John Barrowman’s character of Malcolm Merlyn is one of those characters to which I have no problem denying that I have missed on the show. Yes, he may be a player when it comes to choosing which side he chooses to fight on, but one thing we do know about Malcolm is that when it comes to Thea’s safety… he will always make the right choice.

Speaking to CBR, executive producer Wendy Mericle revealed that Merlyn will play a very critical role in the episodes leading up to the Season 5 finale.

“He’s going to be a huge factor leading up to the finale,” she shared. “This season is all about legacy, and when Malcolm comes into the story, it’s really rooted as much by necessity from Oliver’s point of view as it is about what Malcolm means to him and what Malcolm means to Thea. It’s a great story, because it’s going to have a lot of action but it’s also going to have this kind of emotional undercurrent that is going to lead to a really big, huge series moment for him. I think it’s a great story to tell, and it’s great stuff for John [Barrowman] to play.”

For the past four years, Malcolm was an ever-present character. This year, however, he played a major role in the show DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, in which he teamed up with Damien Dark and Reverse Flash to form the Legion of Doom.

Appearing only in a flashback in the Arow episode “Kapiushon,”- it will be a sweet treat to see Malcom back in the Arrow Cave… as long as he doesn’t plan on destroying it again.

Arrow will return Wednesday at 8PM/EST on The CW.