History
Oliver Queen: 1972 - 1993
Oliver Queen is the eldest child of Robert Queen and his wife Moira Dearden-Queen.Robert was something of a young business tycoon who had made his fortune playing the stock market before investing his wealth in a variety of profitable markets from banking, entertainment, medicine and medical technology, and even weapons manufacture. Moira was from a more traditional sort of wealth: old money, hailing from one of the nation's wealthiest families. Oliver was truly fortunate to be born in such family.
In Star City, Oliver spent his youth in private schools. Even as a child, Oliver enjoyed enjoying extracurricular activities like archery, lacrosse, rowing, and fencing. Though Oliver was actually training to be an Olympic archer, Oliver was all-around a naturally gifted athlete and excelled at any physical activity. His love of sports also fostered a love for outdoors and he became interested in an altogether different sort of sport and game; hunting. Oliver would often join his father on exotic hunting trips around the world. It was during a safari that tragedy struck the Queen family. Robert and Moira Queen were mauled by a lion before Oliver's eyes as he tried to unjam his rifle. 18-year-old Oliver killed the lion using his father's bow when the lion turned its hungry eyes to Thea, Oliver's little sister.
Back home, Oliver began preparing to inherit the reins of his father's company, under the guidance of his and Thea's godfather and their father's business partner, Walter Steele. Though Oliver was given control of the family fortune, there were certain stipulations placed on his control over Queen Consolidated and it was Walter's responsibility to help Oliver overcome these obstacles. Yet, much Walter's regret, Oliver quickly earn a reputation as a playboy and thrill-seeker, often throwing lavish parties aboard his yacht, “The Queen’s Gambit”. No such exception was spared for Oliver's biggest party to date: his twenty-first birthday party! But that party was not all fun and games. Oliver and his party guests became victims of the League of Assassins. Ra's al Ghul had dispatched his assassins to infiltrate the ranks of Oliver’s crew and guests, and after poisoning and kidnapping Oliver, they murdered the uninitiated persons aboard the ship and scuttled the vessel to cover up the abduction.
The reasons for Oliver's abduction was due to some past relationship with between Ra's al Ghul and Oliver's parents which we're still not certain of to this day, but a prime example of how the League had began to sink its hooks in Oliver at young age is made clear with the fact that Oliver's archery coach was none other than Malcolm Merlyn; and Oliver's best friend was Tommy Merlyn. So back to the story, the assassins brought Oliver to a training camp on a uncharted island but shortly after his arrival it was discovered that Oliver an allergic reaction to the sedative. Afraid to lose his investment, Ra's al Ghul ordered his subordinates to quickly bring Oliver to camp's Lazarus Pit. So, without care, Oliver's limp body was tossed in and consumed by a green glow.[1]
Al Sah-him: 1993 - 1998
Al Sah-him
Upon recovery, Oliver’s eyes turned green (a prophetic trait he shared with Ra’s al Ghul), earning him the nickname “Akhdir” or “The Green” which made him of interest to Ra’s al Ghul’s occult-minded daughter, Nyssa al Ghul, who chose Oliver over the more capable Bruce Wayne. Upon completion of his training, Oliver Queen became an assassin in service of the League of Assassins, taking on the name “Al Sah-him”, or “The Arrow”.[2]
Wedded to Nyssa al Ghul, Oliver Queen was in direct competition with Bruce Wayne to inherit Ra’s al Ghul title. Their rivalry pushed both of them and while Bruce excelled at most things, he could never best Oliver’s natural affinity with archery, hunting, and fencing. Eventually, the two became close friends and would often be on assignments together. When Oliver’s hedonism and carefree nature led Ra’s al Ghul to name Bruce Wayne as heir, Oliver held no grudge and was happy to enjoy the luxuries of his position among the Assassins’ elite. Though neither Bruce or Oliver discuss the reasons for their leaving the League, I have learned that Oliver fathered two children during his time in the League; one of which was not with Nyssa, so that may have led to Oliver’s choice to flee from the League, in fear of being given the “Matt Hagen” treatment by Ra’s al Ghul.
Green Arrow: 1998 - 2009
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Green Arrow (JLA Era)
Returning to Star City, Oliver orchestrated a cover story for his five year absence, claiming he had been shipwrecked aboard a deserted island. For a time, Oliver lived the life of a playboy back from the dead and reunited with his sister, Thea.
