Green Arrow: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: Oliver Queen

First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November, 1941)

Powers: Master Archer

Affiliation: Justice League of America, Outsiders

Love Interests: Black Canary

Enemies: Count Vertigo, Merlin, Deathstroke

Did You Know: The original Green Arrow was a babyface and it wasn’t until Neal Adams took over that he would get his trademark beard.

A Little History

Both the Green Arrow and the Aquaman were introduced in More Fun Comic #73. Almost instantly Green Arrow was a hit with the fans of the comic book.

Oliver Queen was an orphan, playboy, and millionaire, who, while traveling the world, fell from his yacht. Using his smarts and as a mechanism for survival, he crafted a bow and arrow from wood, stone, and nearby vines. He quickly became an expert with the weapon, so much so that he learned to make trick arrows. These arrows included a Net Arrow to catch fish and a Drill Arrow, fashioned from stone, vines, wood and the elastic from his socks. From there he would fashion a green outfit from the leaves of the trees that populated the island.

After months of isolation, he saw a ship that had docked at his island. After closer inspection, he saw that a mutiny threatened the lives of the ship’s crew and took it upon himself to save them. He proceeded to smear anchor grease around his eyes (as a mask) and then, using his special arrows, saved the crew. As repayment for his efforts, the crew took him back to the mainland where he devoted his life to serving society as the Green Arrow.

Once home, he used his resources to create trick arrows and vehicles to fight crime. Eventually, he found out that his company, Queen Industries, was manufacturing weapons. This discovery caused him to renounce his fortune and take to the street life to protect the working class.