‘Arrow’ season 3 spoilers: Series boss on Oliver’s next Big Bad, mindset, and more

For all those wondering, the Big Bad for “Arrow” season 3 is not going to be Malcolm Merlyn … at least not exclusively. There is going to be someone else who pops in and makes the picture a little more cloudy, and challenges Oliver Queen in a very different way than he has been charged previously.

What we get from show executive producer Andrew Kreisberg’s new interview with Entertainment Weekly is that first and foremost, the show is not gearing up The Atom to turnaround to become the Big Bad (thankfully). The casting for this villain has not been announced yet. What he did say is that unlike some past adversaries, this foe could make Oliver actually see and question things within himself:

“Slade had a very specific agenda—he was out for revenge and had set up this elaborate five-year plot.What’s interesting about the villain in season three is that he doesn’t necessarily disagree with [Oliver]. He doesn’t have any personal animus towards the Arrow, and he actually in some ways has a very similar worldview. [But] the Arrow is thinking too small.

“In some ways, as Oliver is struggling with whether or not he can be the Arrow and Oliver at the same time, the villain of season 3 is saying, ‘Being Oliver Queen is what’s holding you back from fulfilling your true destiny.’ So it’s a very interesting dynamic, but it is tied in the same way that Oliver last year was wrestling with, ‘Am I a hero or a killer?’ The theme of identity is tied up very much in how the villain is presented to Oliver.”

To us, this sounds great, and we’re also thrilled by the notion that this is not someone who is going to come in with ax to grind against Oliver in the same way that we’ve seen so much in the past. The speculation about this character is already rampant, and we totally understand the Ra’s al Ghul theories that are out there, given that “Batman Begins” was the last time this character had a major role that many mainstream viewers will know. (He’s obviously appeared in other forms since.)

For the time being, we just suggest that you share your theories for who this villain could be, and also what you want to see on the upcoming season, in the comments below.  You can also target some further TV updates on everything we cover at our newsletter page.

Photo: The CW