Green Arrow in other media
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| Adaptations of Green Arrow in other media | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Mort Weisinger George Papp |
| Original source | Comics published by DC Comics |
| First appearance | More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941) |
| Films and television | |
| Television show(s) | Justice League Unlimited (2004) Smallville (2001) |
Green Arrow, a DC Comics superhero, has appeared in media other than comic books over the last thirty five years, including animated shows, live action productions, and video games.
Animation
Super Friends
The first television appearance of Green Arrow was a single guest spot in an episode of the original 1973 incarnation of Super Friends. He was voiced by Norman Alden. He was referred to as a "Staunch member of the Justice League of America."
Justice League Unlimited
Green Arrow makes numerous appearances in the animated television series Justice League Unlimited and was the first new hero seen to be introduced in the revamped series in the episode "Initiation." In this version, Queen is reluctant to join the League as he believes that being associated with a group that tends to focus on extra-normal threats will distract him from his primary goal: protecting "the little guy." However, his strong leftist political convictions ("I'm an old lefty" from the episode "Flashpoint") and his sometimes irreverent advocacy of them are key reasons the Justice League insists on recruiting him as a prominent voice of the team. This proves instrumental during the Project Cadmus incident where his counsel is critical in preventing the Justice League dangerously overreacting to their enemies which could have corrupted the team into an equivalent of the villainous Justice Lords.
In this animated version Queen is still a billionaire, having sold his company to devote to his volunteer and activist activities exclusively, and develops a romantic relationship with Black Canary over the course of the series. Speedy makes one appearance during the show in the episode "Patriot Act". While Queen refers to Speedy as his "ex-sidekick," Speedy prefers the term "ex-partner." Arrow was voiced by Kin Shriner.
The Batman
Green Arrow first appeareared in the season five episode "Vertigo". This version of Green Arrow is motivated largely by a desire for revenge against Count Vertigo, a former employee who used technology stolen from Queen's company to strand him on a desert island. He is also prominent in the series finale, "Lost Heroes", revealing his frustrations at being ignored in favor of the super-powered members of the League. He was voiced by Chris Hardwick. The Green Arrow's appearance is reminiscent of his 1970s comic counterpart.
Justice League: New Frontier
Green Arrow also appears in Justice League: New Frontier, resembling his Golden Age version.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Green Arrow appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, often portrayed as Batman's friendly rival. His design once again resembles his Golden Age interpretation. James Arnold Taylor voices him. In the first episode, The Rise of the Blue Beetle!, Green Arrow and Batman are trapped by Clock King, but they escape and defeat the villain. He and Batman are called upon by Merlin in Day of the Dark Knight! to stop Morgaine le Fey and Etrigan the Demon, restore Camelot (which was turned to stone by Morgaine), and bring King Arthur back to the throne. They succeed, with Green Arrow freeing Batman from Morgaine's mind control, and are nearly Knighted before they start arguing from rivalry, resulting in Merlin sending them back to their own time.
He appears once again in "Dawn of the Deadman!" along with Speedy to help a spectral Batman by digging up his coffin, which in turn contained his body. He appears in the season finale "Game Over for Owlman!", hunting Batman who he claims captured him. Green Arrow has a Injustice Syndicate counterpart called Blue Bowman, also voiced by James Arnold Taylor. In the second season, he appears stopping a robbery committed by Copperhead, but is confronted by an imp similar to Bat-Mite. who claims to be his "Biggest fan". He assists Batman in car chase against The Joker in the teaser for "Hail the Tornado Tyrant!", only to continue the chase on air when Catwoman robs a museum. In the follow up to this teaser in "Inside the Outsiders!", they are captured by Catwoman's henchmen, but the duo escape while bickering. Arrow is disgusted by Batman's flirting with the villain, and blames him for her escape.
In "Mayhem of The Music Meister!", Green Arrow tries to catch Black Canary's eye, but fails due to her attraction to Batman. He is not heard singing though the episode, having one spoken solo during "Drives us Bats". At the episode's end however, he manages to gain her attention through song. He participates in a super-powered roadrace in ""Death Race to Oblivion!", teams up with Aquaman in "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!", and joins forces with Batman and Aquaman to battle Ra's al Ghul in "Sidekicks Assemble!" In "The Super-Batman of Planet X!" he teams up with Batman to stop some space pirates. While Batman protected his partner, the ray and shield's energy creates a wormhole and pulls him in, leaving Arrow to handle the pirates alone.
DC Showcase
DC animation producer Alan Burnett has said that Green Arrow will have an animated short as part of the Showcase line released with the DC Universe Original Animated Movies Direct to video film.[1]
Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths
An alternate universe version of Green Arrow named "Archer" appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths voiced by Jim Meskimen.
Live action
Television
Smallville
Green Arrow made his first direct appearance as a young Oliver Queen near the end of the episode "Sneeze" of the sixth season of the Superman series Smallville. Played by Justin Hartley, Green Arrow was on the show for seven episodes. Lois Lane was his love interest during his appearances in season six. In Smallville, Oliver is more of an anti-hero, committing criminal acts in order to reach his goals (most notably blowing up Lex Luthor's medical transport) under the belief that the ends justify the means.
