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"You know, when I first met Oliver, he gave me a purpose, but he also gave me all of you. It makes sense that having a team is what helps me in the future, so why wait?"
—Roy Harper[src]

Roy William Harper, Jr.[1] (born July 13, 1991[2]) is a street-savvy young man and reformed small-time criminal from the Glades. He is the son of the late Roy Harper, Sr. and an unnamed woman, the fiancé of Thea Queen, and the former sidekick/good friend of Oliver Queen.

Growing up in the Glades, Roy became an ally to Oliver, who was a vigilante initially referred to as the Hood, later known as the Arrow. Prior to Slade Wilson's siege on Starling City, Roy was injected with the Mirakuru, becoming a human weapon and gaining a variety of powers, including superhuman strength, durability, and an accelerated healing factor, though it came at a cost with a slow deterioration of his mental state. He was later cured by Oliver using a counter-serum developed by S.T.A.R. Labs. Joining Team Arrow, Roy became Oliver's sidekick and vigilante partner using the codename Arsenal, also known as Speedy[3][4][5] or the Red Arrow[6][7] up until the point where Roy masqueraded as the Arrow and faked his death. Having no choice, Roy left Team Arrow and Star City to begin a new life under the alias Jason.

Before leaving, Roy left his Arsenal suit to Thea, which she uses as her own vigilante persona as "Speedy". Roy would later return to vigilantism briefly when Noah Kuttler extorted him to steal technological components. However, he was freed from Noah's control and later relocated to another place. In 2018, Roy was found and captured by corrupt Star City Police Department officers under Ricardo Diaz's payroll, who wanted him to testify that Oliver was Green Arrow. He was rescued by Team Arrow and later left Star City along with Thea and Nyssa al Ghul in order to track down the world's remaining Lazarus Pits, returning to vigilantism once again.

Ultimately, Roy's name (regarding his status as a vigilante) was cleared when Oliver publicly confessed to being Green Arrow.

During Roy's mission, he was fatally injured in a battle against the Thanatos Guild and had to be healed in a Lazarus Pit. As a side effect of his previous exposure to the Mirakuru, he gained a bloodlust that couldn't be cured by the Lotus elixir.

In an erased future, Roy self-exiled himself to Lian Yu to atone for the death of two innocent men he killed during a bloodlust episode. In 2040, he returned to Star City with William Clayton to assist the Canaries.

On Earth-Prime, after the Crisis ended, Roy attended Oliver's funeral. He proposed to Thea and was ready to start a life with her, which she happily accepted on the condition he would never leave like he did again.

Biography[]

Original multiverse[]

Early life[]

Roy Harper was born on July 13, 1991, to Roy Harper, Sr. and an unnamed woman in Starling City. He grew up in the Glades and had a rough life, having to partake in minor criminal acts to survive. Roy racked up a record of robbery, B&E, stealing a car, and several counts of petty theft.[1] He was also arrested for larceny and aggravated assault.[8]

Discovering and many attempts of contacting the Hood[]

Roy Harper (Hoodie)

Roy escapes after stealing Thea's purse.

In 2013, Roy first encountered Thea Queen when he stole her purse. Laurel Lance caught up to Roy and tried to reason with him, but he scaled a fence and fled. He was later caught by the cops after being chased, and was taken in for questioning by detective Quentin Lance. When asked, Roy admitted to stealing, because his mother was addicted to Vertigo and they desperately needed the money. Thea, moved by Roy's story, decided not to press charges, feeling compassion for his situation. She later visited Roy at his house in the Glades to retrieve her purse, and the two had a brief chat.[1]

Some time later, Thea met Roy again outside of a coffee shop in the Glades, She promised him a job at her brother's club, Verdant. In spite of Thea's kindness, Roy decided not to show up, prompting Thea to go and question him. He admitted that he didn't want any charity from a rich girl, a comment which annoyed Thea greatly. As she walked off, two men approached her, but before she could be mugged, Roy stepped in and beat the men, receiving a stab wound from one of them. Thea took Roy to the hospital, where he got stitched up and had to receive an injection, which made him nervous. Thea kissed him to distract him from the injection.[9]

Afterwards, Thea and Roy began an intimate relationship.

Thea visited Roy at his place in the Glades, where they began to make out. A man visited partway through and gave Roy a gun, much to the shock of Thea, causing her to storm out, despite him trying to justify himself. She later came back to apologize, but Roy was kidnapped by Joseph Falk. He was taken below Starling City, onto a train running on the abandoned subway. While Joseph broadcast him on Glades Betrayed, Oliver, as the Hood, intervened before he could be killed. The Hood distracted Joseph as Roy untied himself, which was just in time considering a bullet was sent at him mere seconds before he'd ducked. Joseph was shot with an arrow through the stomach. Roy later reunited with Thea at her brother's club, where he reached into his pocket and pulled out an arrowhead.[8]

Roy stole a police radio and waited until the dispatch mentioned the vigilante. But when he arrived at The Hood's supposed location, he instead found squad cars waiting for him. After Thea bailed him out, Quentin showed Roy one of the corpses of the Hood's victims, attempting to convince him that the vigilante was just a cold-blooded killer. Roy later confessed to Thea that he wanted to find the Hood, because he felt he owed him.[10]

Roy and Thea staked out Unidac Industries, where the Dark Archer had massacred the entire staff. Their search soon led them to Merlyn Global Group, where they ran into Thea's brother, Oliver. When told of their search for The Hood, Oliver firmly warned Roy to abandon his search. Later returning to his home, Roy rationalized that his Vertigo contacts may help them. Thea then had second thoughts on the search. Roy stated that he wanted to find the Hood so he could train him, so he could stop other family tragedies from happening. That was the last straw for Thea, who threatened to break up with him if he didn't give his search. Thus, Roy chose to end things between them.[11]

During the evacuations caused by the Undertaking, Thea saved Roy from being shot. Soon after, a man stopped their car to ask them to help get for some people trapped in a nearby bus. Telling Thea to escape, they kissed and Roy went to help the people stuck in the bus.[12]

Aligning with the Arrow[]

Shortly after the destruction of the Glades, Roy spent nights patrolling the streets and fighting off criminals in the absence of the Hood. He was often arrested for obstruction by the police as a result. Roy continued working at Verdant, which was now owned and run by Thea. When Roy tried to prevent a rape one night, he was surprised by the appearance of the Canary, who knocked out all of the would-be perpetrators in a few moments.[13]

As Roy continued his efforts to patrol the night, he discovered that medicines being delivered to the Glades Memorial Hospital were being stolen. Angered by the discovery, he engaged in a car chase with the thieves, but had an accident due to an attack from the Chinese Triad. Roy was arrested and threatened with prosecution, but Laurel cleared the charges. Roy revealed the thefts of the medicine to the Arrow. Roy and Thea got into a fight, and Thea threatened to break up with him if he continued patrolling. When the Arrow confronted Roy and offered him the chance to be his informant in the Glades, Roy accepted.[14]

When Roy was asked to track down the Canary by the Hood, he discovered that the vigilante was always accompanied by a woman named Sin. Roy managed to find her, however after questioning her on the Canary, she fled causing Roy to run after her to an abandoned site where he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he found himself tied up and face to face with the Canary. She initially questioned him but released him. Afterwards, Roy received a text from Thea stating that Laurel had been kidnapped.[15]

