- "Winning agrees with me."
- —Isabel Rochev to Oliver Queen[src]
Isabel Rochev (died May 14, 2014), was the vice president of acquisitions at Stellmoor International and later the CEO of Queen Consolidated. She was also a partner of Slade Wilson in The Siege and a member of the Church of Blood and Slade Wilson's army. Her name is on "The List".
Isabel was the daughter of the late Viktor Rochev and a late unnamed woman, the adoptive daughter of an unnamed couple, and the ex-lover of the late Robert Queen. She also had a one-night stand with Oliver Queen in Russia.
In the wake of Slade's assault on Starling City, Isabel donned a leather suit, similar to Slade's, and took on the name Ravager.[1][2] In the final battle, she was killed by Nyssa al Ghul.
Biography
Early life
Isabel Rochev was born to Viktor Rochev and an unnamed woman, living a simple life Moscow, Russia. When she was nine years old, her parents were killed in a hit by the Solntsevskaya Bratva. Isabel was then sent to the United States and transferred to multiple facilities until she was adopted by an American couple. Growing up, Isabel had trouble making friends in school because of her accent, which took years to eliminate. Also, despite having a loving, stable childhood in her new home, Isabel never really developed a strong connection with her adoptive parents.[3][2]
Isabel eventually went to business school, which led to her interning at Queen Consolidated in 2006. She caught the eye of CEO Robert Queen, who started cheating on his wife Moira with her. The affair continued on for a year until the two, at Robert's suggestion, decided to run away together. When Thea Queen was injured after falling off her horse, Robert went to check on her at the hospital the day they were planning to leave. Isabel protested, pointing out that Thea wasn't even his own daughter, but Robert assured her that they would leave the next day. However, Isabel's internship was canceled and Robert never spoke to her again, leaving her bitter and desiring revenge.[4][2]
After graduating from business school, Isabel soon became vice-president of acquisitions at Stellmoor International.[5] During her time at Stellmoor, she consistently bought up Queen Consolidated holdings whenever possible in an attempt to damage the company.[4]
Isabel's name was written on The List after Malcolm Merlyn got her to fund The Undertaking as thanks for him killing Robert (and supposedly Oliver Queen).[6]
Allying with Slade Wilson
Isabel, still resentful of Robert Queen, became associated with Slade Wilson, who trained her in the art of combat in a brutal, yet effective process. Slade began Isabel's training in a warehouse in Central City, at first training her with sticks as he had with Oliver on Lian Yu. When Isabel told Slade she believed she was ready to use real swords, Slade agreed and dueled her briefly, cutting her several times and leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood.
When Oliver left Starling City after failing to stop Malcolm Merlyn's Undertaking, Slade planted Isabel in Queen Consolidated to take it over in order to draw Oliver back.[4]
Revenge on the Queens
When Queen Consolidated started plummeting, Isabel attempted a hostile takeover of the company. Having already bought 45% of the company's shares, she mentioned her wish to Oliver Queen of buying out the last 10%, effectively having power over the company. However, her plan was derailed when Oliver was able to get 5% thanks to support from Walter Steele, as did Isabel, thus making them equal partners. Oliver was warned by his mother not to trust her, believing her to be dangerous.[5]
Isabel was present at a party awaiting Oliver to arrive. When he finally does arrive, she comments on how there is blood on his face and then tells him how being late at his club was okay but not as CEO. Later, she was with Sebastian Blood when Oliver introduced them, though she called herself Oliver's superior, he says they are partners, to which she responded with "only on paper". She then argued with Oliver about sponsoring a "Guns for Cash" charity drive.[7]
When Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak and John Diggle traveled to Moscow, secretly on a quest to break Lyla Michaels from the Koshmar prison, Isabel followed them, pretending that she thought that her rival is going on a business trip announced. She and Oliver talked over drinks, discussing their shared history in Russia and talking over the past. She had a one-off affair with Oliver while in Moscow.[3]
Later on she strongly opposed the return of Moira Queen to Queen Consolidated, claiming that it will send a bad message to the investors and the city. She believes herself right when Oliver's welcome back party for Moira turns out unsuccessful. Moira implies that Oliver working with Isabel shows that he is not a good judge of character, reaffirming her suspicions.[8]
When Slade visited Oliver's family at the mansion, John Diggle attempted to kill him with a sniper rifle but is knocked out by Isabel in her Ravager suit.[9][2]
Having to concentrate on the threat of Deathstroke, Oliver temporarily appointed Isabel as CEO after Thea was kidnapped. Isabel seized the opportunity to call an emergency board meeting, and convinced the board members to make her appointment permanent. Oliver confronted her, learning that she was working with Slade the whole time, and only bought part of the shares of Queen Consolidate to draw Oliver back to Starling City. When Oliver asked about her motives, Isabel revealed that she had a connection to Oliver's father, but attacked him before going any further, yet revealing Thea's location. In a meeting with Deathstroke and Sebastian Blood, she stated that she is applying all of Queen Consolidated's resources towards mass-producing the Mirakuru for Slade Wilson's army.[10]