Eventually, Oliver’s paranoia that the League would retaliate led him to hire a security team, led by an ex-especial forces operative, John Diggle. Oliver and John became best friends and when news reports came in from Gotham City about a vigilante, Oliver recognized the work of his old friend Bruce. Oliver decided to follow Bruce’s example. With the help of Diggle, Oliver crafted his alter-ego as the Green Arrow. Taking cues from Batman, Oliver also crafted an Arrow-Cave, Arrowmobile, and even took in a ward to serve as a sidekick [see “Arsenal”]. Over time, Team Arrow grew to include a poor man’s Oracle (a hacker named Felicity Smoak) and a parade of other runaway sidekicks.
Eventually, Oliver met the love of his life [see “Black Canary”], helped found the Justice League, and even was elected mayor of Star City for a term. Following a sting in public office, Oliver decided to sell his family’s company to Wayne Enterprises and use the money to fund his war on crime full-time. Oh, and he changed the name of his “Arrow-Cave” to “the Quiver”, Yay!”[3]
2009 - Present
Missing Data
Powers and Abilities
Green Arrow's Stats
Abilities
- Acrobatics: Oliver Queen has displayed on many occasions that he is an expert in acrobatics, and often uses this skill while evading enemy fire.
- Archery: Oliver Queen is perhaps the finest archer ever known. Something of an idiot savant when it comes to the bow and arrow. He claims to be able to shoot 29 arrows per minute (I still need to fact check this as he stated this himself when he was correcting Black Canary for saying 26). He has a wide-variety of trick arrows, ranging from bola arrows to time-bomb arrows to his infamous boxing-glove arrow. In recent years he has used these gimmick arrows sparingly, preferring the time-tested simple arrow. Green Arrow has shown the ability to shoot an arrow down the barrel of a gun, pierce a drop of water as it leaves a tap, and shoot almost any part of the human body; although he aims only to wound and not kill when he shoots. He once shot two arrows down two different gun barrels while upside down, in mid-flip while somersaulting off a building (I need to fact check that, too). In ideal conditions, Oliver's archery is more accurate than Deadshot's use of guns. For this reason, Batman has secretly been testing Oliver's DNA for years to assess the possibility of a meta-gene. All tests have come back inconclusive apparently. Possible that his Lazarus bath gave him preternatural archery skills?
- Aviation: He used to own and fly his own airplane called the Arrowplane. He still has some skill in flying different types of planes.
- Cooking: Oliver's chili is one of the hottest foods on the planet. I'm pretty sure it can be classified as a chemical weapon.
- Firearms: Although not his preferred weapon, Oliver is very skilled in the use of firearms. He has displayed great accuracy with handguns and machine guns. Even Slade Wilson has complimented Oliver's skill with firearms.
- Hunting and Survival: Archery is by far Oliver's preferred method of hunting, however, the ability to hunt comes from years of training, patience, and survival. He is proficient enough in hunting to pursue a cougar without it ever noticing. Oliver is perhaps the best conventional tracker in the Justice League.
- Martial Arts: He is proficient in several forms of hand-to-hand combat including Judo, Escrima, Kickboxing and Karate. Proclaimed as a martial arts master, he has shown the ability to take on seven people at once. This training was from his years in the League of Assassins.
- Peak Human Condition: Two words: salmon ladder.
- Politics: Ollie ran for office and became the mayor of Star City for a significant amount of time. He has since resigned from being the mayor and has continued to lean on political issues from time to time. He is a true social justice warrior and a far-left liberal.
- Swordsmanship: Ollie is also very proficient with a sword, though it is not his preferred weapon of choice. Bruce claims that Oliver can easily defeat him if the two were to duel with blades.
- Throwing: Oliver is a master marksman and possesses great aim with projectile objects such as darts, in addition to his skill in archery. He loves to hustle people at the bars he frequents, always using the money they lose to him to buy them a drink and listen to their woes.
- Weaponry: Oliver is proficient in the use of an array of weaponry, including archery, sticks, and various bladed weapons. As a trained assassin and former elite member of the League of Assassins, there isn't a weapon that Oliver has yet to master.
- Strength level: Due to extensive archery training, Ollie's arm strength is superior to that of the average man. He once broke free from a metal chain over a course of a few hours.
Paraphernalia
- Custom Bow: In his Quiver (the base), Oliver has a rack of over three dozen compound bows customized to his precision standards.