Roy later attended a "guns for cash" charity drive sponsored by Oliver, though he didn't want the money. Thea questioned him about the guns, but he claimed it was an old part of his life. Sin appeared, prompting Roy to introduce hi her to Thea. Suddenly, "The Mayor" arrived and began shooting at everyone. Roy saved Thea from an attack, before tending to Sin, who had been shot. He left for the hospital while Sin was being treated. When Sin woke up, she promised to keep his alliance with the Arrow a secret. However, she called him a moron, which Thea (who'd just walked in) agreed with. Despite her disdain of Thea, Sin admitted to Roy that she'd begun to warm up to her.[16]

Roy placed his red flechette in order to call for the Arrow. Once he'd arrived, he helped to intercept an exchange of counterfeit plates. Despite being told to remain behind, Roy ran in behind the Arrow, tackling one of the fleeing criminals right as the police arrived. Detective Lance began processing his arrest, but soon let him go when he realized that he'd been working with the Arrow, just like the detective. Infuriated by his arrest, Thea decided to break it off with Roy. Sometime later, Roy went to meet Moira Queen, coincidentally being there at the same time as Thea. Moira encouraged Roy and Thea to stay together against her attorney's urging, as she wanted Thea to be happy.[17]

Sometime later, Roy attended Moira's opening trial with Thea and Oliver. Later at the club, Roy noticed Thea's obvious distress, trying to bring out her anger by giving her boxing gloves and making her punch him to release the anger.[18]

Sin asked Roy for help (because of his contact with the Arrow) when her friend Max Stanton went missing. Roy was determined to help her and searched for Max alongside Thea, who joined in on the investigation, much to Roy's surprise. While investigating, Roy discovered a blood drive that was hosted by Sebastian Blood on the last day Max was seen. Later, Max was found dead. Roy took a picture of his body— specifically that Max's eyes bled out - and informed the Arrow but was told not to look into it. Angered, Roy told the Arrow that he wouldn't be his informant anymore and that he and his friends were going to look into it. The Arrow shot Roy in the leg to slow him down as he was following the same trail (albeit from a different perspective and knew that Roy couldn't fight the robber associated with the drug, as well as the fact that "his friends" likely included Thea).[19]

Transformed by the Mirakuru[]

Roy was brought to the Queen Mansion, where Thea and Sin secretly looked after him. Oliver removed the arrow from Roy's leg and had his bodyguard, John Diggle, tend to the wound. Later, Roy was captured and injected with the Mirakuru, where he was then declared a failure by Brother Blood. However, Roy survived and was at least a partial success and seemingly recovered.[20]

While making out with Thea, Roy got cut by some glass but the injury quickly healed, much to his shock. Later on at Sebastian Blood's rally when a light platform was about to fall on Moira, Roy quickly ran to her and blocked the platform.[21]

Roy struggled with keeping his new found powers a secret from Thea, creating a rift between them. Instead, he decided to tell Sin, explaining he would "tell Thea when he got it under control". Deciding to put his powers to good use, Roy and Sin plotted to take down Richard/The Starling Slasher, a rich lawyer who secretly murdered prostitutes, with Sin as the bait. Before Sin could become the next victim, Roy ripped the car door off its hinges and beat Richard to a pulp, putting him in the hospital, and struck Sin in a rage when she pleaded him to stop. Roy came to regret this and at the hospital, away from prying eyes, he broke down in tears. Not long after, Roy was contacted by the Arrow, who promised to train him and hone his abilities. Roy responds, "When do we start?".[22]

Oliver trains Roy to control his powers

Oliver trains Roy to control his powers.

The Arrow trained Roy on how to control his super strength by having him slap water in a bowl. When Roy breaks the bowl, The Arrow states that's how he placed Richard in the hospital. Roy asks how he knew and tells him that it is none of his business. The Arrow states it is his business when Roy agreed to be trained. The Arrow briefly told Roy about Slade Wilson and how he had to put an arrow in his eye. He then has Roy practice on a training dummy, which Roy breaks. The Arrow warns Roy that he needs to control his anger in a positive way. Roy asks for the opportunity to be his sidekick for one night, which he agrees to. Later when Roy came in late, he tells The Arrow of his predicament of keeping his activities a secret from his girlfriend. The Arrow warns him that Thea can't know about this. Thrown off, Roy asks how he knows Thea, but The Arrow doesn't elaborate and the two have a fight. The Arrow and Roy go to prevent Bronze Tiger from stealing a prototype earthquake generator from Merlyn Mansion. Roy saved The Arrow from Bronze Tiger, but repeatedly began punching the latter. The Arrow reveals himself as Oliver Queen to get Roy to stop, which works. Oliver advised Roy to use his love for Thea as his focus to control his strength. A stunned Roy thanked Oliver for saving him and giving him a purpose in life.

The next day, Oliver brought Roy to the Arrowcave to meet Diggle and Felicity Smoak, officially making him a part of the team.[23]

When Sara Lance returned after being presumed dead for 6 years, Roy attended a party for her at the Queen Mansion. When Sin ran up to hug her, Roy was confused as to how they knew each other. Roy then introduced himself to Sara, unaware that she was the Canary.[24]

Roy was trying to learn archery, but was unable to hit anything. Sara advises him to be patient, mentioning that Oliver makes it look easy. When Slade was revealed to be alive, Roy teamed up with Sara and Diggle to try and take him down while keeping Moira and Thea out of harm's way. Roy met Slade and shook hands with him, but it was indicated that Slade was much stronger than he was.[25]

Roy gave Thea a present: A simple silver band, which she appreciated. He was then pulled away to learn that Helena Bertinelli was back in town. Oliver invites him back into the field, but when the driver shoots Roy in the hand, he loses control of his rage and Oliver had to resort to calling him 'Speedy', Thea's nickname. Back at the Arrowcave, Roy tries to explain he had it under control, but Oliver was sceptical as he had to resort to using Thea again to stop him. Knowing the danger Roy posed, Oliver asked him to stay away from Thea for her own safety, but Roy was not impressed. Later, Roy tried to break up with Thea, which she wouldn't accept, leaving to do a job, telling him that they would continue the discussion later. Thea then walked in on Roy making out with an employee, Becky, leaving her heartbroken. Roy was then seen in the Arrowcave, watching her leave the club after talking to Oliver. He then crushed the band he gave Thea out of anger and drove away from Starling City.[3]

Roy began staying at a shelter in Blüdhaven, where he was captured by Slade and Isabel Rochev, but didn't put up a fight. Due to the Mirakuru inside him, Slade and Isabel used Roy to give blood transfusions to many others, allowing them to build a Mirakuru army. However, he is soon rescued by Oliver, who takes a critical Roy back to the Arrowcave to help him recover.[26]

When Roy woke up, he went on a Mirakuru-induced rampage across town. In a vision, it was revealed that he hopes to kill Thea. Along the way, Roy attacked many people, including Sin. Oliver and Sara confronted Roy, but he fought them off and stepped on Oliver's leg, crushing it. Roy then kills Gabe Vincent, a police officer. He eventually sees that Thea is at Verdant and goes there to kill her. However, Sara shoots Roy in the leg and is about to kill him, but Oliver intervenes and sedates Roy.[27]

Roy was sedated with Tibetan pit viper venom until a cure for the Mirakuru could be made.[28]

Oliver eventually got the cure for the Mirakuru from S.T.A.R. Labs but didn't want to inject Roy with it at first, wondering if it would go wrong. After a conversation with Amanda Waller, in which the latter stated that she intended to destroy Starling City to prevent Slade's army from spreading to the rest of the world, Oliver decided that he needed to know if the cure could stop Slade's army and save Starling city, so he injected Roy with the cure.[29]

Roy Harper, Oliver Queen, Sara Lance, Nyssa al Ghul and the League of Assassins

Roy Harper, Oliver Queen, Sara Lance, Nyssa al Ghul and the League of Assassins.

