The succeeding episodes in "Arrow" Season 5 will show a different Oliver Queen. He is a changed man, thanks to the Dominators who arrived on Earth 1 in "Invasion."
Executive producer Marc Guggenheim said that going into "Arrow" Season 5, Oliver now "has a new sense of purpose." He is no longer just the daredevil hero of Star City. This time, his missions have meaning and purpose for him. Guggenheim said that viewers will see a changed Oliver Queen going into the season.
Of course, this change happens because of the Dominators. The aliens opened his eyes to the important things in life, and that is family and friendship, after they invaded his memory.
To recap, in "Arrow" Season 5, "Invasion," the Dominators captured Oliver and the rest of the non-metahuman heroes (Sara, Rey, Diggle and Thea) and dug through their memories. The aliens tried to get information out of their brains, which led to them getting trapped inside an alternate reality.
Sara, Oliver, Diggle, Rey and Thea shared the same memory of Oliver's wedding to Laurel Lance. They eventually realized that they are in an alternate timeline and agreed to snap back to reality. Oliver had a tough time convincing her sister Thea to leave their parents (which in reality are both dead). However, Thea eventually chose to be with Oliver.
According to Guggenheim, "Invasion" forced Oliver to emotionally double down on his mission. The events in the "Arrow" Season 5 crossover episode also reestablished his bond with his sister Thea. Guggenheim said viewers will see this bond further strengthened in the succeeding episodes.
"That carries through the midseason finale and, obviously, sets up things beyond it," Guggenheim said as quoted by TV Insider.
Fans will see what Guggenheim meant by Oliver's new sense of purpose in the midseason finale of "Arrow" Season 5, "What We Leave Behind." In this Dec. 7 episode, the Green Arrow must protect his team from a deadly attack from Prometheus.