- Quiver: Oliver's quiver (the item on his back) is a state-of-the-art quiver designed to not spill his arrows when performing acrobatic maneuvers. It also has an arrowhead-changing mechanism that can add gimmick features to standard arrows. His standard quiver holds thirty arrows. He often keeps spare arrows on his Arrow Bike and has a number of other locations stowed throughout Star City and other major cities for stocking up for missions.
- Transportation: In his Quiver, Oliver has an Arrowboat, an Arrowcar, an Arrow Rod, and an Arrowjet; but he has retired most of these due to maintenance costs and the constant comparison to Batman by the public who sees him using these vehicles. He mostly gets around with a JL Javelin or on an Arrow Bike.[4]
- Trick Arrows: These are a collection of specialized arrows. Among them are: Concussive Grenade Arrow, Capture Foam Arrow, Grapnel Arrow, Flashbang Arrow, Exploding Arrow, Boxing Glove Arrow, C4 Arrow, C4 in a Boxing Glove Arrow.
Weaknesses
- Slacker: It seems odd to say with all of his accomplishments and his work for social justice reform, but Oliver Queen is a slacker at heart. Oliver often doesn't like to take things too seriously... except for when he does.
- Women: Oliver Queen is weak to the charms of women. This often conflicts with his intense love for Dinah and his desire to remain loyal to her. The right nudge is often all that's needed to sway Oliver into making a wrong choice.
- Paranoid: Oliver Queen is deeply afraid of his ex-wife Nyssa and can become paranoid when he believes she is out to get him.
Trivia and Notes
Trivia
- Ollie's base is the Quiver (he's actually on his third one, with one being too compromised and the other destroyed during the Undertaking) and then he has Bunkers, Safehouses, and Armories scattered over Star City and other major cities he journeys to often, just so that he doesn't have to travel far to reload on arrows or travel around with his costume and gear on and/or near him.
- Ollie's central Quiver is located in the subbasement of an industrial warehouse owned by Wayne Enterprises (Bruce gave him the property so that if it's compromised, the cover story could be that Batman, Inc. also funds the Green Arrow) that was built over an old underground train station that Star City was adopting in the 80s as public transit but quickly phased out due to lack of public interest. Oliver and company use those tunnels to access the Quiver from different locales a good distance from the Quiver itself and if an entrance is compromised, they can just blow that tunnel, rather than the whole base immediately becoming useless.[5]
- Oliver wasn't aware that the League was responsible for his ship sinking before joining them. He assumed he got drunk and the ship crashed... possibly due to his own behavior. He didn't know people died until he returned to Star City, which is part of the reason he became a hero: to atone for the lives lost at his expense.
- It is hinted that Oliver and Bruce left the League of Assassins after they refused to kill Lucius Fox, and a young Tatsu Yamashiro helped them escape. It's also possible he's responsible for the 1993 Khandaq parliament bombing.
- It is implied that after the League faked the death of Roy Harper and framed Prometheus of it, Oliver hunted Prometheus down and killed him. Afterwards he became an alcoholic.
- Ollie's blood type is AB-, the same as his both of his ex-wives: Nyssa al Ghul and Dinah Lance.
- Ollie's left arm can sometimes cause him pain due to an old injury as an assassin. In training with Merlyn, he once took an arrow to his left side, chipping his bone which never healed properly.
- Oliver Queen quit drinking from 2003 to 2008. The aftermath of learning of Roy's supposed death caused him to relapse.
- Oliver's marriage to Dinah Lance fell apart when Oliver was seduced by Dinah's sister, Sara, acting under the orders of Nyssa al Ghul. Though Dinah knows this was not Ollie's fault as he had been drugged, she still needed some space. The two have reconciled and continued to date. Why they haven't gotten married again is anyone's guess.
- Oliver was assigned a partner by ARGUS. This agent was Carrie Cutter.
- His archenemy is The Magician.
- Oliver is right-handed, as he always uses his right hand to pull back on the arrow before firing them.
- Oliver proposed again to Dinah Lance on July 5th 2017, which she accepted.
Notes
- A detailed telling of Green Arrow's origin in Earth-27 can be read in Roy Reimagines Arrow.
- Green Arrow's quiver mechanism seems to be inspired by Hawkeye's mechanism from the Avengers movie.
- In the comics he actually was stranded on a Pacific island, it wasn't a cover-up.
- Oliver killing Prometheus is a nod to Cry for Justice.
- Barbara Gordon theorizes that Oliver may be a metahuman, due to his exceptional archery skills. This is why his race is listed as Human with a question mark.
Links and References
- Appearances of Oliver Queen
- Character Gallery: Oliver Queen