Roy woke up completely cured of the Mirakuru and fought alongside Oliver in an ambush by Slade's army. He then called Thea and asked her to meet her at his house. Once Roy and Thea reunited, he explained that he had one thing left to do, after which they could start a new life together away from Starling City. Roy fought Slade's army with Oliver, Sara and the League of Assassins. When Roy returned home, he found a letter from Thea on top of his quiver of arrows and realized she discovered his work with the Arrow. In the note, Thea stated that she can't trust Roy or anyone anymore and has decided to leave Starling City and never return, much to his heartbreak.[30]

Return of the Church of Blood[]

Not long following their defeat of Slade, Oliver and Roy grappled onto a "drug plane" and climbed up on top. They struggled to hold on while Felicity, back at their base, tried to hack the plane's Wi-Fi. Unable to get a clear signal, Diggle suggested going with "plan B". Oliver proceeded to stab an arrow into the plane, which exploded and Oliver and Roy jumped inside. As the occupants began shooting at the duo, they began fighting back. Oliver fired an arrow at the pilot, which opened up at the end to reveal a ball, hitting the man in the face. As Roy mused over the new "boxing glove arrow", Oliver started to fly the plane back to stability. He placed an autopilot device onto the controls and busied himself with defeating the remaining passengers. Roy was momentarily distracted by a comment from Oliver calling him "Speedy". At this moment, one of the Spanish-speaking men attempted to fire his gun at Roy, only to get an arrow to the chest from Oliver. Unfortunately, Roy was hit by a bullet and began falling from the plane.[4]

Confirming that Felicity's auto-pilot device was working, Oliver jumped from the plane to catch Roy and suggested that Dig prep for surgery. After operating on Roy, all the team could do was wait.[31]

Eventually, Roy stabilized, though he was still in a fairly bad condition[32] and remained in a coma for some time.[33][34] When Roy finally woke up, Oliver made sure he didn't rip his sutures and told him to take it easy.[35]

Oliver returned to the Foundry sometime later and called Roy, unable to find Felicity. They watched security footage Felicity installed in her house, discovering that she'd been taken by the Church of Blood. With only the two of them to go after her, Oliver unveiled a Kevlar-lined suit for Roy worked up by Lodai, similar to his own, and they left.[36]

They left for St. Walker's Church, the Church's base of operations. They went first to a room they'd previously held Diggle in, but all they found was explosive. With it about to blow, they ran from the church, not making it out in time. However, they were able to climb from the rubble, surprisingly finding a Mirakuru soldier among them. Suddenly, they received a call from Brother Blood, ordering an exchange of Oliver for Felicity. Roy adamantly reasoned that he'd be killed if he went along with it, but Oliver didn't care. They returned to the Foundry to freshen up before meeting Blood and his gang on the roof of Kord Industries. Roy watched from afar before Oliver was taken in a helicopter.[37]

Still unsure and worried, Roy went to find Lyla Michaels for help. They deduced through the helicopter's GPS that Oliver was headed for Blüdhaven, where Clinton Hogue's associates, the Renegades, operated from. Needing backup, Lyla pulled some strings for Roy and was able to get Helena Bertinelli out of jail. As she suited up, Roy briefed her on the situation before they left.[38]

Roy and Helena met with Oliver atop a building in Blüdhaven. They looked inside the building, surveying the four gang members, before crashing inside. As they were before his time with Oliver, Roy decided to go after Cyrus Vanch and Winnick Norton. As Vanch held him, Norton aimed to shoot Roy, but instead misfired and hit Vanch. Roy shot an arrow at Norton, knocking him over, but everyone was electrocuted by Lyle Bolton, causing Roy to be momentarily knocked out and allowing Bolton to take Felicity and Helena hostage, making Oliver choose between them.[39]

Helena soon knocked Bolton out and they successfully tied the mercenaries up, leaving an anonymous tip for the police. Roy, Oliver, Felicity, and Helena left in the previous helicopter, piloted by Oliver. However, Hogue had snuck back on board and attempted to kill Roy. In the middle of the air, the two were knocked out of the plane, held on by only Roy and Hogue attached to his leg. Roy kicked Hogue in the face to shake him off, causing the latter to plummet to his death.[40]

Becoming Arsenal[]

Roy first helped Oliver take down Vincent Steelgrave who stole an illegal cache of RPG's intended for his gang. When Oliver received a text from Thea, Roy told Oliver he would go on patrol to clear his head, feeling guilty knowing Thea was lying to Oliver. After Oliver and Felicity were attacked by Werner Zytle, Roy quickly discovered a GPS tracker in Oliver's suit. Roy later helped Oliver take down one of Werner's thugs before freezing a bomb intended to blow up Rockets Arena on Felicity's instructions.[41]

Roy would request to Felicity to reconfigure their phone system before discovering Sara had been murdered. Roy comforted a distraught Felicity as they grieved over the loss of Sara. Roy later hacked into an FBI database in search of Thea, eventually revealing her letter to Felicity. Roy later showed the letter to Oliver, apologizing for not saying anything earlier. Roy later helped Oliver stop Simon Lacroix at Queen Consolidated during Ray Palmer's charity event. He and Team Arrow then held a private funeral for Sara.[42]

Some time after, Roy began to suffer from nightmares in which he saw himself killing Sara. As a result, he had trouble sleeping.[43]

When Oliver decided to search for Thea and convince her to come home, Roy grabbed his bow, but Oliver pointed out he couldn't travel with it. Roy revealed he's never been on a plane so he was unaware of the security checks, much to Oliver's amusement. While in Corto Maltese, after a failed attempt by Oliver to convince Thea to come home, Roy tried to talk to her. He told Thea that while he lied to her numerous times, he really wanted to leave Starling City with her after the siege. Roy asked if Thea felt lonely at Corto Maltese but Thea stated that was what she liked best. Later, Roy helped Oliver and Diggle defeat Mark Shaw. When Oliver revealed his makeshift bows, Roy wondered he got them, to which Oliver revealed he made them from equipment in their hotel room. They were confronted by soldiers Shaw paid off but Oliver, Roy, and Diggle fought them off. Back in Starling City at the Arrowcave, Oliver complimented Roy for his work in Corto Maltese. Roy told Oliver that he was a great teacher despite being temperamental, to which Oliver stated those are the best kind. Roy and Oliver were then confronted by Nyssa, who demanded to know where Sara was.[44]

Oliver revealed Sara was dead, much to Nyssa's devastation. When she left, Roy managed to follow Nyssa and informed Oliver. At the Arrowcave, Roy pointed out to Nyssa that he found a blank piece of paper in Sara's boot, which was actually written with ghost ink. Later Team Arrow and Nyssa tracked down Malcolm Merlyn in a temple, however Merlyn escaped. When Oliver informed Nyssa and the team that Thea is Malcolm's daughter, Roy seemed distraught. Roy visited Thea at Verdant where he offered to help. Later when they left, Roy was injected with a tranquilizer as Nyssa kidnapped Thea. At the Arrowcave, Roy offered to help get Thea but Oliver told him it's safer if he stayed as he had tranquilizer in his blood. Roy visited Thea again at Verdant, where she hired him as the assistant manager of the club.[45]

