Stephen Amell Talks Olicity Breakup Fallout

One of the simple truths about TV shows is that the “plan” for them often changes based upon fan response to characters. Nowhere is this more prevalent than one Felicity Smoak, who was meant to be a one-off character in Arrow Season 1, then she became a major character that remains to this day. Many fans early on wanted her to be with Oliver Queen, thus forming the pack of fans known as Olicity shippers.

Funnily enough, this did happen, but it came at a cost. Because while many wanted them to be together, others felt that the show should have been more faithful to the Green Arrow source material. Almost inevitably, Olicity was broken up in the show, and now, both Oliver and Felicity are dating other characters. At a panel during Heroes & Villains Fan Fest (via ComicBook.com), Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen, talked about how Olicity shippers should be content with what is happening. He stated:

“Because it’s a TV show. And here’s the thing, I love fandom and I love passionate fans and I think Arrow has awesome, passionate fans, but here’s the bottom line: You don’t always get what you want. Sitting here, feeling unhappy about the state of their relationship… They’re still functioning as a team; they’re still serving a greater good. She could be dead. I mean, couldn’t she? She could be dead. Oliver could be dead. The show could be off the air. There’s a bunch of things… Arrow is so many things. And if you let it become just about one thing, you miss the bigger picture. Does that make sense? So, I would say that Oliver and Felicity’s relationship as it pertains to saving the city has always been more important than their relationship as it pertains to are-they-aren’t-they; are they canoodling are they not. So for me, them functioning as a team right now and being honest with one another is super important and whatever happens with romance is whatever happens.”

Arrow airs on The CW every Wednesday.