‘Arrow’ Season 3 Spoilers: New Flashback Characters, Villains, and a Certain Blue Beetle?

The second season of The CW's 'Arrow' ended on a tremendously strong note with finale installment "Unthinkable," though we were left with a number of questions as to how season 3 would play out, with Olivers of either timeline in such vastly different circumstance. Now, we've learned of at least few new flashback characters, as well as a present-day villain and a new superhero character that sounds suspiciously like a DC comics favorite!

You're warned of both potential spoilers and our own speculation for 'Arrow' season 3, but it seems TVLine got a hold of casting calls for four new characters of the season, two of which will feature into Oliver's Hong Kong flashbacks, while the others are rooted very much in the present. One seems like he'll act as a villain with the ability to sap people's will, while a new tech-based superhero will emerge both as a personal and professional rival to Oliver, and a potential love interest for Felicity!

See for yourself:

DANIEL | Though Daniel could be a fake name to throw off spoilerholics, this 20something gent — a major recurring character for Season 3 — is a handsome, enigmatic and highly intelligent entrepreneur developing groundbreaking technology. (Picture a business magnate in Ryan Gosling’s body.) Though exuding charm and confidence in public, he privately harbors a tragic past that will drive him to become a tech-powered superhero. Watch for this formidable fella to be a love interest for Felicity and a rival of Oliver’s – both personally and professionally.

SETH | A well-educated criminal with grand ambitions and a knack for chemistry, this potentially recurring character gains power over his enemies by exposing them to a drug that drains their willpower. Oh, and he is very much a physical match for The Arrow.

TOSHI | Majorly recurring in (at least) the Hong Kong flashbacks, Toshi will serve as Oliver’s teacher and handler, and eventually become a friend. A well-trained operative, skilled in weaponry, combat and intelligence gathering, he is also a devoted father and husband.

AKIKO | Toshi’s wife is another of Oliver’s Hong Kong caretakers, and is herself highly skilled in martial arts.

Whether or not "Daniel" turns out to be a smokescreen to hide the character's true identity, general buzz seems to have found consensus that the character may turn out to be an incarnation of DC superhero Blue Beetle. For one, Beetle alter-ego Ted Kord's Kord Industries has been mentioned (and visited) a number of times since the first season, while "Daniel Garrett" has also been another identity of the hero in the past. If nothing else, Oliver will definitely find himself in need of a few new partners both with and without the mask, now that Queen Consolidated has been taken out from under him.

Well, what do you think? We'll learn more as we approach Comic-Con 2014, but might Oliver have a few recognizable superheroes joining him in the battle for Starling City this year? Give us your analysis of the casting calls in the comments, and tell us what you want to see from 'Arrow' season 3!