Roy trained with Oliver, who noticed he's slower than usual. Roy explains he hasn't been getting enough sleep lately. That evening, a cyberterrorist group called Brother Eye wreaks havoc on the city. When a riot ensued at Starling National Bank, Roy and Oliver arrived to disperse it. After Felicity tracked down Myron Forest, who they believed to be the leader of Brother Eye, Roy and Oliver interrogated him but Myron is revealed to be innocent. After Felicity and her mother, Donna Smoak, were kidnapped by Bother Eye, Felicity managed to alert Team Arrow to her location. Roy helped stop Brother Eye from robbing a US treasury truck of freshly printed cash. Later, he awoke from a nightmare where he saw himself murder Sara.[43]

While looking for a cartel, Roy's nightmares began to haunt him and he briefly lost focus. At a higher vantage point, Roy pointed out the word "Guilty", written with blood. When Roy later offered to help, Oliver declined as Roy had been out of his game lately and had a slower reaction time. Roy later had Felicity check him for any Mirakuru. When Felicity found no traces of the serum in his blood, Roy revealed to Felicity of his nightmares. Felicity later told Roy said that he may have had bits of Mirakuru left in his blood at the time of Sara's death. Believing he is the murderer, Roy revealed to the rest of the team and Laurel. He later helped Oliver and Diggle to stop Isaac Stanzler, who claimed that Oliver saw Roy as just "another weapon in his arsenal". After knocking Stanzler out, Roy asked Oliver to never abandon him, and Oliver assures that he won't. At the Arrowcave, Roy told Oliver what Isaac said and Oliver suggested Roy use the moniker Arsenal. Using meditation, Oliver then coached Roy into remembering what really happened in his nightmares. Roy learned that he didn't kill Sara, but murdered a cop while he on his Mirakuru-induced rampage.[46]

Still haunted by his murder of the police officer, Roy assisted Oliver tracking down Carrie Cutter/Cupid. Felicity found out she was keeping a mob boss hostage in Sherwood Florist. Oliver and Roy broke into the store, where Oliver told Roy to look for the mob boss as he would take care of Carrie. After splitting up, Roy was suddenly startled as an arrow landed close to him. He turned around and was confronted by a smiling Carrie Cutter. Despite his weaponry and training, Carrie quickly knocked out Roy before he could even warn Oliver. She took him hostage too and used his earpiece to taunt Oliver. After recovering, Roy felt humiliated by his defeat. At Verdant's grand re-opening, Carrie walked past Roy, but he didn't notice her. After Oliver barely survived his battle with Carrie, he went to the Arrowcave and knocked some items over, frustrated over his situation with Felicity. Roy heard the commotion asked if he was okay, to which Oliver admitted that he wasn't. To help lift their spirits, Oliver and Roy had dinner with Diggle, Lyla, and Sara.[47]

Roy helped Oliver and Diggle track down Digger Harkness. He and Oliver broke into Harkness' hideout, only to find that he was gone. Just before leaving, the duo were stopped by A.R.G.U.S agents and told to stop looking for Harkness, which they ignored. Later, Roy met Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon as they toured the Arrowcave. Oliver got a call from Diggle that A.R.G.U.S was under attack. Roy and Oliver engaged Harkness and the Flash later showed up to help, much to Roy's amazement. After Lyla was injured, Roy had a drink with Felicity, Caitlin, and Cisco before they helped Barry disarm Harkness' bombs throughout Starling City.[5]

When Oliver was given 48 hours to find Sara's killer, Roy, like Oliver, was concerned when they found out that Thea might have been the one who killed her. After Oliver left to go and face Ra's al Ghul, he asked Roy to take care of Thea. The two hugged before Oliver left.[48]

When Oliver failed to return, Roy and Diggle took to protecting the streets. They pursued a van of drug dealers and captured one dealer, but the other got away. When Roy and Diggle returned to the Arrowcave, Roy voiced his belief that Oliver might be dead, for which he was immediately shunned for. Later though, Malcolm broke into the Arrowcave and brought the sword down that killed Oliver. After finding out that the dealers they were tracking worked for Danny Brickwell, Roy went with Diggle to his hideout but found nothing. They then went to stop Brick and his thugs from breaking into police evidence lock up. Despite their efforts, and Brick managed to escape with the files. Felicity then left the team due to Oliver's apparent demise.[49]

After Laurel took her sister's place as the Canary, Roy followed her until she was nearly killed by a rapist. Roy tended to Laurel's injuries and, like Diggle, advised her to stop. When Brick kidnapped the city's Aldermen, Roy was forced to accept Laurel's help in rescuing them. Roy battled Brick while Laurel rescued the hostages. When Roy shot an arrow at Brick as revenge, Brick killed one of the Aldermen. Later, Roy and Diggle shared a drink to remember Oliver and wondered if they might not be able to protect the city without him. Roy immediately changed his mind when Felicity rejoined Team Arrow and they were able to find where Brick was keeping the Aldermen. Roy and Laurel were able to rescue them, but this proved pointless when Brick took over Glades.[6]

Roy and Laurel tried fighting back against Brick's men in the Glades but made little difference. When Roy later met with Captain Lance, he initially used a voice modulator but Lance was able to use his past experiences with Roy to figure out his identity. Roy and the rest of the team found out that Brick killed Malcolm's wife, Rebecca. When Felicity found Brick's location Roy and Laurel went to the Glades' police precinct and engaged Brick. When Brick fought them, they were saved by Malcolm at the last second. Back at the Arrowcave, Malcolm offers to help them take down Brick. Roy was for the idea and even more convinced when he found out that Malcolm saved Thea during the night of the Siege. Roy later rallied Sin and the Glades together to fight Brick. In the end, they were able to take him down and free the Glades. Oliver returned and thanked the people of the Glades for fighting back, much to Roy and everyone else's awe and joy.[50]

Roy and Oliver tracked a criminal but were interrupted when Laurel took him down instead. Roy restrained the criminal while Oliver talked to Laurel. Roy supported Oliver's decision to reveal he was the Arrow to Thea. When Oliver and Roy found Anthony Walker, they barely escaped when Walker was rigged with a bomb. Oliver and Roy found Werner Zytle at the docks, where they defeated his thugs and saved Laurel, who was given an overdose of Vertigo. When Oliver shouted at Thea to leave when Laurel was being treated, Roy and Oliver got into a heated argument. Roy later saw Thea leave with Chase and followed them back to her loft. He saved Thea's life but was almost taken down by Chase until Malcolm arrived. Roy later said goodbye to Thea and she kissed him for everything he had done for her.[51]

When Thea found out Malcolm drugged her into killing Sara, Roy comforted her and to help her get through it, he revealed to her that he killed a cop while under the influence of Mirakuru. He later showed Thea that he provided for the officer's family but Thea still felt guilty. When Oliver returned from Nanda Parbat, Roy, Oliver, and Laurel went to stop a diamond heist. They failed but were able to apprehend some of the crew and retrieve a crate of diamonds. Roy found out that the diamonds could be used to make bullets, that would pierce through body armor. He and Oliver went to the police precinct to save them from Murmur's crew. Later, Thea showed up at Roy's door, asking if she could stay with him. He agreed and they began kissing.[7]

Roy attended Lyla and Diggle's wedding and took Thea as his date. Later, he was shocked to see the news that an imposter framed Oliver for murder and the latter was relentlessly pursued by the SCPD. Felicity revealed to Roy and Oliver that Ray Palmer had developed a super suit, much to their surprise. He and Oliver later engaged Palmer and Roy was electrocuted. Oliver defeated Ray but let him go and Ray began to believe in the Arrow.[52]

Roy surrenders himself while masquerading as The Arrow

Roy surrenders himself while masquerading as the Arrow.