As in the comics, he is known as "Ollie" to his friends. After a rough start, he becomes a trusted ally and friend of Clark Kent. Green Arrow retains his many unique arrows and demonstrates expert archery skill, along with skilled use of a crossbow. In Smallville, Oliver was given a new modern costume that had equipment designed by his company. Green Arrow also makes extensive use of an adapted Hoyt compound bow, shot using fingers, rather than an archery tab or release aid, although his gauntlets serve as both a shooting glove and an armguard.
He returned in Season Seven for the episode "Siren", in which he continues his fight against LuthorCorp and meets another superhero, Black Canary, who he recruits for his Justice League.
He returned as a regular in Season Eight, where flashback sequences to his desert island origin story were shown and he discovered that it was Lionel Luthor who murdered his parents. Since learning this he abandoned his heroic persona and began drinking and partying heavily. It is only when helping Clark keep his identity secret in Identity that Oliver rethinks his role as Green Arrow. His battle with Lex Luthor, that began during their childhood but was first seen in Season 6, concluded in Requiem.
During the episode, Oliver completes a "merger" between Queen Industries and Luthorcorp. Oliver walked into the meeting of the Board of Directors of LuthorCorp, as they were about to have a Vote of No-Confidence in Tess Mercer. Oliver established himself as majority shareholder of LuthorCorp’s assets. While a Chairman was speaking, Oliver noticed a Newton's cradle mysteriously swinging, which suddenly stopped. With that, he told them to get down, as a large explosion happened. Oliver informed Clark and Lana about this, but Lana could see he was not telling the whole truth... which Chloe could see when Oliver asked for her help on information about Winslow Schott. Schott went to see Oliver to kill him with a toy bomb, but Oliver managed to get free and forced the Toyman to tell him where Lex is. Oliver took the toy bomb and used it to blow up Lex's mobile truck that he was in, killing him. Chloe discovered that Oliver was behind the bomb and when confronted Oliver said that there was no difference between what he did and what Chloe did to Sebastian Kane. Chloe reluctantly agreed to keep Oliver's involvement in the murder a secret, as they both want to keep Clark safe.
In "Doomsday", Oliver and the Justice League capture Davis Bloome in order to force Clark to kill him, but Chloe separates Davis from his Doomsday persona with black kryptonite, and Doomsday escapes, badly injuring all of them. Clark defeats Doomsday by burying him a mile underground. The group subsequently leaves Metropolis.
After the events of "Doomsday", Oliver's life begins to fall apart, leading to an argument with Clark in "Rabid". When Clark departs for the Watchtower, he leaves Lois in Oliver's care, leaving them in an elevator to protect them from the zombified citizens. Seeing his reflection, Oliver realizes just how far he has fallen, but gets distracted and lets Lois fall asleep. Awakening as a zombie, Lois attacks Oliver and escapes the elevator.
When the infection is cured, Clark angrily confronts Oliver over his failure to protect Lois, and Oliver admits that Clark was right, and he now knows what he needs to do with his life. After Clark leaves, a despondent Oliver burns his Green Arrow costume, effectively giving up trying to be a superhero.
In the episode "Echo," Oliver has reached his lowest point, and Queen Industries is now on the verge of bankruptcy. Tess Mercer is able to get Oliver back to the corporate world and make a speech to raise the shareholders' morale. However, Winslow Schott again targets Oliver, seeking revenge as well as trying to get Oliver to admit his guilt in the murder of Lex Luthor. He forces him to stand on a landmine beneath the podium. However, after everyone left, a depressed Oliver stepped off the bomb, attempting suicide, only to discover that the bomb was a fake. After talking with Clark, Oliver sees the image of Lex Luthor when he looks in a mirror and is terrified of walking the same path as his enemy.
In "Roulette," Oliver is drinking and gambling heavily when a woman, Roulette, approaches him and offers him a drug. He takes it, passes out, and finds himself embroiled in a series of elaborate games. Oliver eventually figures out this was a ruse set up by Chloe and the Justice League to help convince him he was still a hero. He vows to help Clark protect Metropolis and in the next episode, "Crossfire," he approaches a prostitute, Mia Dearden. Seeing much of himself in her, he offers to help train her to overcome her hatred and become a better person.
Movie
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David Goyer and Justin Marks penned a script for a movie starring Green Arrow originally called Super Max. On June 5, 2008, the film was retitled Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max. The reported storyline is that the hero (framed for a crime he didn't commit) must escape a high security prison filled with B and C list villains and rogue superheroes.
MTV recently posted an interview with Marks on its site. In it, he says the following:
"It's a very, very awesome prison. I majored in architecture in college, and design is how I actually started in. For 'Super Max,' designing that prison, it had to be the kind of thing that was a character in and of itself," Marks said. "We're in a world where instead of just trying to contain a guy who's really big, you're trying to contain a guy who can — in the case of Icicle — who can freeze things. What kind of a cell would a guy like that need in order to have his powers neutralized? So to escape from Super Max they have got to go through the most elaborate heist we've ever seen, involving superpowers. Because the prison itself kind of has superpowers!" He added that Black Canary won't be making an appearance in the film, and that it will include cameos from the Riddler, Lex Luthor and the Joker.
Video games
Justice League Task Force
Justice League Task Force Sega Genesis/Super NES fighting game (this Green Arrow being Oliver Queen).
Justice League Heroes
Green Arrow is an unlockable character in the 2006 video game Justice League Heroes voice-played by Ralph Garman. He can be unlocked by paying 76 orange shields on the menu screen.
DC Universe Online
Green Arrow is set to appear in the upcoming video game DC Universe Online.