Arrow: Will Roy Harper's Kidnaping Bring Him Closer to Becoming Speedy?

Is Arrow'sOliver getting a new sidekick?

Ever since the CW show introduced the character of Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), fans have been wondering when (and if)  he'll assume the Speedy identity of DC Comics lore. This week's episode (Wednesday at 8/7c, the CW) may bring the thieving lad one step closer to that eventuality when he's abducted by The Savior (Christopher Redman), a dangerous vigilante who is attempting to make the criminals of The Glades pay for their sins against the slums. Will Oliver (Stephen Amell) be able to save Roy? And how will Roy's brush with death change him? TVGuide.com turned to Haynes to get the scoop:

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What can you tell us about Roy being taken hostage by The Savior?
Colton Haynes: It happens in a pivotal moment between him and Thea (Willa Holland). It really begins a lot of the relationship between Roy and the Hood. Thea is put in the middle of it because she's running to her brother trying to ask for help, obviously not knowing that her brother is the vigilante. It really sets a lot of things up for the episodes that are about to come down the pipe.

How does Roy feel about being put in this position considering?
Haynes: The Savior is out to get people who, in his mind, have wronged The Glades, and he starts broadcasting the kidnappings and the murders. Roy, in a way, feels like he deserves it because he starts to look inside and realize, "Wow, I actually have done things that have wronged a lot of people." He has this really great moment with The Savior where he starts to give up and thinks he's going to die. Thea steps in and tries to get help from her brother, but obviously gets help from the vigilante.

Ever since you were cast as Roy Harper, fans have been waiting for the first interaction between Oliver and Roy. What will surprise us about that in this episode?
Haynes: The thing I really love about how [executive producers] Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti do things is that they definitely take their time with everything. I'm over here going, "What am I going to be? Will I get my arm blown off? Will I put the red suit on? Should I be trying to get into shape?" They're really easing their way into it. Greg said something like, "It took five years for Oliver on the island to really find what he was," so now they're going to take their time with Roy. The first interaction is with the Hood. It's definitely going to be an interaction that will set things up and make the fans of the comic books want more. The next episodes are really going to be great for fans who want Oliver and Roy to start their partnership, in a way. Hopefully they don't just kill me after they said they just upped me to series regular.

In the pilot, Oliver called Thea "Speedy," so it's been a question of who really will become Oliver's sidekick? Have you been bugging the writers about that?
Haynes: They said it's open for interpretation. They keep on teasing it. Actually, in one of my first episodes, they took out a line where Thea calls Roy "Speedy." I think that would've teased the fans a little bit too much and it would've caused them to want to know more. It's so up in the air right now. They take you on this journey with Roy and Thea in the next episodes and make you believe like they could team up. But you never know.

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Obviously, since you've been upped to series regular for Season 2, The Savior is not going to kill Roy this week. How will his brush with death affect him?
Haynes: He realizes that things he thought were normal aren't actually very good things. Roy had to steal and thieve his way to make a living, which is why he's always giving Thea a hard time. She was born into the money and he has to do bad things for it. He thinks he's going to die and really starts to break down. Thea starts to see there's this broken kid as opposed to this troublemaker, and that's why she keeps showing up.

What will his journey look like for the rest of the season?
Haynes: Roy is becoming a lot more prominent in the coming episodes, which is fun for me. It's going to be an action-packed few episodes. I don't think Roy is going to stop until he finds the Hood. He sees a way out of this life, and I think he's going to do anything he possibly can, whether that means putting himself or Thea in danger. He is dead-set on finding the Hood and [trying to] be part of this.

Is Roy feeling like he has a life debt to the Hood now?
Haynes: Definitely.

Do you hope Roy becomes Speedy? Or do you secretly think Thea should take his place as Oliver's sidekick? Hit the comments!

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.