Meeting Oliver again, now as an enemy, Isabel revealed her relationship with Robert Queen and how they were planning to run away together. However, after Thea Queen fell off her horse and broke her arm, Robert decided to stay with his family, despite knowing that Thea was actually Malcolm Merlyn's daughter. He subsequently terminated Isabel's internship at Queen Consolidated, ending their relationship. Later during a battle with Slade, Isabel attempted to shoot Oliver, before being shot by John Diggle twice in the chest. Isabel later awakened after being injected with the Mirakuru and receiving a blood transfusion from Slade himself.[4]
Diggle and Felicity became concerned as to why the press hasn't mentioned Isabel's death, still believing in her apparent demise.[11]
Isabel attended the reception service of Moira's funeral, after she was murdered by Slade, and revealed to Diggle and Felicity that they will be Slade's next targets. Isabel later met with Thea to tell her that her club is part of Queen Consolidated and she must vacate the facility within a few days. Oliver, who was already aware of her survival, called her to tell Slade that he is giving up. Later Isabel, as Ravager, attacked Diggle who was attempting to plant bombs around a bridge leg to crush Slade's army beneath ground, and told him that she was eager for revenge.[12]
Fighting Diggle, Isabel demanded the location of Felicity Smoak, eager to kill her. The brawl was stopped when she was hit by Felicity's van, allowing the two to escape while Isabel struggled to stand up. She later observed the destruction of Starling City together with Slade from Queen Consolidated and witnessed Sebastian and Slade's argument regarding the city's survival as part of the plan. Later, Isabel was tasked to kill Sebastian after he gave the Mirakuru cure to Oliver, stabbing Sebastian Blood with both of her swords.[13]
Finally, at Queen Consolidated, Isabel and some of Slade's soldiers stood guard, expecting a fight against the Arrow and the Canary, but were also faced with the League of Assassins led by Nyssa al Ghul. Isabel fought Sara and Nyssa but was overwhelmed. As she boasted to Oliver, Nyssa snapped her neck, ending her miserable life.[14]
Legacy
Sometime after Isabel's death, her crimes in aiding and abetting Slade Wilson's attack on Star City were exposed to the public; causing another huge scandal for Queen Consolidated[15] and presumably Stellmoor International.
When Adrian Chase was exposed as Prometheus after months of acting as Oliver's friend and the city's district attorney, Oliver reflected to Thea that Chase's deception made Isabel's seem like a bad joke in comparison.[16]
Personality
- "If Oliver's smart... he ran back to his island to hide. But maybe he'll attend your funerals."
- —Isabel Rochev threatens Felicity Smoak and John Diggle[src]
Isabel was a driven and determined woman, but she stated that she was lonely. She was also impressed with Oliver Queen when he stood up to protect his family's company, despite the rumors of Oliver being a lazy, rowdy rich boy (however it was later revealed that Isabel was aware that Oliver is not a lazy, rowdy rich boy; as she learned this through Slade Wilson) she took her job at Queen Consolidated very seriously and was highly annoyed when Oliver kept missing meetings and didn't put all his focus on his job.
Isabel was obsessed with revenge on the Queen family because of Robert Queen's jilting her; she blamed Thea Queen for breaking up her relationship with Robert, claiming that they were "soulmates" and that he would have run away with her and left his family behind, if not for Thea when she fell off her horse and injured herself. To this end, Isabel teamed up with Slade and trained hard to gain his trust, including training that she claimed almost killed her. She proved her worth so much so that she was even entrusted with the Arrow's secret.
Though it was only Robert who betrayed Isabel, according to Moira Queen, Isabel was a dangerous and untrustworthy individual, willing to betray even those who have shown her kindness. She was also quite immoral, because although she knew Slade planned to destroy Starling City, she didn't care as long as she got to take revenge on the Queen family.
In her final moments before she was killed by Nyssa al Ghul, Isabel still displayed arrogance, as she had absolutely no guilt or remorse for her actions or their consequences.
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Enhanced physical condition: Isabel had Mirakuru injected into her bloodstream through a blood transfusion from Slade Wilson. Her physical capacity was increased in terms of stamina, strength, durability and reflexes, in addition to an accelerated healing factor (the latter of which appeared to save her life after being shot).
- Enhanced strength: Under the Mirakuru, Isabel's was much stronger than a normal human.
- Enhanced speed: Isabel's speed exceeded that of a normal human.
- Enhanced durability: Isabel's durability grew to remarkable levels. After Felicity Smoak ran over her with a van, she quickly recovered and displayed no signs of injury.
- Enhanced reflexes: Isabel was able to react much faster than a normal human whilst under the influence of Mirakuru, allowing her to fight on par with Sara Lance, who had League of Assassins training.
