John Barrowman Says He Would Return To ‘Arrow’ After EP Says It Could Happen In New Interview

At the end of Season 5 of Arrow, John Barrowman’s character, Malcolm Merlyn, seemed to have died after he protected his daughter by stepping on a landmine. While many fans took to social media to say that they did not believe this could be the end for Merlyn, based on a message from the actor himself, it seemed like things really were over for the character. However, based on a new interview with executive producer Marc Guggenheim and even a Facebook post from John Barrowman himself, it sounds like there is a real possibility of Merlyn returning to Arrow and other shows in the Arrowverse after all.

According to Comic Book, during a round table discussion with Guggenheim, the EP said that it is entirely up to John Barrowman if he wants to return. Guggenheim indicated that when they spoke to the actor about what would happen at the end of Season 5, they made it clear that “every single person,” across all of their series have been able to return in some way. This includes having the character return as part of flashbacks, in one of the parallel universes that exists, and even via time travel, especially as part of Legends of Tomorrow. Ultimately, this means that “goodbye is never goodbye.”

Marc Guggenheim made it clear that there is apparently an “open invitation” for John Barrowman if he wants to return to the Arrowverse. The EP said that whenever the actor wants to return for Arrow or any of the other shows, he is welcome to.

In a Facebook post from John Barrowman, it seems as if this may be news to him, even if it does sound like very happy news. The actor posted a message saying that he was not only happy to hear this news, but also surprised by it as well. According to the actor, in a phone conversation that he had with Arrow producer Wendy Mericle, he was “led to believe” that Merlyn would not be coming back to the series.

https://www.facebook.com/JohnBarrowmanMBE/posts/1647167941960288

John Barrowman went on to say that if the decision not to have him return has been changed, then this is certainly great news. The actor said that he has loved his time playing the character as part of the Arrowverse, and was actually very disappointed to learn that he would no longer get to work with the amazing team that works on Arrow.

After he shared his thoughts on this latest piece of Arrow news, John Barrowman said that if they want him to come back then all they have to do is ask him, because he is more than willing to return. As long as they can come up with more great storylines for the character, the actor has no problem returning to the series and the extended universe as well.

The news that John Barrowman might not be gone for good on Arrow is certain to be happy news for his fans. While it sounds as if the decision is back in the hands of the Arrow team now, it seems as if both parties might be willing to make things work to have Malcolm Merlyn return to the Arrowverse.

[Featured Image by Chris Frawley/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. via Getty Images]