Felicity Smoak takes a dark turn when "Arrow" Season 5 returns to The CW on Jan. 25. Her transformation is the sum of all the tragic things that happened in her life, including Billy's death, but most importantly, from the Havenrock tragedy.
Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim talked about Felicity's (Emily Bett Rickards) dark turn in "Arrow" Season 5 during the Television Critics Association Press tour. He revealed that her transformation is the result of all the traumatic events she had experienced.
Suffice to say, that all the tragic things that happened finally took its toll on Felicity. She has gone through enough for the past four seasons. She lived through a twisted family background, suffered several heartaches and saw several lives lost in the Havenrock tragedy.
Guggenheim said the final straw was Billy's (Tyler Ritter) death in the midseason finale of "Arrow" Season 5. This eventually leads to Felicity's dark transformation.
"It's also the sum of the fact that Felicity has been living in this darker world for the last four-plus years now.... How has that affected her way of thinking about things?" Collider quoted Guggenheim as saying.
However, the show's executive producer revealed that the Havenrock tragedy greatly affected Felicity. It becomes a "big component" to her dark transformation, especially since she blamed herself for the lives lost, including those of Ragman's parents. Guggenheim added that "Arrow" Season 5 episode 11 will explain how the Havenrock tragedy factors greatly in her dark turn.
Just how dark does Felicity become in "Arrow" Season 5? In a previous interview with TV Line, showrunner Wendy Mericle revealed that Felicity begins to associate herself with the people tied to her past. These people also prompt her to do "morally questionable" things.
Mericle added that in "Arrow" Season 5, Felicity starts to draw away from the team following Billy's death. She vows to avenge his death and take down Prometheus by herself.
