Quentin Lance

"Your luck never seems to run out, does it?"

- Detective Lance to Oliver Queen

Detective Quentin Lance (born 1962) is an 51 year old determined police detective, formerly a sergeant (having been demoted in "Year's End"), of the Starling City Police Department and is partners with Lucas Hilton. He is the ex-husband of Dinah, and the father of Laurel Lance, and the late Sara Lance. He has sworn to take down Arrow at any means necessary. He even once uses his daughter as bait.

However, this changes after Arrow tells him about Malcolm Merlyn's plan to level the entire Glades. He has finally come to see Arrow is a good person, no longer sees him as a menace to the city, and stops trying to arrest him.

Biography
In "Pilot", he is told by Oliver Queen about a man in a green hood who saved his life. At first he believes he's lying, he is told by Adam Hunt about the same person who then believes Oliver and begins a mission to arrest Arrow.

In ",Honor Thy Father",

In "Lone Gunman",

In "An Innocent Man",

In "Damaged",

In "Muse of Fire",

In "Year's End", Quentin discovers of another archer who murdered Adam Hunt. He quickly learns it isn't Arrow but another one. He is told he can only go after one but ultimately choses Arrow over The Dark Archer.

In "Burned", Quentin discovers Laurel stole his only contact to Arrow but allows her to keep it after placing a bug on it.

In "Trust but Verify",

In "Vertigo",

In "Betrayal", Quentin uses the bug on the phone to know when Laurel will be meeting with Arrow. After Arrow discovers he's coming, he escapes but Quentin follows but is soon knocked out by him. After Laurel is captured, he and Arrow form a rare alliance to save Laurel. He attempts to kill Cyrus but is told by Arrow that he's a cop and should just arrest him.

In "The Odyssey",

In "Dodger",

In "Dead to Rights",

In "The Huntress Returns",

In "Salvation", He is reunited with his ex-wife, Dinah Lance who he refuses to talk to but eventually does. As he believes Sarah is alive, he discovers that Sarah is indeed dead. He confronts Dinah who reveals that she knew Sarah was leaving with Oliver and just allowed her to go.

In "Unfinished Business",

In "Home Invasion",

In "Darkness on the Edge of Town", He is told by his assistant about a hacker who is revealed to be Felicity Smoak

In "Sacrifice", Quentin after being told by Arrow, changes his morals and decides to drop trying to catch him as he realizes that Arrow is indeed a good person. He assists in deactivating the Markov device which he successfully does but that Markov device was a decoy.

Personality
Quentin is described as a "gruff, determined city detective" who believes true justice can only come from law and order, He is arrogant to the point, where He seems to think he can just go in a person's house, without a search warrant, or an arrest warrant, when he said, "I have a badge, and a gun, that says differently." He hates Arrow because he makes himself, and the police department, look bad, and believes he is a menace to the city and he will do anything to take down Arrow at any cost. He even once coldly used his own daughter as bait which resulted in her getting kidnapped, and when Laurel was kidnapped, he had to ask Arrow for help. Also it is assumed that he didn't want to lose one of his daughters again through being killed, his morals and beliefs about true justice only comes from law and order and believes Arrow is a menace to the city, changes after being told by Arrow that Malcolm Merlyn plans to destroy the Glades and everyone in it, and stops trying to arrest and take down Arrow, when He finally realizes that, Arrow is indeed a good person and does good for the city.

Laurel Lance
Laurel Lance is Quentin's daughter.

Sara Lance
Sara Lance was Quentin's daughter.

Dinah Lance
Dinah Lance is Quentin's ex-wife.

Appearances
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Comics
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 * Arrow #14
 * Arrow #18
 * Arrow #27

Trivia

 * Quentin was originally the second person, to discover Oliver Queen's secret identity Arrow, after viewing CCTV footage In "An Innocent Man". However, this discovery was later disproven when John Diggle dressed up as Arrow, unbeknownst to Quentin, absolving Oliver.
 * In "Damaged". It is revealed that Quentin threw himself into his work and became an alcoholic after Sara died, which, along with the death, resulted in his wife leaving him. Somewhere between 2007 and 2012 he apparently sobered up.
 * Detective Quentin Lance is a Commissioner James Gordon type of person in the series.

Behind the scenes
In the comic books, Laurel's father's name is Lawrence "Larry" Lance, rather than Quentin.