Gay favourite Mr Terrific makes surprise exit from Arrow
Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen on The CW show Arrow
Gay fan favourite character Mr Terrific has made a surprise exit from Arrow, but another character just confirmed his sexuality on-screen.
Echo Kellum had played gay hero Curtis Holt/Mr Terrific, one of several out-and-proud figures within the Arrow‘s TV superhero universe, since 2015.
However, the character made a surprise exit from the show during Monday’s (February 11) Arrow episode, which saw his tech genius alter ego Curtis Holt decide to leave Star City and take up a job offer in Washington, DC.
Arrow star Echo Kellum leaving as series regular
Kellum confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that he is stepping aside as a series regular, adding: “I have kids — I have a 12-year-old — and it was just starting to feel like I should be back home more.”
However, the actor clarified that he will remain open to guest appearances in future.
He added: “What I will say, this isn’t the end of Curtis. I’ll definitely come back as much as they want me back, and visit and guest-star and whatnot.
“So, it’s not the end of him. I guess it’s really a family decision overall, just to be a little closer to my kids.”
Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt/Mr Terrific on Arrow. (CW)
The show won’t be going without LGBT+ representation—as the same episode that wrote out Mr Terrific saw another major character confirm his sexuality.
The show had repeatedly hinted at the sexuality of main character Oliver Queen’s grown-up son William Clayton, played by Ben Lewis.
Arrow confirms a major character is gay
The character previously referenced relationships with men on several occasions, but directly confirmed he is gay on-screen in the episode.
When a character mistakenly assumes that Clayton dated Felicity Smoak, he replies: “God, no! I’m gay, and she’s my mum.”
Actor Ben Lewis thanked the show’s writers for the the moment, tweeting: “[It’s] my favourite line of dialogue ever.”
Many fans missed the initial revelation that the character had dated men in an October 2018 episode.
Joking about his abandonment by his frequently-absent father, William had joked: “And my ex-boyfriend wonders why I have commitment issues.”
Arrow has championed LGBT+ characters
The various superhero TV shows that share a universe with Arrow, known collectively as the Arrowverse, have earned praise for featuring a large number of LGBT+ characters.
The show has previously featured bisexual superhero White Canary (Caity Lotz) and assassin Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law).
Trans actress Nicole Maines recently made her debut as TV’s first transgender superhero on Arrowverse show Supergirl.
Animated Arrowverse series The Ray also featured a gay lead, played by Russell Tovey, while Ruby Rose is expected to join the roster of shows within the superhero universe as lesbian superhero Batwoman.
A pilot for a solo Batwoman show was picked up by The CW in January, after the character made her Arrow debut as part of a crossover event.