To protect his friends, Oliver decided to turn himself in. However, Roy attacked the transport truck and himself in as the Arrow to protect Oliver.[53]

Oliver's name is cleared by Roy's confession. Roy is revealed to also want to go to prison for his murder of Gabe Vincent. Captain Lance knew that Roy was just setting himself up for Oliver so he searched Verdant's basement, only to find Roy's fingerprints on everything. In prison, Roy was attacked by three inmates, increasingly worrying Thea and Team Arrow. Later, he appeared to be stabbed and killed by a prison officer. However, this was actually a ploy created by him, Felicity, Diggle, and Lyla to fake Roy's death so he could start a new life elsewhere. Roy said goodbye to Team Arrow and departed from Starling City,[54] leaving them to tell Thea the bittersweet truth.[55]

Roy began working as a mechanic at an auto-shop at Monument Point under the alias "Jason". He was later visited by Thea, who brought him his Arsenal suit. Roy was happy to see Thea and the two spent the day together. However, Roy told her that it was only a matter of time before he moved away from Monument Point as his cover would've been broken eventually. He left the next day, leaving behind his Arsenal suit and a letter to Thea. In the letter, Roy urged Thea to live the life that Oliver sacrificed himself for and not a life on the run with him. Roy also relinquished his suit to Thea, stating red looks better on her.[56]

Return to Star City[]

Roy eventually moved on to Hub City under a new life and name. One day in early 2016, he received an email from the Calculator, who threatened to expose Roy's identity to the world if the latter didn't comply with his demands.

Roy returned to Star City and began raiding various tech companies for parts, having a camera contact lens attached to his right eye so the Calculator could keep an eye on him. Team Arrow soon learned of the thefts and tried to stop Roy. Later at Palmer Technologies, Roy confronted Curtis Holt while attempting to steal a power source. When Team Arrow arrived, Roy quickly passed the tech to a drone outside the building. Felicity discovered the contact lens in Roy's eye and alerted the team. Oliver then used a tranquilizer arrow to subdue Roy, making it appear to the Calculator as if they killed him. Oliver, Diggle, and Laurel brought Roy to the Arrowcave, where Oliver removed the lens. Roy then explained his situation and caught up with the team. He also gave his condolences to Felicity, who was rendered paraplegic after an attack by Damien Darhk. Roy later visited Thea, who was bedridden due to her bloodlust from the Lazarus Pit. In order to stop the Calculator from destroying the Internet in Star City, Roy donned on the mantle of Arsenal once more and helped Team Arrow save the day after a close shave in escaping an explosion. Afterwards, Roy once again bid farewell to his friends and reaffirmed his love for Thea before leaving.[57]

Oliver, Thea, Sara, Ray, and John were kidnapped by the Dominators and placed inside a dream world where Oliver never got on the Queen's Gambit. Before Oliver departed to the real world after his friends, one of the visions he experienced was of Roy, who reiterated how Oliver was a hero due to everything the former did for him.[58]

A new mission[]

At some point, Roy began living in St. Roch. In spring 2018, he was ambushed and kidnapped by corrupt Star City Police Department officers on Ricardo Diaz's payroll.

Roy was brought back to Star City and held captive in a downtown hotel. Officers P. Parks and J. Hester tortured Roy in an attempt to get him to testify in court that Oliver was the Green Arrow for the corrupt DA's case, but Roy refused. Later, Thea and Team Arrow arrived to try and rescue him. However, after a brief reunion, Thea was forced to pull out when the rescue attempt triggered a S.W.A.T. team arrival. Roy was later moved to Diaz's headquarters in an abandoned casino. There, Diaz offered Roy the chance to join his crew, which the latter refused, prompting Diaz to threaten to torture Thea in front of Roy if he didn't testify against Oliver. When Team Arrow arrived, Diaz tried to move Roy again, but Oliver and Thea stopped him. Later in the Arrowcave, Roy reunited with his friends and was patched up by Diggle. Afterwards, he went home with Thea and they spent the night together.[59]

Once Roy recovered from his injuries, he and Thea decided to leave Star City and start a new life together. After a farewell party was thrown by Team Arrow, Thea and Roy began driving away. Suddenly, their car were attacked by an assassin, but Nyssa saved the two. Back at the Arrowcave, Nyssa explained that Thea was being hunted by the Thanatos Guild for her father Malcolm's map. Roy became upset when Thea started having doubts about them leaving the city, but Thea assured him that she still wants them to be together. Donning a new suit, Roy helped Team Arrow find Malcolm's map and battle the Guild. Eventually, it was discovered that Malcolm's map revealed the existence of three other Lazarus Pits around the world. Roy then decided to help Thea in her mission to right her father's wrongs. After bidding a final goodbye to Oliver, promising to take care of Thea, Roy began traveling the world with her and Nyssa to find and destroy the Lazarus Pits.[60]

Roy, Thea, and Nyssa successfully destroyed one of the three Lazarus Pits. They discovered a second, but the Thanatos Guild was waiting for them. Roy was fatally injured by an arrow, but was healed by the Lazarus Pit thanks to Thea and Nyssa. After Roy was brought back to life, the second Lazarus Pit was destroyed, as well. However, Roy's resurrection gave him bloodlust. Despite Roy being given the Lotus elixir, the bloodlust did not go away.[61]

Soon after Roy returned to his life as Jason the mechanic in Hub City trying to cope with the bloodlust and eventually overcome it. However, John Diggle appeared to him and asked that he return as there is a crisis coming and they need his help to stop it, Roy later explained why he left Thea in the first place and how the bloodlust will come back if he re-joined team arrow.

Against the Ninth Circle[]


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Anti-Monitor Crisis[]


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After much persuasion Roy agreed to go with Diggle but clearly stated it was a one time thing and after the Crisis he will leave and never return to Star City.[62]

Roy decided that he would live at Lian Yu so he accompanies Rene Ramirez and Dinah Drake as they go to the island to deliver plutonium to Lyla Michaels who is there. As their plane approaches the island, a missile destroys it and one of its pieces lands on Roy's arm, crushing it. Time passes before Roy is found by Dinah, Diggle, and Connor Hawke who suggests that since the machinery is too heavy for them to move and that since an explosion from the plane's spilled fuel was pending, Roy's arm should be amputated. Roy decides that it is for the best.

Later, after Roy assures Diggle that he has no regrets about leaving Hub City to fight beside him, Roy stays with William Clayton as he powers a sphere with the plutonium. Roy watches as the sphere does nothing for Oliver, but works for Lyla, turning her into Harbinger.[63]


During the Crisis, Roy as well as everyone in the multiverse except for the seven Paragons, was killed in an antimatter wave by the Anti-Monitor on December 10, 2019,[64] only to be restored a month later, after the Paragons and the Spectre created a new universe.[65]

Erased future[]

Future Roy Harper

Roy Harper in an erased future on Lian Yu.


This section is a stub. You can help expand this section by adding some information.

Sometime before 2040, Roy was led underground by Dinah Drake to escape from the SCPD.[66]

At some point, Roy ended up on Lian Yu to atone for his uncontrolled killing of two innocent men during a bloodlust episode (this was self-imposed exile) one night in 2040, he came across a stranger after that stranger got caught in a trap, the stranger eventually revealed himself to be Oliver's son, William Clayton,[67] William told Roy that he had been sent to the island via a device in the hōzen.

