'Arrow' season 5 spoilers: EP speaks out on John Diggle Jr.'s confusing future; is Laurel back for good?

After Laurel's (Katie Cassidy) surprising return during the last episode of "Arrow," fans are now coming up with many theories on how the show will address the return of the dead character.

The midseason finale of "Arrow" shocked fans when Laurel appeared at the end of the episode, even though she already died back in season 4. The answer to how she returned won't be revealed until the winter premiere, but there are some speculations that she is an Earth-2 version of the beloved character.

As reports point out, Black Siren, also known as Laurel Lance of Earth-2, was introduced in "The Flash" season 2. After causing trouble in Central City, she was locked up in STAR Labs' basement. It is believed that Prometheus is behind her return, and he is using her to make his war with Oliver (Stephen Amell) even more personal. Although most viewers think it's just a hallucination, rumor has it that her comeback could also have something to do with the introduction of Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig).

On another note, John Diggle Jr.'s future is causing a bit of confusion among fans because of the changes brought by Flashpoint. Despite being Dig's son, he changed his name to Connor Hawke, who was Oliver's son in the comics. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Marc Guggenheim explained why he can't give a straight answer about the character's confusing story arc.

"It's hard for me to honestly answer the question without committing to a version of time travel, because in order for that to be the case, then Flashpoint would've had to have happened," he explained. "You start to get into the very, very complicated time travel rules that, quite frankly, I as a writer don't have an appetite to answer unless we tell a story one day that deals with John Jr., and even then, I don't know if we would directly address that issue head on," he went on to say.

The fifth season of "Arrow" returns to the small screen on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.