When longtime comic fans of the Green Arrow/Oliver Queen are asked to describe the Emerald Archer, you’ll hear mentions of his mastery of the bow, his pointy beard, his tendency to be an alternative Batman, but one of his most defining characteristics is his anti-establishment stance with a voice of progressivism. It’s with this previous episode of Arrow, that I believe shines a light on Stephen Amell’s character to be capable of tackling on political issues.
“I prefer the company of the streets. I prefer the job title of social justice warrior.” — The recent ‘Green Arrow’ comics show Oliver Queen embracing his role in the world as a “social justice warrior.”
Green Arrow as a character has never shied away from voicing his concerns as a champion of the people. While Batman is known to be a dark protector, Oliver Queen does more than that. He dons a costume at night to fight evil and puts on a tailored suit by day to lead his city. When the Arrow television show had Oliver take office as mayor, I was excited. Finally, the dark, brooding archer could embrace part of his comic roots onscreen. But obviously after 4 seasons of not really voicing a political opinion beyond “criminals are bad” “criminals need to be punished”, it was to be expected Mayor Queen would face a struggle in tapping into that aspect of his character.
The latest episode brings up the topic of gun control in Star City and opinions are split across Team Arrow. The synopsis of the episode states:
WILD DOG’S HISTORY IS REVEALED — A traumatic attack on City Hall triggers painful memories for Rene (Rick Gonzalez) about his family. Flashbacks reveal how Rene went from simple family man to a hero named Wild Dog.
Meanwhile, Oliver (Stephen Amell) must deal with the perpetrator behind the attack and realizes the best way to do so is as Mayor Queen instead of the Green Arrow. Tensions run high in the Arrow bunker.
An armed shooter attacks city hall *SPOILERS* after his family is killed in a prior shooting. He blames the city for not approving a city gun registry which he believes could have prevented the deaths of his wife and daughters.
By the end of the episode, Oliver addresses the tragedy and finds a compromise which holds gun owners accountable without infringing on their ability to procure firearms. But the best lines of the episode which capture the episode’s sentiment are spoken by Echo Kellum’s character Curtis Holt a.k.a. Mr. Terrific –
There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy debate. I disagree not about the part of it not accomplishing anything but this idea that it’s not healthy. We used to talk about things as a society, you know? We’d debate and we would argue, and we would still respect each other after. Somewhere along the line, that just became – rude. It became impolite to talk politics. I can’t help but wonder maybe that’s why our country is the way it is today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wK_QEs0L-E
