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Elise Truchan

Dr. Ezra Claverie

Perspectives on Humanities: American Superheroes

16 December 2020

A Hero’s Method

The last word his father said to him was “survive” before shooting himself so that his

son, Oliver Queen, could live. Five years on an island was the sentence for his father’s last wish.

The cost of survival was that it changed Oliver to his very core, yet he survived so that he could

return home to save his city. His methods to save Starling City mirrored his methods to survive

on the island: kill or be killed. Oliver Queen strove to save his city and the citizens of it by

violent methods including torture and killing, yet can he be considered a hero if he deliberatly

takes lives to save others? According to ScreenRant, the Green Arrow character has the highest

kill count out of all of the DC superheroes (Ong) which makes fans question whether or not this

character is actually a hero or simply an archer with a vendetta. Therefore, the central claim of

this essay is that despite having the most kills for a DC character and using violent methods to

save others, the Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen from the first episode of the CW television show

Arrow is a hero. Looking into the justice system, the character’s mentality, other DC characters,

fan’s opinions, and parent’s perspectives will prove how, regardless of differing points of view,

the Green Arrow is, undoubtedly, a hero.

Before launching into the main points, one must first look at what one must be to be

considered a superhero or, more precisely, Peter Coogan’s definition of a superhero. In

Super/Heroes: From Hercules to Superman, Coogan writes the second chapter titled “The

Definition of the Superhero” and states “that the definitional characteristics of mission, powers,
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and identity are central to the superhero genre” so that if a character covers these three bases then

they are, by Coogan’s definition, a superhero (Coogan 24). In the first season of Arrow, the

Green Arrow has a clear mission. Before his father dies he gives Oliver a journal with a list of

corrupt individuals from Starling City. His mission as the Green Arrow is to take down these

corrupt individuals by any means necessary. Unlike many other superheroes who possess

superhuman strength or speed, the Green Arrow’s powers are his combat skills and archery skills

that he learned during his five years on the island. Identity is the most obvious due to Oliver

Queen’s secret identity being the Green Arrow. Billionaire playboy by day hides his nighttime

identity of wearing a green hood. The Green Arrow may fit Coogan’s general definition, but it

does not determine if not killing is also a requirement to be a “superhero”.

Looking at the justice system and how the Green Arrow side steps such a system makes

him a hero will help determine how killing does not erase being a superhero. The justice system

can take weeks or even months to decide whether or not a criminal can go on parole or is put

behind bars for life. There are cases where the evidence to put someone in jail is not sufficient

enough and this person is freed to do more harm. In the fictional world of superheroes the hero

catches the villain and then is put in jail for a long time usually without showing or having a trial.

The first season of the television show Arrow takes the fictional world of superheroes and

combines it with the harsh reality of life. It portrays people without superhuman powers to catch

the villain and then have them automatically put behind bars. Waiting for the justice system to

determine whether or not a criminal can go free or not could mean that several more deaths occur

and several more people’s lives ruined. Due to this the Green Arrow takes matters into his own

hands and kills to save more lives. He chooses carefully who he goes after outside of the law so

that more lives are saved than if he waits for the justice system.
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In the pilot episode of Arrow , the Green Arrow’s first target in Starling City is a man

called Adam Hunt. Adam Hunt is a rich and powerful person whose actions have pushed the

citizens of Starling City out of their homes and millions of dollars. The Green Arrow threatens

Hunt to give forty million dollars to the Starling City bank account or there will be

consequences. After Hunt calls the police and prepares for the Green Arrows arrival, the Green

Arrow then kills Hunt’s body guards and takes the money himself (“Pilot.”). By doing this

people are killed by the Green Arrow yet are also saved by him. Without the money that the

Green Arrow took more people would have been displaced out of their homes and lives. The

methods were extreme yet more lives were saved because of it. Adam Hunt would have never

been prosecuted due to his status in the city. Sidestepping the justice system saved lives and

made the Green Arrow a hero.

Furthermore, the Green Arrow’s mentality and reasons for killing further proves that his

methods do not counteract his heroism. Oliver Queen fought for his life for five years.

Transformed from a playboy to the lone survivor of a sunken yacht created the violent nature that

ended up becoming the Green Arrow. "Unmasking: On Violence, Masculinity, and Superheroes

in Science Education." looks at where violence develops in humans, more specifically in relation

to other humans. It is written that “violence is paradoxically inherent in the good- the violence of

love; and the bad- the violence of hate...” in which violence is in both the good and bad, but the

reasons for the violence determines if the person is good or bad. (Broadway 720). When Oliver

Queen was on the island he encountered many other individuals who were trying to kill him.

