Top 5 Things Arrow Has Gotten Wrong About Green Arrow

Even the best archers misfire sometimes. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 5 Things Arrow Has Gotten Wrong About Green Arrow. This CW series has hit its fair share of bulls-eyes over the years. For this list, however, we’re taking a look at instances where the show deviated from its source material and in turn failed to do its comic book counterpart justice. We know changes are necessary for any adaption and some of these criticisms are a tad nitpicky, but they’re still worth addressing. #5: The Green Arrow’s Costume When the Green Arrow made his debut in “More Fun Comics” #73 back in 1941, readers immediately noticed a few parallels between the superhero and Robin Hood. From his green ensemble to his weapon of choice, the Green Arrow was a dead ringing for the English outlaw. “Arrow” has maintained the bare essentials of the character’s classic look, but notably ditched the green hat and Van Dyke beard. On one hand, this makes sense for a contemporary, gritty reimagining. Even some recent Green Arrow comics have adopted a more modern look. Since people are always comparing Oliver to Robin Hood, though, we’d love to see the retro costume make an appearance somewhere down the line. #4: Oliver Queen’s Relationship with Shado In both “Arrow” and the original comics, Shado is portrayed as a skilled martial artist that’ll kill to survive. Of course, the comic incarnation is much darker, being an assassin. The most substantial change regarding Shado is her relationship with Oliver. In the series, Shado teaches Ollie about archery and becomes his love interest. In the source material, they not only have a romantic relationship, but Shado rapes Oliver and the two conceive a child. The showrunners never really dive into what made Shado such an interesting character on the printed page, killing her off in Season 2. Her death does serve a greater purpose, though, acting as a catalyst for Oliver’s rivalry with Slade. #3: Roy Harper’s Backstory The show’s interpretation of Roy has a fair deal in common with his comic book predecessor. Both become Oliver’s first sidekick, donning the color red. In “Arrow,” however, Roy doesn’t officially assume the superhero alias of Speedy, a code-name that’s instead given to Oliver’s sister, Thea. Roy, meanwhile, makes the immediate jump to being Arsenal, which wouldn’t happen until later in the comics. Most significantly, Roy’s tragic past is more fleshed out in the source material, which reveals he was raised on a Navajo reservation following the death of his father. What’s more, the Arrowverse never tackles Roy’s heroin addiction story arc. Because of this, the character has never quite reached his full potential here. #2: Green Arrow’s Relationship with Black Canary Green Arrow and Black Canary are a comic book couple that earn comparison to Batman and Catwoman. Throughout “Arrow,” Oliver has a romantic relationship with the original Canary, Sarah Lance, along with her sister/successor, Laurel Lance. Dinah Drake currently holds the title of Black Canary, but her relationship with Olivier is strictly professional. The main romantic subplot instead revolves around Ollie and Felicity, which has divided many viewers. In defense of Olicity, actors Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards do have natural chemistry when given solid writing to work with. After several seasons of will-they-won't-they tension, breaking up, and getting back together, though, we REALLY wish these two would just make up their minds already! #1: Trying to Make Him Batman While they’re both wealthy playboys that fight crime, the similarities between Green Arrow and Batman virtually end there in the comics. Where Batman is dark and tormented, Green Arrow is more optimistic, colorful, and humorous. Although the Oliver in “Arrow” makes the occasional funny, he spends more time threatening bad guys in a deep voice and brooding in the Arrowcave. Plus, he’s constantly going up against Batman’s most iconic enemies, including Ra’s al Ghul, and also has wheelchair-bound tech support. It’s no secret that this series is essentially a Batman show disguised as a Green Arrow show. On that basis, however, it does a better job at representing the Dark Knight than some other interpretations.