'Arrow' Hangs Up the Bow After 8 Seasons: Read Stephen Amell and the Cast's Farewell Messages

The CW's flagship DC Comics show kicked off the network's extended 'Arrow'-verse when it premiered in 2012.

It's time for Arrow to hang up the bow.

The CW's flagship DC Comics show signs off on Tuesday after eight seasons, during which the show launched the aptly-named Arrow-verse of shows -- including The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, DC's Legends of Tomorrow and more -- via spinoffs and breakout supporting characters.

That means there were plenty of stars to bid farewell to the show ahead of its series finale, from star Stephen Amell -- who played the titular hero, and his alter ego, Oliver Queen -- over the last eight seasons, to Katie Cassidy and Paul Blackthorne to Katherine McNamara and Juliana Harkavy, as well as Rick Gonzalez.

"Today’s bittersweet. Arrow meant so much to me for so many years. It was a transformative journey... but it was time to let it go," Amell, 38, wrote on Twitter in a heartfelt message to fans Tuesday. "I lace my boots and don the hood one last time tonight. I’ll forever cherish being an ambassador for Oliver Queen. Thank you for the honor."

Cassidy responded to Amell's tweet, sweetly confessing that she believes he'll be back donning the hood once more. "Or maybe this is me in denial!" she wrote

The actress, who has been with the series off and on since the pilot as Laurel Lance, thanked fans for sticking by the show for eight seasons. 

Blackthorne, who returns as Quentin Lance in the series' swan song, paid tribute to Amell in a touching post, calling the actor "a bit of a legend."

"If there’s one person that deserves a sh*t ton of credit for getting a show through eight seasons of production, it’s @stephenamell," he praised. "Well done that man. Bit of a legend really."

McNamara, who portrays Oliver's daughter, Mia Smoak, had an equally emotional message for Arrow's No. 1. Alongside a sweet candid photo of McNamara and Amell, she thanked him and the show for welcoming her to the party late in its run.

"The man. The myth. The legend. The hero. The legacy. The joy. The loss. The failures. The victories. The love. The heart. ?Thank you  @cw_arrow. Thank you @stephenamell. Thank you Oliver Queen for letting me be a part of your story. Tonight’s the night," she tweeted.

Harkavy quoted Winston Churchill in her tribute to Arrow on Instagram, which read, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning," opposite a photo of the cast. 

Gonzalez shared a slew of photos and videos from the final day of production on Instagram, reflecting on his time playing Wild Dog for the past three seasons.

"And here we are. This day was all amazing energy. Sort of like the last day of high school. Everyone is going off to do big things. You know it, you can feel it. So all you want to do is enjoy each other one last time. Final episode of the series. So honored to be a part of this show. To bring Rene to life. To embody #WildDog. What a gift," he wrote in part.

ET's Leanne Aguilera sat down with Amell in December, where the actor -- who is next set to headline a pro wrestling series, Heels, on Starz -- said he was "in mourning" for his time on Arrow.

"It's been such a huge part of my life for eight years," he said, "and the friends that I've made and all of the memories that I have from nearly a decade I have in Vancouver. You know, that's where my kid was born and I've made lifelong friends."

"I've watched this show that they were taking a chance on, this sort of middle-of-the-road DC hero, and this DC character helped blossom this giant Arrow-verse -- which I hope they still call it -- it's really sad," he added, noting that while he had only been wrapped on the show for about a month, "It already feels like a lifetime ago."

The Arrow series finale airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, following a one-hour retrospective at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

See more tributes from the Arrow cast below.

RELATED CONTENT:

Latest News