NOTE: Spoilers for Arrow season 4, episode 18
Following the dramatic and emotional episode of Arrow season 4 that aired in the US last night (April 6) on The CW, ComicBook.com has reported that showrunner Marc Guggenheim has offered to explain just why Laurel was chosen to be the character in the grave this season.
Credit: The CW
He said during a press screening: "Obviously Arrow is always a show that's evolving, it's always a show where you know, every character arguably except for the Arrow is fair game, and you know we started off this year with the promise of a death, and when we sort of worked our way through our various different creative choices, we realised that you know, the thing that will give us the most pop going into the end of the season and into next season unfortunately would be Laurel, and we knew by the way, we knew that it would enrage a lot of people."
It was early on in the fourth season when Arrow viewers first got their glimpse of the grave in which Laurel now lies, with the season taking us on the journey which Oliver Queen had to travel before we all learned the identity of the deceased character.
Though we've seemingly now lost Laurel from Arrow for the foreseeable future, Katie Cassidy will be appearing on The Flash this coming May, as Earth-2's Black Siren.
Arrow season 4 continues on its return to The CW in the US, on Wednesday April 27.