'Arrow' Season 7 Air Date, Spoilers: How Big Will Oliver Queen's Nemesis Be in Upcoming Installment?

The Arrowverse just became a more dangerous place after Team Flash and the cast of “Legends of Tomorrow" potentially lost an active member, with Keiynan Lonsdale downgrading from a regular to a guest starring role. But “Arrow” season 7 and its latest announcement may just take the Arrowverse to a grimmer place.

Fans will always remember Kirk Acevedo's Ricardo Diaz as the villain the got away in the show's previous installment. But it looks like getting away is just part of Diaz's plan A as Kirk Acevedo returns in “Arrow” season 7 as a series regular.

TV Line recently broke the news shared by “Arrow” season 7's new showrunner, Beth Schwartz. Schwartz also mentions that the upcoming season will focus on Ricardo Diaz growing into his shoes as the villain that fans of the comics know as “Dragon.”

Fans will remember that Ricardo Diaz was already featured when the “Arrow” season 7 preview trailer was revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con 2018 (SDCC). An imprisoned Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) does not simply mean that Star City has lost its protector. It also means that everyone connected to Oliver Queen whom he loves and cares about is fair game for his enemies, and the “Arrow” season 7 trailer hammers the point by showing William (Jack Moore) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) potentially being cornered by Ricardo himself.

To add excitement to the fire, the synopsis for the second episode of “Arrow” season 7 mentions the hunt for Ricardo Diaz is still being pursued by Oliver Queen and his team despite his imprisonment. It looks like Ricardo Diaz's role in the upcoming installment will definitely take up a significant amount of airtime for the fans' enjoyment. Fans looking forward to seeing how the stakes for Star City's fate have been upped with Ricardo Diaz leading the charge can catch the season premiere episode of “Arrow” season 7 when it airs on Oct. 15.