Oliver Queen

Did You Know?

• A representation of Amell's character appears as downloadable content in the 2013 game Injustice: Gods Among Us, with Amell providing his voice and likeness.
• The 2014 game Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham features an Arrow downloadable content pack including Oliver Queen in his Arrow persona and a bonus level set on Lian Yu.
• Oliver Queen appears in crossovers on The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, and the animated web series Vixen.

Character biography

Oliver Queen is discovered on the deserted island of Lian Yu by fishermen after being shipwrecked there five years earlier when his family yacht, the Queen's Gambit, was destroyed. His father Robert Queen and Sara Lance did not survive the wreck. Returning to Starling City, Oliver is greeted by his mother Moira, sister Thea, best friend Tommy Merlyn, and ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance. Unknown to them, he has returned to carry out a plan of redemption for his father, who Oliver believes failed to help the city's citizens. By night, Oliver acts as a hooded vigilante using a bow and various specialty arrows, serving as judge, jury, and if necessary executioner for wealthy individuals who have used their power to harm citizens. He becomes embroiled in conflicts with criminals including Triad leader China White and drug lord The Count. Oliver is forced to reveal his identity to his bodyguard John Diggle and IT specialist Felicity Smoak, who join his quest to save Starling City from a group determined to destroy the Glades. He discovers the group's leader is Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy's father, who sabotaged the Queen's Gambit and caused Robert Queen's death. Flashbacks show Oliver on Lian Yu meeting Yao Fei and Slade Wilson, who train him to fight and use a bow while plotting to stop Edward Fyers from destroying a Chinese commercial airliner.

Portrayal

Stephen Amell was cast as Oliver Queen in January 2012 and was the first actor to audition for the role. Producer Marc Guggenheim stated the creative team wanted to avoid direct connections to Smallville, which featured its own Oliver Queen portrayed by Justin Hartley. Amell saw the appeal of portraying Queen as encompassing multiple roles: the casual playboy, wounded hero, brooding Hamlet, lover, and man of action. He underwent physical fitness training at Tempest Freerunning Academy in Reseda, Los Angeles, California, and received archery training that included watching a video on how archery has been inaccurately portrayed in television and film. Amell described maintaining his fitness as the biggest physical challenge of the series, stating he must steal time at the gym and spends time on set being active.

Character development

In season one, Oliver is not afraid to kill criminals when he deems it necessary. Director David Nutter believed Oliver returns to Starling City with post-traumatic stress disorder, contributing to his willingness to kill. Stephen Amell stated that killing people will start to weigh on Oliver and that he cannot complete his mission alone. Amell described Oliver as a damaged individual and a ticking time bomb who must hide his new self from his family and masquerade as the entitled jerk he once was. Originally framed as a billionaire playboy, Oliver was involved in multiple romantic pairings during the first two seasons. From season three onward, his principal romantic relationship is with Felicity Smoak, who was originally slated to appear in one episode but became a main character. Amell stated that Felicity had grown into that love for Oliver over two-plus seasons. Showrunner Beth Schwartz commented that in the latter half of season seven, Oliver and Felicity are back to being normal between each other with no friction in the relationship.

Reception

Andy Greenwald of Grantland wrote that Amell deserves a great deal of the credit for Arrow's success, bringing subtle humor hidden beneath his Hollister veneer, and stated that Amell's performance as Oliver Queen makes that persona more interesting than the Arrow. Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker acknowledged Amell's range as an actor for the series premiere, noting he let confusion, dismay, disappointment, and resolve play across his face at the right moments even when dialogue became stilted. Neil Genzlinger wrote in The New York Times that Amell was just inscrutable enough to pull off the transition from playboy to avenging Green Arrow. The San Francisco Chronicle's David Wiegand stated Amell has the acting skill to be convincing both as rescued rich kid Oliver Queen and as his green-hooded alter ego. In contrast, The Guardian's Stephen Kelly found Amell more uncomfortable and awkward in the role, making it difficult to like his character as a traumatised badass. Amell received nominations for various accolades including a People's Choice Award and Leo Award.