Colton Haynes is returning to Arrow for the final season

We have not seen the last of our parkour king Roy Harper.

EW has exclusively learned that Colton Haynes is indeed returning to Arrow and will recur in the final season. The news arrives two months after the star’s demotion from series regular status sparked some fear that he might not appear in the CW superhero drama’s farewell song. Thankfully, those worries were all for naught.

“We couldn’t have ended the show without having him back,” showrunner Beth Schwartz tells EW.

And she’s right. Could you imagine Arrow signing off without seeing Arsenal flip around Star City in his patented red hood one final time? Honestly, that’s inconceivable — especially when season 8 is all about playing the show’s “greatest hits,” as star Stephen Amell, Schwartz, and EP Marc Guggenheim have said multiple times in the lead-up to the premiere.

Hopefully, Haynes’ return means the show will resolve some of the mysteries surrounding the wayward archer: Did he ever try patching things up with Thea (Willa Holland, who is recurring in the final season) after their falling out? More importantly, why did he exile himself to Lian Yu in the years after he helped Team Arrow save the city from the Ninth Circle?

Of course, Haynes and Holland aren’t the only familiar faces returning for the final season. Arrow is also welcoming back Colin Donnell, Josh Segarra, Susanna Thomspon, Rila Fukushima, John Barrowman, and Byron Mann.

Arrow premieres Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9 p.m. on The CW.

Related content:

• Arrow developing female-centric backdoor pilot starring Katherine McNamara
• Arrow is bringing back Willa Holland’s Thea for the final season
• How Arrow saved the TV superhero — and why it had to end