Stanley Dover


 * For the ​ episode, see ​​​​.

"Some people don't deserve to live."

- Stanley Dover to Oliver Queen

Stanley Dover is a psychotic serial killer who was incarcerated after committing several counts of murder and sentenced to Slabside Maximum Security Prison, being identified as Inmate 9922. There he developed an obsession for Oliver Queen being inspired by his actions as The Hood, before becoming the Green Arrow.

After escaping from prison during a riot started by Ricardo Diaz, he went on a killing spree in order to prove Oliver he's the only one who truly understands him, with his actions leading to the media to refer to him as the Star City Slayer, a nickname that he despised.

Early life
Stanley was born in Central City into an abusive household regularly being abused by his father, a doctor who gave him "medicine" and tortured him in order to "correct him" when he was behaving badly or didn't listen. His mother agreed and often took part to his father's "corrections" over Stanley, while his older brother tried to defend him and often offered to be punished at Stanley's place, something that only made matters worse for him.

Beginning of the murders
Over time, as Stanley's anger over his parents grew stronger, he gave them the same medicine that they somministrated to him for years and "corrected" them for revenge. Making them his first victims. When Stanley's brother found out about this, he tried to sent him to Arkham Asylum in order to be imprisoned and possibly cured, but Stanley "corrected" him soon after as he "didn't have a choice".

After this, Stanley murdered three other people, their friends and their families. His modus operandi being trying to be loved or impress someone by murdering everyone he deemed harsh to that person and, if it doesn't work kill the person he is obsessed with too. After many investigations led by the CCPD under the supervision of Captain Singh himself, Stanley was arrested and condamned for mass murder, including some children, deeming to his incarceration to Slabside Maximum Security Prison, although he has never ceased, either during or after the trial, to declare himself innocent.

Imprisonment and Oliver's "sidekick"
Stanley recognized Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow and attempted to gain his services for protection, but Oliver refused and told Stanley to leave him alone. The next day, following a fight where Oliver planted a shiv on Ben Turner, Stanley sat with Oliver at lunch, when Danny Brickwell and Derek Sampson showed up, still pushing for Oliver to join their three-man operation as a replacement for Turner. The two men beat up Stanley when Oliver continued to reject their offer, leaving Stanley at their mercy. Oliver soon apologized to Stanley as he was on the guard's radar and could not afford to have another strike to his name. Stanley, angered Oliver abandoned him, reminded Oliver that he also had a family and insulted him for being a coward. Stanley later watched in the prison yard as Oliver beat up Brick and one of Ricardo Diaz's goons, the "Grim Reaper", seeming to have taken Stanley's words into account.

Stanley then started following Oliver everywhere and to consider himself "his sidekick". After Oliver was released from a week of isolation due to what happened with "Grim Reaper", Stanley welcomed him back in the courtyard and complimented for his actions. After Oliver asked where the "Grim Reaper" is, Stanley answered that he was sent to Level Two of the prison but, as for the information he gained asking around, the goon doesn't know about Diaz's location. Oliver scolded Stanley for risking so much making question to the others convicts, but he reassured him that nobody tried to hurt him out of fear for "the Green Arrow" since he is "friend with him", then Stanley revealed to him that it was Brick who orchestrated Oliver's assault and asked him if he intended to torture him or gaining the information in a similar way, to wich Oliver refused. When Brick asked Oliver to get rid of a guard, Peter Yorke, in exchange of information on Diaz, Stanley helped him to create a blackout near the showers in order to infiltrate the computer room to search for some dirt on Yorke and blackmail him, but to no avail, forcing Oliver to stab himself and blame the guard in order to get him transfered, while Stanley watched in anmiration.

The following day, during lunch, Stanley complimented to Oliver for having stabbed himself and for his resilience and assisted as Brick, honoring his part of the deal, revealed to Oliver that an inmate known as "The Demon" is Diaz's inside man, claiming he can arrange a meeting with said individual. That night, as all the cells in the block opened, Stanley asked Oliver what's going on and, after the latter claimed he supposed it was due to Brick's influence over the guards, Stanley choose to follow Oliver to the meeting as it's the safest place for him to be. When they reached the supposed meeting place, they were ambushed by Ben Turner and two other man, but Oliver defeated them as Stanley steps aside. Stanley, Oliver and Turner subsequently infiltrated Brick's clandestine fight club, where Stanley assisted as Oliver defeated Derek Sampson and later attacked a guard in order to get transferred to Level Two, where "The Deomn" is incarcereted according to Brick's information.

Weeks later, while he was talking to an unidentified old man during his time of visits, Stanley recognized Oliver's wife Felicity as she was informed by the prison guards that Oliver's "visits privilege" has been revoked. Stanley drew the woman's attention to talk to her on the phone and introduced himself as Oliver's friend and sidekick, to wich Felicity asked him to tell her husband that she got a lead on Diaz, however Stanley told her about what happened and that he can't inform Oliver since he was transferred to Level Two. After Oliver returned from Level Two, Stanley welcomed him and told him he met Felicity, referring of the message that she sent him.

