Arrow Season 4: 10 Characters That Absolutely Cannot Die
7. Laurel Lance
Who She Is: Laurel Lance was Oliver’s girlfriend from before the shipwreck, who became a crusading lawyer for the little guy, who became a prosecuting assistant district attorney, who became an alcoholic, who became unemployed, who became a woman terrible at recognizing her blonde sister from two feet away because of a blonde wig and domino mask, who became a gleeful recipient of a jacket, who became a vigilante taking on the name of Black Canary after boxing lessons.
She’s basically a wall at which the writers have been throwing spaghetti for three years.
Why She Cannot Die: As unpopular as Laurel has become in certain circles, killing her off just after she has become Black Canary would render meaningless all of the screentime allotted to her journey in Season 3. Her meteoric rise toward the mask frustrated, but at least there was an end result. For better or worse, Laurel Lance is the Black Canary.
Perhaps even worse than the time wasted is the melodrama that her death would cause. She’s been rendered nearly irrelevant to the hero in life, but her death would undoubtedly be used to send him into a particularly epic guilt trip. Mourning and melodrama with regard to the Lance family have been overdone by this point; if any are to exit the show, they should do so alive and well.