Katie Cassidy, who played death of the Black Canary during season 4, as Cassidy's character was murdered by Damien Darhk. Even though it didn't take long before Cassidy was back in the Arrowverse, killing Laurel was heavily criticized by fans and critics alike.

On the latest episode of Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Cassidy was the featured guest, and one of the big topics that was discussed was the controversial death of Laurel Lance in Arrow season 4. During her podcast appearance, Cassidy opened up on her experience both with the death scene and in the time before the episode was going to be filmed, as she shared the following:

Katie Cassidy: I got an email from my showrunners that was like, I don't know, two episodes before this or an episode before this episode was [shot] when somebody was going to die. I got this email, it's like to the whole cast, 'Hey Katie, Marc [Guggenheim] and Wendy [Mericle] would love to sit down and have lunch with you, we're gonna meet with the whole cast just to do a little catch up on what's going to be for the next few seasons.

For whatever reason, my stomach just dropped. I immediately text Marc Guggenheim, who I adore, 'I’m fired, aren’t I?' I was like, 'Marc, I have a sick feeling in my stomach, please don’t make me wait the weekend. Please, can we get on a call tomorrow?' He said, 'Wow, you’re really intuitive. I’ll call you tomorrow.' Marc said, 'Listen, unfortunately, I have to tell you you’re the one that’s in the grave.'

I was angry at first, and I was emotional, because I was sad. I think it was a couple of things - I have theories, I think it was political, it's a lot. Regardless, this was my only anger moment, I just have to say I feel like I’ve always been given the short end of the stick and I have to go. I didn’t yell. I just cried because I was sad. Stephen [Amell] called me immediately and was like, 'I’m so sorry it's you, I don’t want it to be you.' I worked really hard on that show and that character, and I loved it.

I did get a call after Flash aired, from Marc, that said, 'Would you come back as a series regular? I think we may have made a mistake.' And then I was back and better than ever and happy. Quite frankly, them killing me off took every other series regular and sends these other characters spiraling in different directions and reacting. It’s storytelling and I don’t take it personally. I think they did a great job in writing for me, quite frankly, and I got a lot to play with. So for that I’m grateful.

What Katie Cassidy's Arrow Comments Means For Laurel Lance's Death

It's clear from Cassidy's newest comments about Laurel's death that the decision to ax the Black Canary in Arrow season 4 was as much of a surprise to her as it was to viewers. The concept that someone was going to end up in the grave that Oliver Queen was standing by was introduced at the start of season 4, and Arrow waited until episode 18 to reveal who was going to bite the dust. The fact that Cassidy learned it would be her character not long before meant it was inevitable she would also be shocked by the news.

The idea of killing the Black Canary in a Green Arrow show also raised criticisms that Arrow and the Arrowverse were guilty of the Women in the Refrigerator trope, as Laurel was killed simply to progress the storylines for Oliver, as well as her father Quentin Lance, who had initially worked for Damien at the start of the season. If anything, Cassidy's Black Siren appearing in The Flash season 2 only a few weeks later ended up saving Arrow in a lot of ways, giving the writers a fresh chance to explore a different Laurel.

Our Take On Katie Cassidy's Arrow Comments

Cassidy's comments about finding the death of her character emotionally difficult make sense, especially as she had been with Arrow from the very beginning and was initially the show's original female lead. In the end, Cassidy's new Black Canary got to be with Arrow until the very end, while also getting to explore a complex story for the Earth-2 counter-part. For anyone who wants to relive every season of Arrow, the Arrowverse show is available through Blu-ray/DVD and on streaming.