Through this he had to fight for his life which developed his violent nature. When he returned

home in the pilot episode he was among loved ones and felt a need to protect him, so this violent

nature continued even though he was not in a life or death situation. He could not forget what he
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had to do to survive, yet this violence was a violence of love. Within the first few days after

getting rescued from the island, Oliver and his best friend Tommy Merlin were kidnapped. To

escape and save Tommy, Oliver killed their captors (“Pilot.”). His nature became violent but is

now used to help others in need instead of trying to survive on the island. This violence of love is

of a good person. A person who is violent to save others.

Furthermore, as each person has their own definition for what a hero is, the Green Arrow

does not only fit Coogan’s definition of a superhero but also his mentality for saving others fits

Brian Riches’ definition of a hero. In The Journal of Humanistic Psychology Riches writes the

chapter "What Makes a Hero? Exploring Characteristic Profiles of Heroes using Q-Method."

where he says that “a hero is a person who knowingly, and voluntarily, acts for the good of one

or more people at the risk to the self without being motivated by reward” (Riches). Oliver Queen

purposefully hides his identity so that no one will know he is the Green Arrow who takes down

corrupt individuals to save others. By doing this, he gets no reward and puts himself in constant

danger. Therefore, he fits Riches’ definition of a hero. Although, what Riches does not do is say

whether or not being a hero is canceled out if the cost of helping another is someone else’s life.

Some readers may doubt the Green Arrow is a hero because Riches’ definition does not include

this vital piece of information, yet it will be answered with killing does not cancel out being a

hero because that person is still acting selflessly to help others.

Every person, especially heroes and villains, has a mission. This mission supersedes

everything else and is their number one priority. For example, the Green Arrow’s mission is to

take down the corrupt individuals by any means necessary to save his city. One Quora discussion

board asks fans “Why does the Green Arrow kill people in the Arrow TV series?”. Michael

Albright retorts by asking “is there something intrinsically heroic about fighting crime without
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killing?...[Oliver] values life, but not above his mission” (“Why Does the Green Arrow...”).

Everyone has their priorities in which a single person’s life above others may not be someone’s

main priority. The Green Arrow is human, so like everyone else he has his priorities. He saves

more lives than he takes because he sees more value in justice than saving corrupt lives.

No two superheroes are exactly alike, yet the differing points of view will further show

how people do not have to think the same to be heroes. A crossover episode between the CW

shows Arrow and The Flash highlights the differences between the two heroes. While the Green

Arrow is violent and dark, the Flash is shown to be a nonviolent hero who would never kill. In

this episode Harrison Wells and Joe West pull Barry Allen aka the Flash aside to talk about the

Green Arrow when he arrives in their city. Barry says “[the Green Arrow] is a hero” and

Harrison says “You’re a hero, Barry. You offer protection, hope, light. What [the Green Arrow]

does is carry out a dark reckoning for his city. It is a brutal, violent vision of justice…” (“Flash

vs. Arrow.”). This is the point of view from an outside perspective from someone who has never

been saved by the Green Arrow. On the other hand, in the pilot episode of Arrow after he gives

back forty million dollars to the city from Adam Hunt, one character who was positively

impacted by this act said “it looks like starling city has a guardian angel” (“Pilot.”). One cannot

judge a person without seeing whose lives they have impacted. An outside perspective of

someone never reveals who they truly are. Joe West and Harrison Wells were looking at the

Green Arrow from an outside perspective whereas the people in Starling City who were directly

impacted by this act saw the good behind it despite the lives that were taken.

Another character in the DC universe who has differing views on what a hero should do

is Batman. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is told to execute a criminal to complete his training.

Bruce refuses because he says he is not an executioner, but his trainers ask if he believes corrupt
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bureaucrats should determine his fate instead of justice being carried out faster by him (Nolan).

Batman refuses to kill because he believes that it would make him as bad as the criminals he is

trying to take down. The Green Arrow does feel the same way. He is willing to go to any length

to save his city. This does not change the fact that there are some people in Gotham City who do

not support Batman being a vigilante just like there are people in Starling City who do not

support the Green Arrow being a vigilante. Even though one refuses to kill and one does, there

are some people who see the vigilantes as a hero and some as insane. These differences do not

change the fact that they are heroes who save people.

The most critical view to look at is the fan’s perspective on whether or not a person is a

hero if they kill. Each person’s perspective on this topic is valid and the DC Universe website has

a discussion board that begs the question “When Should a Superhero Kill?”. There are two users

who write posts on this discussion board whose opinions particularly stand out. One post written

by user waddup3000.93123 wrote they “think that superheroes should kill killers” (“When

Should a Superhero Kill?”). In his time working as the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen kills many

people who have killed people and would continue to kill people if not stopped. On the other

hand, user American-Alien wrote “that’s not what [superheroes] suppose to do, they don’t decide

who dies. They’re not gods, but there some lives that don’t deserve more chances” (“When

Should a Superhero Kill?”). This then begs the issue of who determines whether or not someone

deserves more chances to do better and if a corrupt individual would ever choose to change.

