With a history dating back to the early '40s, Green Arrow has been a major superhero for DC Comics since the very beginning. Because the hero gained popularity in mass media, most fans might think they know how Green Arrow got his start. Newer fans might think Oliver Queen's began his journey as a spoiled rich kid who became marooned on an island for years before making it back to civilization and turning into a hero.
However, just like Green Arrow's family has grown over the years, the character has undergone several changes. Through multiple eras, Green Arrow's origin has changed to fit the time. While some changes were minor, others completely altered how the Oliver Queen began his journey.
10 Green Arrow And Speedy Didn't Become Heroes At The Same Time
The Golden Age Green Arrow comics made a big deal of Green Arrow and Speedy being closer than any hero-sidekick pairing, besides Batman and Robin. So when DC told Green Arrow’s origin, he and Speedy became superheroes at the same time.
It didn’t take long for this part of Oliver Queen’s origin story to get changed. By the time Green Arrow got his “Earth One” origin story in Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #256 by Jack Kirby, Ed Herron, and Roz Kirby, things were different. For this new Silver Age origin story, Oliver started out as a solo hero before meeting Speedy.
9 Oliver Queen Was A Self-Made Millionaire
Like Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen is usually heir to a family empire that turns him into a billionaire. However, that wasn’t part of the character’s origins at the beginning. In the Golden Age, Oliver was raised in the West, near a Native American reservation.
As an adult, Oliver Queen was more of an archeologist, collecting Native American artifacts and making money by lending them out. After all of his artifacts were destroyed during an attempted theft, Oliver went on a quest to rebuild his collection. That quest led him to the Lost Mesa, which contained a treasure trove of new artifacts, and a literal hidden gold mine — making Oliver richer than ever.
8 Where The Trick Arrows Began
Green Arrow’s trick arrows are part of what makes the character standout. Rather than being simply a talented archer, Oliver Queen has as many gadgets in his quiver as Batman has in his utility belt. Originally, Green Arrow’s origin story didn’t reference the trick arrows, aside from introducing a rope arrow he used to take out some bad guys.
In Green Arrow's second origin in Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #256, however, Oliver built trick arrows while he was on the island. The arrows helped him survive while he was trapped there and trained him to think creatively during combat.
7 Starfish Island
During Oliver Queen’s Golden Age origin, he took a plane to a location known as “Lost Mesa," a mountain far from civilization. The famous island everyone associates with Oliver’s transformation appeared twenty years later, in Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #259 (by Otto Binder, Jack Miller, and Lee Elias) in 1959.
In this new origin, Oliver falls off his ship during a voyage and becomes stranded on a place called Starfish Island. Oliver spent his entire time on the island alone, learning to become a better shot just to hunt and survive. Of course, later versions would complicate his challenges on the island to make his heroic story feel more grand.
6 Making Ollie A Fan Of Famous Archers And Robin Hood
A hero who relies on a bow and arrow might be dashing, but it certainly doesn't fit in a more realistic universe. Every version of Oliver’s origin since DC Comics' early Silver Age explains why he takes to archery over other weapons. Oliver’s first couple of origin stories depict him as a fan of Native American culture, thus learning to use the bow because it was often their primary tool for hunting and combat.
By the ‘80s, DC creators turned archery into one of Oliver Queen’s interests. In Green Arrow: Year One, Oliver even spends an exorbitant amount of money on the bow of archer Howard Hill, known for doing trick arrow shots for actor Errol Flynn from The Adventures of Robin Hood.
5 Turned The Trick Arrows Into A Joke
Comic fans spent years joking about Green Arrow's absurd handcuff or boxing glove arrows, but that’s what made the character work in the early years. Unfortunately, as comics got more serious, it became harder to make the trick arrows a thing. It was equally difficult to make Green Arrow work with just the arrows, considering it was his only real talent.
By the time Oliver got a new origin for the Post-Crisis era, DC was looking to make the character feel more realistic. All mention of the trick arrows created on the island disappeared. The only remaining "trick" arrow is used for a joke; Ollie fires an arrow with a golf ball at the tip to take out a crook.
4 Where Green Arrow's Costume Came From
Like most superheroes, Oliver’s first superhero outfit was a work in progress. In the classic Golden Age origin, Oliver wanted to camouflage himself from some thieves. To create his disguise, he rubbed green leaves over his white shirt. This suggestion actually came from Roy Harper, meaning Speedy played a key role in creating Green Arrow's original costume.
In Green Arrow’s Silver Age origin, Oliver’s first costume comes from leaves he fashioned into a suit to camouflage him from small game. As over the top as it sounds, this is considerably more realistic than the origin of his Post-Crisis costume, which involved Oliver renting a Robin Hood costume from a costume store.
3 How Long Oliver Queen Was On The Island
Fans of Arrow have been led to believe Oliver Queen was trapped on the island for around five years before he made it back home. However, the time Oliver spends on the island has never been consistent. His classic Silver Age origin leaves the time unclear, instead describing his growth from novice to master archer.
Green Arrow's Post-Crisis origin puts him on the island for a mere eleven weeks, implying he undergoes his transformation in only a few months' time. Oliver's New 52 origin extends the time, putting him there for an entire year before allowing him to come back. Perhaps Oliver's longest stay is Green Arrow: Year One, where he seems to be on the island for several years before escape.
2 How Green Arrow Got Off The Island
Green Arrow landing on the island is fairly consistent across all origins. How he gets off differs between stories. In his Silver Age origin — detailed in Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #256 — Oliver happens to spot a ship going past the island. He swims to the ship, and is forced to save the crew from some pirates before going home.
In Green Arrow's Post-Crisis origin, he discovers a pair of hippies producing marijuana on the island. Threatening them as Green Arrow, he uses their ship to return to civilization. Oliver's most impressive escape is in Green Arrow: Year One. In that story, he shuts down a massive opium operation before finally making it back home.
1 The Irresponsible Playboy
In Green Arrow’s New 52 origin in Green Arrow #0 (by Judd Winick, Freddie Williams II, Rob Hunter, and Rob Leigh), Oliver is at his most irresponsible. There, Oliver is a careless playboy throwing a party on an oil rig. His party draws the attention of pirate named Iron Eagle and his organization. Planting explosives on the oil rig, Iron eagle promises to leave after they’ve siphoned off the oil.
Angry at his own irresponsibility, Oliver fights back and subdues most of the pirates. However, a critical error causes the explosives to go off, costing nearly everyone on the oil rig their lives save for Oliver and his friend, Tommy Merlyn. Ollie narrowly makes it to an island where he lives for a year before being discovered.