Wait, was Oliver/Felicity not originally intended????

Oh, dear sweet Anon. I don’t know if you’re trolling me, new to the fandom or simply uninformed, but regardless I appreciate the chance to enlighten you on the magic that is Olicity.

Indeed, while the showrunners are all too happy now to give themselves a pat on the back for crafting an epic Olicity love story, in the beginning (back in Season 1), much like Oliver was unable to resist Felicity, the writers and producers really didn’t have much of a choice.

(Since it’s “comic canon” that Oliver Queen’s Green Arrow is supposed to end up with Dinah L@urel L@nce’s Black Canary, this was the endgame the show originally intended to write.)

Felicity Smoak was just supposed to be a one-time guest appearance in 1x03. (Her name is an obscure comic book reference, but that is it.) However, Emily’s improved take on the character and instant spark with Stephen is what made Stephen react with a genuine smile (the smile you see Oliver give Felicity) and caught literally everyone’s attention. The kismet of Emily and Stephen’s first onscreen interaction has been commented on repeatedly by various producers, including Marc Guggenheim (x), Andrew Kreisberg (x) (x), and show creator Greg Berlanti (x).

Thus, Emily was hired as a regular guest star and eventually added as a series regular in S2. And thus the writers had found their saving grace. In truth, Felicity Smoak’s presence flat-out saved the show from itself and offered fans something to root for other than the toxic narrative that began in S1. The producers recognized the chemistry Oliver and Felicity have, and they responded by making the smartest “canon-divergent” choice in superhero television history–they rewrote the main hero’s love story. And the rest is history.

Isn’t it rather fitting, though? This is how most ingenious things come about–through unplanned, happy accidents that can only be described as gifts.