Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen, with principal cast members Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Colton Haynes as Roy Harper, John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn and Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance also returning from previous seasons.

The series follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who claimed to have spent five years shipwrecked on Lian Yu, a mysterious island in the North China Sea, before returning home to Starling City (later renamed "Star City") to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow.

The season features flashbacks to Oliver's third year since he was presumed dead, where after escaping Lian Yu, he is forced to work for A.R.G.U.S.

Oliver and Tatsu Yamashiro (Rila Fukushima) work to stop corrupt general Matthew Shrieve (Marc Singer) from unleashing a pathogen which Ra's al Ghul acquires in the present.

[38] Talking ahead of San Diego Comic Con, executive producer Marc Guggenheim stated that the theme of the season would be 'identity'.

Producers confirmed that the flashback sequences would continue this season, but be focused on Oliver's time in Hong Kong, and also examine the beginnings of his relationship with Amanda Waller.

"[39] Following previous revelations that the first episode would feature a date between Oliver and Felicity Smoak, Kreisberg stated that "The way the show has shaken out and the experiences the two have had, it feels like it's time to explore that.

"[39] He also confirmed that Brandon Routh's Ray Palmer would be "invading Oliver's life in every aspect", as well as injecting more humor into the season.

[39] It was also disclosed at San Diego that the season would feature an episode exploring the origins of the character Felicity Smoak, to be entitled "Oracle", which would focus on her time at M.I.T.

[41] Kreisberg also confirmed that Colin Donnell would make an appearance as Tommy Merlyn in the second episode of the season, during a flashback sequence.

[25] Guggenheim originally discussed with the other writers about bringing Jessica De Gouw back as Helena Bertinelli / Huntress.

However, despite the crew loving to work with De Gouw and De Gouw's interest in returning, the season ultimately proved to be too short for a Huntress episode given that they ran out of stories to include in a 23-episode season, like that of Felicity Smoak's parents, not wishing to waste the character for an episode that couldn't do her "justice".

[33] Film actor Liam Neeson, who played the character in the Christopher Nolan Batman films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, originally expressed an interest in reprising the role for the show, but couldn't take up offer when the showrunners approached him due to scheduling conflicts.

The DVD and Blu-ray box sets contain additional features, including making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel, and highlights from the Paley Fest.

Club noted that the season had a habit of "making bold moves and all too frequently backing away from, rather than embracing, the ramifications of these series-altering decisions."