Arrow recently revealed that Cayden James (Michael Emerson) may be the one terrorizing Oliver's (Stephen Amell) city, but there's someone even more nefarious pulling the strings to make it happen.
Whoever photoshopped a picture outing Oliver as the Green Arrow is the same person who fabricated a video of the Green Arrow killing Cayden's son, meaning someone who's not afraid of going for the jugular has got a serious grudge against Oliver. The problem is... we've gotten almost no clues about who the heck this new villain could be.
Since this is Arrow, the likelihood that it's some new baddie we've never seen or heard of before is small. Instead, it's almost certainly someone we've met before, so here are our top three guesses at who this mysterious puppet master is.
Maclolm Merlyn (John Barrowman)
If there's one thing this show has taught us, it's that if you didn't see the death explicitly happen, the chances a character is actually dead are slim to none. Malcolm may have gone up in a puff of smoke on Lian Yu, but until we see a body, we can't be sure, which means he could be the mastermind behind this whole thing. Sure, the last time he encountered Oliver they were on the same side, but calling Malcolm Merlyn a "fickle friend" is kind of an understatement.
(via)" data-image-credit="" data-image-alt-text="John Barrowman" data-image-credit-url="" data-image-target-url="" data-image-title="John Barrowman" data-image-filename="4209459-tumblrinlinemz56rj3z6h1swvtgm.gif" data-image-date-created="2018/02/06" data-image-crop="" data-image-crop-gravity="" data-image-aspect-ratio="" data-image-height="278" data-image-width="495" data-image-do-not-crop="" data-image-do-not-resize="" data-image-watermark="" data-lightbox="">
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The Thinker (Neil Sandilands/Kendrick Sampson)
It would be totally bonkers if Arrow decided to use The Flash's big bad of the year as its huge reveal, but you have to admit... this strategy kind of sounds like him. Patient, diabolical, subtle -- these are all perfect descriptors for DeVoe as well as whoever is launching this mission to destroy Oliver. All we're missing from this theory is a motive, and frankly DeVoe's motives in general are all a little too complex to figure out.
(via)" data-image-credit="" data-image-alt-text="Neil Sandilands" data-image-credit-url="" data-image-target-url="" data-image-title="Neil Sandilands" data-image-filename="4b3f65c6-498e-4207-b3d3-38f14ca00041-tumblroxoc4uqvc31qael6bo3500.gif" data-image-date-created="2018/02/06" data-image-crop="" data-image-crop-gravity="" data-image-aspect-ratio="" data-image-height="281" data-image-width="500" data-image-do-not-crop="" data-image-do-not-resize="" data-image-watermark="" data-lightbox="">
Alena (Kacey Rohl)
She may be adorable, but something feels a little off about Alena and how easily she just sashayed into Team Arrow. Most of the time she's "helping out," she's offscreen, and she's definitely got the skills to create the fake photo and video. If she turns out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing all along, we'd be totally into it. Kacey Rohl can pull off a seriously sinister attitude when called for.
(via)" data-image-credit="" data-image-alt-text="Emily Bett Rickards & Kacey Rohl" data-image-credit-url="" data-image-target-url="" data-image-title="Emily Bett Rickards & Kacey Rohl" data-image-filename="tumblroyvc21xunx1ts3rppo1500.gif" data-image-date-created="2018/02/06" data-image-crop="" data-image-crop-gravity="" data-image-aspect-ratio="" data-image-height="250" data-image-width="500" data-image-do-not-crop="" data-image-do-not-resize="" data-image-watermark="" data-lightbox="">Arrow airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW
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Other Links From TVGuide.com ArrowKacey RohlJohn BarrowmanKendrick SampsonStephen Amell