"Arrow" Season 5 will part Felicity from her team following the death of Detective Billy Malone. She strays from her team not because Oliver Queen killed her boyfriend, but because of Prometheus.
The midseason finale of "Arrow" Season 5 saw Oliver Queen confess to Felicity Smoak that he killed Billy. The Green Arrow admitted that it was an accident. He had no idea that Billy was behind the mask. Prometheus staged Billy's murder.
Billy's death will greatly affect Felicity going towards the midseason episodes of "Arrow" Season 5. However, she does not blame Oliver. She understands that it was not his intention to kill her boyfriend.
"She recognizes the manipulations that have led to this situation," series creator Wendy Mericle told TV Line.
Prometheus manipulated Oliver Queen in the midseason finale of "Arrow" Season 5. The villain had tricked the Arrow into thinking he was the masked man he was targeting. Turns out it was Billy after all.
According to Mericle, Felicity does not feel any anger or contempt towards Oliver. Instead, she feels hurt for both Oliver and for Billy Malone. The showrunner said that Felicty's "heart is broken in that last moment" for the Green Arrow and for Billy Malone.
What is next for Felicity in "Arrow" Season 5?
Felicity will go down a dark path in "Arrow" Season 5 following Billy's death. The loss of her boyfriend will prompt her to haunt Prometheus herself. However, there will be people along the way who will help her find the villain.
Mericle revealed that these people will lead Felicity to do some terrible things in the name of revenge. Inadvertently, her anger and thirst for vengeance will separate her from the team. Felicity will undergo a dark transformation. She may not be the same bubbly person that the team knows when "Arrow" Season 5 returns on Jan. 25.