When Roy and William dug up a grave that turned out to have one of Oliver's old bows in it, Roy found a note in the bow which said "The Mark of Four" (during season 5 of Arrow, Rene Ramirez, Dinah Drake, Curtis Holt and Roy Harper made a pact that they will all carry the same mark and shall come to the aid of any of the others should they ask for, this came to be known as the Mark of Four) which slightly discomforted him. He then burned and told William they had to return to Star City.[68]

New multiverse[]

On Earth-Prime, at some point, Roy fought Mirakuru-enhanced soldiers and the Thanatos Guild. Roy died and was resurrected. He left Thea Queen abruptly but he still loves her.[69]

Member of Team Arrow[]

While on a mission a helicopter that Roy in came crashing down and some of the rubble crashed his arm and had to be amputated from his elbow down. Now he an artificial arm, but moves as easy as is human arm. As a documentary is made about Oliver and his sacrifice to reboot the world, Roy meets with the team but he frowns as he drinks vodka during their toast to him. Later, he gives Dinah Drake the Mark of Four tattoo.

When Oliver's son William is kidnapped by John Byrne, Roy assists in finding William and later attends Oliver's funeral. During the search, he asked Thea to marry him and she accepted.[69]

Personality[]

Roy Harper

Roy in his civilian persona.

"Last year, you saved my life. And I don't mean from the guy who kidnapped me. I mean you... you saved me. You gave me purpose."
—Roy Harper to Oliver Queen[src]

Roy did not like to steal and only does it because he is in a bad situation at the time. He resents the wealthy because he believes most of them are greedy, arrogant and selfish. Roy is intelligent and has pride, and he is above taking things for free. Despite his initial dislike of Thea Queen at the time, Roy saved her from two thugs before they can steal from her, proving that he tries to do the right thing. Roy also has a fear of needles which was demonstrated during his admittance to a hospital during a mission. Roy has stated that he will never beg for his life, because his enemies do not deserve the satisfaction.

After Oliver Queen (under the guise of the Hood) saved his life, Roy sought to find out his identity, not only did he physically save Roy's life, but also gave him a purpose, something that he completely lacked before. In gratitude, Roy completely turned his life around, putting his thieving and criminal ways behind. He became a vigilante himself going around helping people, although he sometimes got in trouble with law enforcement for it, although they quickly release him, possibly realizing his good intentions. Later on, like Oliver, Roy developed a sense of justice, honor and good morals, he also has guilt and remorse for his actions. Roy can sometimes be short-tempered and hot-headed.

Roy chokes Thea

Roy as a Mirakuru soldier.

As a result of being injected with the Mirakuru, Roy became aggressive, violent and easily provoked. Despite his rough start with Thea, Roy is proven to (genuinely) care for her, as it was his love for Thea that kept him from succumbing to the Mirakuru's side-effects, allowing him to control his anger. As a result, Roy began to grow more patient and determined; for example, when he was trained in archery and hand-to-hand combat, Roy didn't lose his temper when he his arrows repeatedly missed his mark and simply commented he thought he would have hit at least something. However, when he was shot in the hand, Roy once again lost control of his rage, forcing Oliver to resort to using Thea's nickname, "Speedy", to snap him out of it.

Initially, Roy did not get along with Oliver at all to the point of being hostile and rude towards him; due to the fact that he believed that the latter was nothing more than a coward, after discovering Oliver was the Arrow, Roy gained a lot of respect for the latter, even humbly thanking Oliver for saving his life and making him realize he could rise above his circumstances in the Glades.

However, despite Roy's respect for Oliver, he does not follow his orders without question and is not above standing up to or calling out his mistakes; as seen when he (correctly) blamed Oliver for Thea getting kidnapped by Slade Wilson; as Oliver did not inform Thea the truth about the latter.

After becoming a member of Team Arrow, Roy developed a close friendship with John Diggle and especially Felicity Smoak, whom he trusted and often confided in. But on the other hand, Roy had a negative relationship with Sara Lance, partly because his mind was twisted by the Mirakuru, but mainly because of their clashing personalities.

When Roy was pressured into breaking up with Thea after losing control on a mission, he was devastated, angered, heartbroken and depressed. He left Team Arrow, having lost all respect for Oliver, when captured by Slade Wilson and Isabel Rochev, Roy didn't resist, having given up on himself and the possibility of having a normal life, when Roy overdosed on the Mirakuru, he went on a dangerous rampage, determined to kill Thea in a twisted attempt to end his pain. He lashed out at Oliver, Thea and Team Arrow when they attempted to get through to him, proving that he is no longer in control of himself.

Once Roy was cured of the Mirakuru, he made amends with Oliver and joined Team Arrow in their battle against Slade's army without hesitation, proving that his loyalty to the team has been restored. Roy also reconciled with Thea and planned to start a new life with her after the Siege, bur this fell apart when she discovered his vigilante activities.

Arsenal

Roy as Arsenal

"Dying is the coward's way out. Every day that you stay alive, you try to redeem yourself for that messed-up thing you did because this world is a better place with a hero like you."
Dinah Drake[src]

After taking on the mantle of Arsenal and becoming more active on the field as Oliver's partner, Roy has become far more calm, level-headed and tactical, but he still has his moments of losing his temper. He has developed a solid working relationship with Team Arrow and supports it's members through their problems.

Despite Roy's negative relationship with Sara, he was devastated over her death, when he began suffering nightmares of him (apparently) killing Sara, Roy was overwhelmed with guilt and remorse, causing him to suffer sleep deprivation. When Oliver helped Roy regain his memories while the latter was under the influence of Mirakuru, Roy learned that he, in fact, didn't kill Sara but a police officer, Gabe Vincent, much to his devastation.

Unlike most other members of Team Arrow, Roy is capable/willing to push aside any grudge with his enemies if the situation calls for it; for example, he was willing to accept Malcolm Merlyn's aid; who was indirectly responsible for the death of eight of his close friends; regarding Malcolm's role in the Glades Earthquake, in defeating Danny Brickwell during the latter's takeover of the Glades. As John, Felicity and Laurel were incapable/unwilling to accept Malcolm's help, on several occasions; because of his previous actions; due to John, Felicity and Laurel's short-sightedness.

Despite Roy's enormous good deeds to Star City as the vigilante Arsenal, he remained deeply haunted from murdering Gabe Vincent, even though he wasn't in control of his actions at the time, Roy sought atonement by anonymously leaving money and groceries for Vincent's wife and son, which helped assuage his guilt, though was evidently still affecting him even. This mindset ultimately drove Roy to turn himself in as the Arrow and fake his death in prison, absolving Oliver, proving the Arrow is dead, and allowing him to start a new life elsewhere. Wanting the best for Thea, Roy ends his relationship with her, advising Thea to move on and not live a life on the run with him.

Roy is very protective and fiercely loyal to the individuals he cares about; when Noah Kuttler blackmailed Roy into stealing technology for him, he only complied to ensure Noah wouldn't reveal that he was still alive, which would result in Oliver falling under suspicion again. Even when stealing on Noah's behalf, Roy still tried to avoid hurting civilians and Team Arrow when they interfered.

When Ricardo Diaz tried to force Roy to testify that; Oliver was Green Arrow, Roy refused to betray his friend and former mentor, even with the threat of torture. Despite initially wanting to start a new life with Thea, Roy grew supportive of her desire to right her father's wrongs and even decided to help her in this mission.

Future Roy Harper

Arsenal in 2040.


This section is a stub. You can help expand this section by adding some information.

In an erased future, by the year 2040, Roy has become cold, stoic, distant, as evidenced by the fact that he had self-exiled himself on Lian Yu to forget about his uncontrolled killing of two men; during his bloodlust episode.

Roy is also hostile toward strangers; to the point of being aggressive and distrustful; for example, he pointed an arrow at William Clayton; when the latter was searching for him; until he had discovered that; William is in fact Oliver Queen's son.