Also, if a superhero chooses to hand the criminal over to the authorities then they would still be

subject to human opinion of what their fate should be. The justice system was formed by humans

and saying they should have more power over another human’s fate than someone else, hero or

not, says that one human’s opinion is more valid than another’s opinion.
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As a fanatic myself of the DC universe and more specifically the Arrow television show, I

deem it necessary to give my opinion on this topic as well. I have watched this television series

since it began and have also watched many of the other CW superhero shows. Each show

combines the real world troubles and fantasy worlds in different ways. Arrow is by far the

darkest show out of the ones I have seen. It deals with the worst parts of humanity with the one

thing that gives the people in Starling City hope: a hero. Despite how violent the Green Arrow

may be, he gives people hope. He exchanges the souls of the people he kills for the lives of many

more people. It may be a dark and violent path, but in my opinion there is no doubt that the lives

he strives to save makes him a hero.

However, it is undeniable that people, more specifically parents, are hesitant to let their

children be influenced by a character who kills people. The television series Arrow is not suited

for children, but it is not the only show where the Green Arrow character is portrayed. The first

episode of the children’s television series Justice League Unlimited shows the Green Arrow

stopping a grocery store robbing using non-lethal force (“Initiation.”). After seeing the character

here the children may want to learn more about the Green Arrow, so they begin watching the

Arrow show. Instead of seeing the archer who shoots arrows with foam fists on the end, they see

an archer killing people. From a parent’s perspective the portrayal of this character affects

children in a negative way. By contrast, this portrayal of the character would show children that

bad things do happen in the real world. It helps kids make their own decisions about what is right

and wrong and not just to follow what the “adults” say. Superheroes teach children that the

system they were taught is always right can have flaws and that sometimes one must look outside

of the law to do the right thing.

In conclusion, the Green Arrow from the Arrow television show may have the highest

number of kills out of all of the DC characters (Ong), but his willingness to kill to accomplish his

mission does not change the fact that he is a hero. By going past the justice system, the Green

Arrow is able to save more lives than would have been possible if he had not taken matters into

his own hands. Learning to survive on the island for five years made it possible for him to return

to his city and carry out his mission to take down the corrupt individuals. The differences

between other DC character’s view on killing to save people does not counteract the Green

Arrow’s heroism. Finally, the fan’s points of view on this subject also shows that heroes killing

to save others does not make a person any less of a hero. Even though this is the case, every

human has their own opinion on what is right and wrong. Two people could sit in a room for

days on end discussing an issue that is disagreed upon and never agree what view is right and

what view is wrong. This brings up questions about the real world justice system. Judges are

called upon to determine the punishment of a person who committed a crime. Yet, who gives a

judge the right to decide the fate of another person even though every human’s opinion differs?

There is no right or wrong, only human opinion on what is right and wrong. Superhero justice

and courtroom justice are both decided by this human opinion.

Works Cited

“Pilot.” Arrow, performance by Stephen Amell, season 1, episode 1, CW, 2012.

Broadway, Francis S., and Sheri L. Leafgren. "Unmasking: On Violence, Masculinity, and

Superheroes in Science Education." Cultural Studies of Science Education, vol. 7, no.

3, 2012, pp. 719-733. ProQuest,

http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.library.nyu.edu

/docview/1038760906?accountid=12768.

Evidence of Peer Review Policy:

Coogan, Peter. “The Definition of the Superhero.” Super/Heroes: From Hercules to

Superman, 2007, pp. 21–36.

“Flash vs. Arrow.” The Flash, directed by Glen Winter and Jesse Warn, season 1, episode 8,

CW, 2014.

Nolan, Christopher. Batman Begins. Warner Bros., 2005.

“Initiation.”, Justice League Unlimited, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, season 1, episode

1, Warner Bros. Animation, 2004.

Ong, Sharmaine. 15 DC Superheroes With The Highest Body Counts, Ranked. 17 June

2017, screenrant.com/dc-superheroes-highest-body-dead-counts/.

Riches, Brian R. "What Makes a Hero? Exploring Characteristic Profiles of Heroes using

Q-Method." The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, vol. 58, no. 5, 2018, pp. 585-602.

ProQuest,

http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.library.nyu.edu

/docview/2090424118?accountid=12768.

Evidence of Peer Review Policy:

“When Should a Superhero Kill?” DC Universe, 6 June 2020,

community.dcuniverse.com/t/when-should-a-superhero-kill/1096243.

“Why Does the Green Arrow Kill People in the Arrow TV Series?” Quora,

www.quora.com/Why-does-the-Green-Arrow-kill-people-in-the-Arrow-TV-series.