Revealing his true nature and escape
Later Stanley murdered B. Dunbar, a guard, and framed Ben Turner by planting his shiv and letting Oliver find it. However, he was exposed by Oliver who refused to help him after he is freed. He then witnessed Oliver break out, and escaped from his cell when Ricardo Diaz released everyone. He then drugged and trapped Oliver to talk, but was beaten and knocked out by him easily. Knowing that the morgue is the only way out, Stanley went there, running into Danny Brickwell. He killed Brick for picking on him, then escaped from prison.

Return and reincarceration
Sometime later, Dover traveled to Star City and began to paralyze and then kill people with the help of a rare drug, leading to the media refer him as Star City Slayer, a nickname he despised. After sending threatening notes to several people, he was tracked down by Curtis Holt and Dinah Drake, managing to escape by cutting the latter's throat non-fatally. He then proceeded to Oliver Queen's house and paralyzed his entire family, insanely shouting about how everyone had been so "mean" to him, and that he had to kill everyone. He was distracted mid-conversation and knocked out by Oliver, as the SCPD arrived and took him into custody.

Dover is later sent back to Slabside Maximum Security Prison.

Personality
Even before his incarceration, Stanley was already a sociopath to begin with, evidenced by the fact that he killed his parents due to how they abused him, and then later killed his brother, when the latter attempted to send him to Arkham Asylum to be imprisoned, then began to kill several civilians (innocent or guilty) which eventually led to him being imprisoned in Slabside Maximum Security Prison. His modus operandi is getting obsessed by a person and then trying to be loved or impress him by murdering everyone he deemed harsh to said person and, if it doesn't work kill the person he is obsessed with too. He also strongly believs that some people doesn't deserve life.

As an inmate, Stanley is someone with survival as a priority, relying on Oliver Queen as his one chance to stay alive in prison. He is also afraid of powerful criminals like Ricardo Diaz. He even lied to Oliver that he was wrongfully accused of murder, despite actually being a serial killer. However, he doesn’t like being picked on, killing Danny Brickwell out of revenge for his past treatment of him.

Despite using him for his own ends, Stanley is still a big fan of Oliver, often admiring his past actions as the Green Arrow, even saying his iconic quotes like "You have failed this city" and giving him nicknames like "G.A.". Stanley's admiration was later revealed to be more of an outright obsession with Oliver's past tactics of killing others as the Hood.

Stanley's time in prison clearly did not reform him; as evidenced by the fact that he killed B. Dunbar and then frame Ben Turner for no apparent reason, as well as declaring that Slabside's prisonres deserved to be slaughtered by Diaz as he always gave little-to-no importance to other people's life.

Stanley's number one goal in Star City is to make sure that he "corrects" those who he deems to be a threat to Oliver Queen's life, even to Felicity and William, by killing them. However, for those who call him by the name "Star City Slayer", he would threaten to kill them anyway. He also can't stand people who doesn't listen to him.

Abilities

 * Skilled knife-wielder: As the "Star City Slayer", Stanley uses small blades to kill his victims. He was able to kill the much larger Danny Brickwell and even slash Dinah Drake's throat.
 * Stealth: Stanley has great skills in stealth. He was able to sneak up on both Oliver Queen and Dinah Drake without them notice him.
 * Toxicology:

Equipment

 * Knives: Stanley carries knives with him and, as the Star City Slayer, are his signature weapon. He has carried combat knives, throwing knives, and switchblades.
 * Gas mask: Stanley wore a gas mask when attacking Oliver's home.
 * Syringe: Stanley uses a syringe in order to inject a paralyzing poison, known as "mivacurium", into his victims to slash their throat without having them fight back.

Trivia

 * Originally, it was believed that Stanley was wrongfully incarcerated for crimes (several counts of murder) that he didn't commit, however, in ​, he is revealed to be a serial killer; as he is in fact guilty of those said crimes.
 * Stanley's codename is similar to Richard's, aka the "Starling Slasher", a villain based on the otherwise unnamed serial killer "Seattle Slasher" from the comics, who had victimized prostitutes and encountered Oliver Queen and Shado in the mini-series Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters.
 * The character of Richard was actually loosely based on the comic book version of Stanley Dover, murdering his victims with a ceremonial dagger.

Behind the scenes

 * In the main DC comics continuity, Stanley Dover is an amateur occultist who hunted and murdered young children, murdering them to use their blood as a means to attract a demonic entity, coming to be known as the "Star City Slayer". He crossed paths with Oliver Queen, whose body he had hoped to take over in order to further his cause.