Paul Blackthorne will be leaving Arrow ahead of its seventh season, it’s been revealed. Blackthorne, who plays Quentin Lance in the show, has been a core member of the cast since Arrow‘s pilot episode. Blackthorne will bow out before the end of Arrow season 6, but it’s unclear whether Quentin will die or simply shuffle out of the spotlight to enjoy a quieter life.
Quentin was initially something of an antagonist: he was furious at Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen for returning from his misjudged trip without bringing his daughter, Caity Lotz’s Sara Lance, back with him. Because of this, Quentin used all of his power as police chief to try and make Oliver’s life hell. He was hot on the heels of The Hood/The Arrow/The Green Arrow for quite some time, but eventually, Quentin was recruited to Team Arrow and became one of the good guys.
Quentin hasn’t had an easy time on the show, struggling with alcoholism and mourning the deaths of both his daughters: when Sara eventually returned, she ended up getting killed, only to be resurrected by the Lazarus Pit a year or so later; and, more recently, Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance was killed by Damien Darhk, paving the way for her evil doppelganger from Earth-2 to join the show instead.
Of course, there is every chance that, if Quentin does die, Blackthorne could return at a later date as one of his alternate Earth doppelgangers. Willa Holland’s Thea Queen is also leaving the show this season, but she too could feasibly make a major comeback or minor cameo at some point in the future.
More Arrow news as we hear it.