- Enhanced stamina: Due to the Mirakuru serum reducing the effects of fatigue, Isabel could exert herself at peak energy capacity greater than that of a normal human.
- Accelerated healing factor: Isabel's healing rate was greatly sped up. She was shot by John Diggle twice through the chest but after being injected with the Mirakuru serum, her wounds completely healed.
Abilities
- Peak of human physical condition: Being personally trained by Slade Wilson and a member of his army, Isabel was in top physical form.
- Acrobatics: Isabel was able to tackle Oliver Queen to the ground in a forward body flip.[10] During their second fight, she was able to do a flip over a table without using her hands.[4]
- High-level intellect/Great business acumen/Master tactician: Isabel was a highly cunning individual and an excellent businesswoman. As vice president of acquisitions at Stellmoor International, Isabel presumably assisted in the takeover and dissolution of multiple companies and was adept at running Queen Consolidated. Isabel also helped Slade plan the Siege on Star City and takeover of Queen Consolidated; she took advantage of Thea Queen's kidnapping by having Oliver appoint her as temporary CEO, allowing her to seize the company so she could use resources from Applied Sciences to reproduce the Mirakuru. She even diluted Queen Consolidated's stock months prior to the takeover, which rendered the Queen family virtually penniless.
- Bilingual: As a native Russian, Isabel speaks that language fluently, in addition to English.
- Master deceiver/Manipulator: Isabel gradually gained Oliver's trust, while still maintaining a stern façade towards him, over time (with a touch of seduction). This later allowed her to manipulate Oliver into signing control of Queen Consolidated to her. Through her business skills, Isabel was able to gain favor with Queen Consolidated's board of directors, whom she convinced to vote Oliver out and make her the permanent CEO, all while keeping her intentions with the company secret.
- Expert combatant/Martial artist: Isabel had some experience in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, due Slade Wilson training her. She was able to briefly hold her own against Oliver Queen, but was swiftly defeated twice.[10][4] While under the influence of Mirakuru, Isabel's combat skills had increased to the point where she was able to overpower John Diggle[13] and go toe-to-toe with Sara Lance. However, Isabel was quickly defeated by Sara and Nyssa al Ghul once they battled her simultaneously.[14]
- Expert swordswoman: Isabel had some skill in swordsmanship, as seen when she stabbed Sebastian Blood.[13] After being augmented by the Mirakuru, Isabel was able to fight on par with Sara Lance, but was no match for her and Nyssa when the latter two fought her together.[14]
- Skilled markswoman: Isabel displayed proficiency with a gun.[4]
- Indomitable will/High pain tolerance: Isabel was relentlessly driven to achieve her goals, no matter the cost. She stated that Slade's brutal training almost killed her, but her desire for revenge on Robert Queen's family kept her going.[10][4] Even when cured of the Mirakuru, Isabel remained conscious and showed no fear at the prospect of death.[14]
- Stealth: Isabel was able to sneak up on John Diggle twice, once knocking him out without revealing herself.[9][12]
Equipment
- Ravager suit: Isabel wore a leather suit as her supervillainess alter-ego, Ravager, to protect herself while in battle. The suit bore striking similarities to the Deathstroke suit and was most likely given to her by Slade Wilson.
- Ravager mask: Isabel wore a mask as her supervillainess alter-ego, Ravager, to hide her identity from her victims. It is visually similar to the Deathstroke mask, though with inverted colors. The mask is also rounder, designed to conform to Isabel's facial features, and her nose and mouth are visible.
- Customized swords: Isabel used customized dual swords, similar in appearance to those used by Slade on Lian Yu.
- Sidearm: Isabel carried a sidearm on her right leg.
Appearances
Arrow
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 5
|
Novels
Gallery
Concept artwork
Promotional images
Trivia
- Since moving to the United States, Isabel enjoyed collecting art.[2]
Behind the scenes
- In DC comics, Isabel Rochev was an enemy of Green Arrow's, known as The Queen. As in the show, she had a connection with Robert Queen and came to take over his company after his death, believing she had been his soulmate.
- In "City of Blood", Isabel wears a specially-made Deathstroke-like mask and suit extremely reminiscent of the DC comic book villain, Ravager, the identity of Rose Wilson, the daughter of Slade Wilson. Isabel and Rose also share the Ravager alias, which Isabel was officially given in promotional material and the tie-in novel Arrow: Vengeance.
References
- ↑ Marc Guggenheim (@mguggenheim) - Twitter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Arrow: Vengeance
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Keep Your Enemies Closer"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "The Man Under the Hood"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "City of Heroes"
- ↑ "Pilot"
- ↑ "Crucible"
- ↑ "The Scientist"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Promise"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Deathstroke"
- ↑ "Seeing Red"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "City of Blood"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Streets of Fire"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "Unthinkable"
- ↑ "The Calm"
- ↑ "Honor Thy Fathers"