Powers and abilities[]

Former powers[]

"You're stronger, you heal faster, but you're not in control. The serum that you were exposed to, it changes your body but it also warps your mind."
—The Arrow to Roy Harper[src]
  • Artificially-enhanced physiology: After being injected with the Mirakuru, all of Roy's injuries, such as the wound in his leg from being shot with an arrow, were completely healed, and each of Roy's physical capacities were greatly augmented to a superhuman degree. The Mirakuru serum granted him superhuman levels of strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, durability and healing. After being injected with the cure, he lost all of his powers.
    • Enhanced strength: The Mirakuru serum enhanced Roy's physical strength; enabling him to lift and press approximately 1 ton of weight. Roy was able to use his strength to easily break bones and fling full-grown men several feet through the air, punch through solid concrete and military grade steel, and almost effortlessly tear a car door off of the frame. Roy was also able to use his strength to withstand the force of a large light platform falling on him, as well as overpower his opponents with minimal effort, easily equalling that of 12 men.
    • Enhanced durability: The Mirakuru enhanced Roy's durability; making his body tougher and stronger. Roy could endure blows from trained and untrained fighters completely unfazed, and his resilience was sufficiently enhanced to allow him to punch through solid concrete, and military-grade steel that is durable enough to withstand regular bombs (without any signs of bleeding or injury). Roy could also withstand significant blunt force trauma; such as being clipped by a car moving at high-speeds, or the impact of a falling light platform without injury. Roy could even endure multiple gunshots, and blows from other Mirakuru-enhanced beings and continue to function.
    • Enhanced speed: The Mirakuru enhanced Roy's physical speed; allowing him to run and move faster than the finest human athlete. This was made evident when Roy was able to catch up to and even outrun normal vehicles at top speed. Roy was able to quickly dash to Moira before a light platform could fall on her and protect her from the impact, and in the same night, evade members of team arrow, traverse the city on-foot, and quickly reach club Verdant whilst in a seemingly catatonic state.
    • Enhanced stamina: After receiving the Mirakuru serum, Roy displayed incredible stamina and endurance. He was able to receive multiple gunshot wounds without flinching, and when shot in the hand at point blank, all it really seemed to do was piss him off. After awakening from a comatose state (induced by Tibetan pit viper venom), Roy was able to traverse the city, assault multiple people, get into a fight with team Arrow and escape; eventually making his way back to club Verdant without showing any signs of fatigue.
    • Enhanced reflexes: The Mirakuru serum enhanced Roy’s reflexes and reaction times to levels superior to a normal human. Roy was able to easily overpower and dodge attacks from trained combatants such as John Diggle and bronze tiger, fight multiple assailants at once, and combat and overpower two police officers simultaneously. Even when in a catatonic state, Roy was able to easily catch an arrow shot at him by Oliver Queen, and could fight on par with Sara Lance and Oliver Queen at the same, both of which are highly trained combatants.
    • Accelerated healing factor: The Mirakuru serum allowed Roy to quickly recover from wounds and injuries; even those that would be deemed fatal for any normal human being. After receiving the Mirakuru serum, Roy was able to completely heal the wounds he received from being shot with an arrow earlier that evening. Minor wounds such as cuts and bruises would heal within minutes, and gunshots, stab wounds and high velocity impacts have no ill effects on Roy; they would completely heal within the span of a few hours. Like all Mirakuru-enhanced humans, Roy could not regenerate missing limbs or organs, and Injuries such as a pointblank gunshot to the head could prove fatal to Roy. Regular doses of strong poisons like Tibetan pit viper venom were also capable of heavily sedating him.

Abilities[]

"The facilities at Aerodyne are no joke, and Roy is incredible at parkour."
Felicity Smoak to Dinah Drake[src]
  • Peak of human physical condition: Even before his tenure as Oliver Queen's protégé and a vigilante, Roy is in top physical condition. Due to his youth, Roy is faster than Oliver. After his training, Roy's reflexes became sharp enough for him to catch an arrow in midair.[60] His strength is capable of knocking out opponents with one strike as well as snapping their bones apart, and as a result of his resilience he can land to the ground from large heights and withstand getting stabbed or slashed by melee weaponry and continue with no complaint.
    • Acrobatics/Free-running: Roy's former rough and criminal lifestyle forced him to learn free running to better escape his pursuers. He also uses his natural athletic and acrobatic skills to either escape from or fight off his opponents. Roy is proven to be more agile and nimble than Oliver due to his much longer experience of using these skills on the streets. Since re-joining Team Arrow, Roy's skills have seemingly improved to the point of mastery.
    • Honed senses: Roy claims to have good hearing.[13]
  • Expert archer:
    Roy launches an arrow

    Roy nocking an injector arrow

    As Oliver's protégé, Roy was taught archery. During the Siege of Starling City, Roy proved to be a capable archer, quickly shooting the Mirakuru soldiers with the cure. Roy further refined his archery ability when Oliver started bringing him out in the field. He grew skilled enough to subdue Simon Lacroix/Komodo, a highly proficient archer in his own right, by firing an arrow laced with tensile cable that wrapped around the latter's ankles.
"I've had training from Oliver and years on the streets."
—Roy Harper to Laurel Lance[src]
  • Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Having grown up in the Glades, Roy has taught himself to fight back. He often employs acrobatics to catch opponents off-guard and even cause considerable damage to them. Roy was able to fight off two thugs at the same time, albeit not as efficiently as more seasoned combatants; such as Oliver, Malcolm Merlyn, and Sara Lance. After being trained by Oliver and becoming a vigilante, Roy developed an expertise in martial arts, incorporating escrima, capoeira, karate, wing chun, boxing, muay thai,[6] judo, sambo, jeet kune do and taekwondo wrestling into his preferred style. Roy can efficiently take on multiple opponents simultaneously, including members of the League of Assassins. Roy was also able to briefly hold his own against Nyssa al Ghul before shooting her unconscious. While imprisoned, Roy was able to easily subdue four prisoners while handcuffed, only sustaining a minor injury from a knife wound. He is also capable of fighting off a couple assassins from the Thanatos Guild.
    • Expert stick-fighter: Roy is a highly trained stick-fighter, as seen from his battles with Simon Lacroix and Digger Harkness. Like Oliver, he often uses his bow as a melee weapon.
  • Skilled marksman: Due to living in the Glades, Roy knows how to use handguns[8] and rifles.[13]
  • High-level intellect/Expert tactician/Scout: Roy is intelligent and an accomplished tactician; he was able to come up with a plan to exonerate Oliver of being the Arrow and later fake his own death.[54] Roy is also an extremely capable scout, combined with his training; Oliver regularly sent him out alone to scout Star City to keep track of criminal activities. Roy was capable of even tracking Nyssa al Ghul, a high figure in the League of Assassins, without her knowing. Roy is also good at math, able to deduce alongside Felicity Smoak the next number needed in the decoding of Malcolm's box.[60]
    • Expert thief: Roy has a history of B&E's and theft. He stole Thea Queen's purse and was able to escape, though he was later arrested and released.[1] Despite this, he is rarely caught by the law. Roy has some skills in hot-wiring a car, as he and Thea once rode in a car he claimed to have "borrowed illegally".[11]
    • Expert medic: Roy was trained by John Diggle in first aid, allowing him to stitch up wounds.
"I'll hit the streets."
—Roy Harper[src]
  • Network: Roy had a large amount of contacts from his days in the Glades, which he was used to calling on whenever he needed the information of any kind. Using this network, Roy was able to discover Sin Simone's location, and therefore Sara's, despite both of them trying their best to remain under the radar.[15] Oliver regularly put Roy's contacts to use, such as figuring out that Michael Amar/Murmur's crew were stealing diamonds to produce bullets.[7]
"You're a strong kid."
Oliver Queen to Roy Harper[src]
Ricardo threatens Roy to testify or he would hurt Speedy

Roy resisting Diaz's interrogation

  • Indomitable will/High tolerance for pain: A driven and determined person, Roy is nearly fearless and almost never gives up under most situations. With help from Oliver, Roy was able to control his violent instincts from the Mirakuru until cured. Having spent years living and fighting in the roughest neighborhood in Star City, Roy has been injured countless times, resulting in him developing an incredible tolerance for pain. When being tortured by corrupt police officers under Ricardo Diaz's payroll, Roy refused to testify against Oliver in court and remained defiant despite his injuries. He even endured having his right arm amputated without any anesthesia on Lian Yu after his helicopter crash, demonstrating a great deal of fortitude with regards to dealing with pain.

