At this point everyone should know that (spoiler alert!) Sara Lance was murdered at the end of episode one of season three, “The Calm”. It was a slightly shocking (we all knew she was going to bite it at some point) moment. The question is who was responsible? Sara being a highly trained assassin there probably is no shortage of people who wanted to her dead. When she was killed, she reacted as if she knew the person that was pointing a bow at her. Let’s take a look at who most likely did the deed.
Laurel Lance:
Now this is a bit of a stretch, but it could totally have happened. Just because we were led to believe Sara was shot as Laurel was walking on the streets below doesn’t mean that’s what actually happened. If you were going to take someone out what better way to do it than to use his or her own sister as a weapon. An entity like A.R.G.U.S. could totally be behind the brainwashing of Laurel. Triggering her at the moment where Sara was most vulnerable. Why would A.R.G.U.S. do such a thing? Who knows, but based on what we have seen up till this point we shouldn’t put anything past Amanda Waller. Once reveled, this event could be the final straw that pushes Laurel into taking up the Canary mantel.
Odds: 5000-1
Malcolm Merlyn:
In “The Magician”, Merlyn is made public enemy number one. Nyssa returns to Starling and tells Oliver and Co that Sara was back in town to confirm Merlyn was in fact alive. After much back and forth Merlyn manages to convince Oliver that the only reason he came back to Starling was to look over his daughter Thea. As impassioned as his plea to Oliver was, we can’t forget that Merlyn is a liar and a mass murder. It’s understandable that Oliver would believe him based on the fact that Merlyn invoked the holy name of Thea, but should we really trust Merlyn? He hates Oliver and everything he stands for. Oliver is responsible for thwarting Merlyn’s “Undertaking” which, as you could imagine, was a bit of an annoyance for Merlyn. Merlyn hasn’t forgotten that fact and has yet to exact his revenge on Oliver. What better way than to kill the woman Oliver loved at one point?
Odds: 100-1
The Huntress:
Helena Bertinelli hates Canary just by virtue of her relationship with Oliver. Canary and Huntress tangled once before, with the end result being Huntress ending up in jail. Maybe she broke out and decided to seek revenge on the people she thinks is responsible for her being incarcerated? In her own twisted way she still loves Oliver, so instead of hurting him physically she may have decided to hurt him mentally. Killing his new(ish) love interest would be right up Huntress ally. Let’s not forget she shot and crippled Oliver’s last girlfriend.
Odds: 50- 1
White Canary:
White Canary hasn’t made an appearance in the Arrowverse, but it would make sense for her to have done the deed. White Canary is obsessed with Black Canary in the comics. She attempted to frame Black Canary for murder in the comics to no avail. In this case White Canary could be another member of the League of Assassins. She could have been in love with Nyssa and become enraged when Sara returned into the fold. White Canary may have followed Sara back home to Starling and shot her full of arrows.
Odds: 200-1
Lady Shiva:
Shiva also hasn’t appeared in the show yet either, but its bound to at some point. Shiva was Canary’s number one nemesis, before they formed an uneasy alliance and began working together in the “Birds of Prey” comic. Given Shiva’s deadly skill, it would not be surprising for Shiva to make her grand entrance into the Arrowverse by killing Black Canary version one, before eventually being taken out by Black Canary version two (Laurel Lance).
Odds: 250-1
Deathstroke (Slade Wilson):
This is probably the most obvious choice. Wilson promised to destroy Oliver’s life and kill the one he loves. Granted, he is currently wasting away in Amanda Waller’s super-max on Lian Yu, but we have to expect that he will get out at some point. Who know, maybe he was released on Amanda Waller’s orders.
Odds: 10-1
Ra’s al Ghul:
While Malcolm Merlyn tried to explain to Oliver that he wasn’t the person who killed Sara, he raised and interesting point: Ra’s never accepted Sara and didn’t like her attachment to Nyssa. If that really is the case, we can’t put it passed Ra’s to orchestrate the death of Nyssa’s lover. Ra’s is ruthless. He could have killed her himself or had her killed solely as a means to show Nyssa she doesn’t need attachments in life. They have not mentioned Talia al Ghul at all so its safe to assume Nyssa is Ra’s sole progeny. If she is going to take over for Ra’s, she needs to be as close to Ra’s level ruthlessness as possible. This event could give her the edge he feels she maybe missing.
Odds: 5-1