Arrow: 7 Plot Threads The Show Totally Abandoned
5. The Dystopian Flash-Forwards
After a year's break from regular flashbacks, Arrow resurrected the format throughout the entirety of its seventh season in order to flash forward instead. Here, we saw a glimpse into the dark future that awaited Star City in the year of 2040 and how it ultimately impacted Roy, Dinah, Laurel, Felicity and the next generation of Team Arrow: William Clayton, Mia Smoak, Connor Hawke and Zoe Ramirez.
A city in ruins without heroes, John Diggle's son, J.J., rose through the ranks of villainy - kick-starting the deadly gang known as the Deathstrokes. And this itself kick-started the return of heroes.
The flash-forwards were nixed in the beginning of Season 8 when Mia, William and Connor were transported to the present after Zoe's death - changing things forever and wiping that future from existence.
Unlike the rest of the storylines on this list, this was undoubtedly for the better as it maintained the best things about the narrative while eliminating the weaker aspects - and it all paved the way for a new, more intirguing future for spin-off Green Arrow and The Canaries.