericle said. "We are going to give her a very fun, cool name in a future episode…It's been a long time coming, but no, she's not going to be Oracle."
After the midseason finale, there was speculation that Felicity might become DC comics character Oracle. In the comic books, Barbara Gordon became the Oracle after she was shot in the hip by the Joker. The shot left Gordon paralyzed. As the Oracle, Gordon helped members of the Bat family and the Justice League by using her tech skills. Gordon's work is similar to what Felicity is doing for Arrow and the rest of his team.
As for Oliver, the producer said that the hero will be very optimistic and hopeful but not in the sense that he wants to find a way for her to walk again.
"He's optimistic that her power lies in her brain," said Mericle.
The producer revealed that in future episodes, Felicity will try to maintain a certain level of optimism, but she will also undergo a dark journey as she tries to cope with the reality of this new situation.
As for whether Felicity will be wheelchair-bound for life, the producer teased, "You'll have to watch to find out."
"Arrow" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