Erased future abilities[]

  • Peak of human physical condition: In an erased future, in 2040, Roy is still in remarkable physical conditioning despite his age.
  • Master archer: In an erased future, by 2040, Roy's archery skills have greatly improved; to the point of mastery, as he was able to disarm a trap designed by Felicity by precisely shooting multiple tennis balls in the air in a matter of seconds; this trap was modeled after Oliver's training method.
  • Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: In an erased future, by 2040, Roy's combat skills have greatly improved; to the point of mastery, as he was able to hold his own against and even best Connor Hawke.

Weaknesses[]

  • Bloodlust: Since being revived by a Lazarus Pit, Roy was left with an insatiable bloodlust and the impulse only subsided for a month at a time if he gave in to it. The only way to permanently end it is to take out the one who killed him. Even after Nyssa al Ghul gave Roy the Lotus elixir, the bloodlust urges still remained. Roy hypothesized that the Mirakuru serum's past presence in his system made it impossible for the Lotus to cure him.
  • Amputated right arm: After a plane crash, Roy's right arm was pinned underneath rubble. In order to free him, Team Arrow was forced to amputate the arm. With this loss, it is now impossible for Roy to use a bow and complete various other tasks that would be possible for two-handed individuals to accomplish.[70]

Former weaknesses[]

  • Mirakuru side effects: Although the Mirakuru enhanced Roy's physical abilities, it greatly deteriorated his mental stability. Roy occasionally experienced violent and sometimes uncontrollable moments of rage. However, unlike Slade Wilson, Roy usually had much better control over these impulses.

Erased future former weaknesses[]

  • Bloodlust: In an erased future; by 2040; Roy has gained complete control over his bloodlust.

Equipment[]

Original multiverse[]

  • Arsenal mask: Roy wears a dark red mask as his heroic alter-ego, Arsenal. It is made from a compressible micro-fabric and can effectively to conceal Roy's identity without any restrictions on his visual field. It is unknown if the mask was designed by Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak or Barry Allen, the latter of whom made Oliver's mask.
  • Arsenal suit: Roy wears a protective suit as his heroic alter-ego, Arsenal, to hide his identity from his enemies when fighting crime, it was designed by Lodai. It is unknown what materials the suit is comprised of, with the exception of kevlar. After faking his death, Roy gave the suit to Thea Queen, claiming that red looked better on her. After returning to Star City to stop the Ninth Circle; Roy took back the suit.
  • Quiver: Roy has a brown quiver to carry his arrows.
  • Customized hunting arrows: Like Oliver, Roy uses customized arrows.
  • Trick arrows: In the battle against Slade Wilson's army, Roy used trick arrows with Mirakuru cure heads. He also uses other trick arrows as Arsenal.
  • Customized recurve bow: Roy was trained in archery by Oliver and uses a red bow in battle, both for shooting and close-combat.
  • Escrima sticks: As Arsenal, Roy carries two escrima sticks strapped to both his lower legs. He used them to fight Simon Lacroix and Digger Harkness.
  • Flechettes: Roy received his first flechette after the Arrow rescued him from the Savior, which he kept as a reminder of the incident. He later painted the flechette red and used it as a way to contact the Arrow before discovering Oliver's identity and joining Team Arrow. As Arsenal, Roy carries multiple red flechettes strapped to his left thigh.
  • Throwing knives: Roy has four throwing knives strapped around his right thigh.
  • Combat knife: Roy carries a combat knife attached to the back of his belt.

Former equipment[]

  • Wooden bow: During Roy's archery training, he used a wooden bow.
  • Voice filter: Roy uses a voice filter to disguise his voice; whenever he is talking to individuals who do not know his true identity.
  • Roy Harper's motorcycle: When Roy is on patrol as Arsenal, he is seen riding a motorcycle to get around the city.

New multiverse[]

  • Arsenal mask: Roy wears a dark red mask as his heroic alter-ego, Arsenal. It is made from a compressible micro-fabric and can effectively to conceal Roy's identity without any restrictions on his visual field. It is unknown if the mask was designed by Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak or Barry Allen, the latter of whom made Oliver's mask.
  • Arsenal suit: Roy wears a protective suit as his heroic alter-ego, Arsenal, to hide his identity from his enemies when fighting crime. It is unknown what materials the suit is comprised of, with the exception of kevlar.
  • Quiver: Roy has a brown quiver to carry his arrows.
  • Customized hunting arrows: Like Oliver, Roy uses customized arrows.
  • Customized recurve bow: Roy was trained in archery by Oliver and uses a red bow in battle, both for shooting and close-combat.
  • Mechanical arm: Roy has a prosthetic mechanical arm that he can use to hold a bow.

Appearances[]

Arrow[]

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8


Blood Rush[]

Comics[]

Arrow: Season 2.5[]


Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Promotional images[]

Arrow

Season 2
Season 3


Trivia[]

  • Roy once claimed that he had lost someone and they were not coming back.[11] It is possible this someone was Roy's mother or father, though this remains unconfirmed.
  • He has a fear of needles.[1]
  • Roy never traveled on a plane prior to "Corto Maltese".
  • He dislikes minivans.[59]
  • Felicity Smoak affectionately calls him "Scarecrow".[citation needed]
  • As of "Docket No. 11-19-41-73"​, the public is now aware that Roy is alive, having faked his death to protect the true identity of Green Arrow.
    • As of "Life Sentence"​​, Roy has been cleared of all charges of being the vigilante once Oliver Queen publicly revealed his identity as Green Arrow.
  • Roy is the only main character of Arrow to join the main cast after Season 1 and not know Oliver's secret identity.
  • It's unknown if Jim Harper in the new multiverse is a relative.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In the original Green Arrow comics, Roy Harper is Green Arrow's ward and sidekick, and is the first to take on the code-name Speedy, followed by Mia Dearden. Similarly, Mia's counterpart in Arrow​​​​​, Thea Queen, takes up the name after Roy leaves it and his costume behind for her.
    • Roy later left Green Arrow due to drug abuse (a shocking and revolutionary concept in mainstream superhero comics when the story was printed in 1971), but returned to take on the monikers Arsenal and Red Arrow.
      • Roy's fear of needles in the show is likely a reference to his DC comics alter ego's struggle with heroin addiction. This is referenced again when Cyrus Gold injects him with the Mirakuru serum.
  • In the DC comics, Roy does not obtain superhuman powers but is ironically a descendant of Vandal Savage, though he is unaware of this.
  • In the comics, Roy has been a member of the Teen Titans and is close friends with Wally West and Dick Grayson.
  • Roy was often shown wearing a red hoodie, a nod to his DC comic alter ego, Red Arrow.
    • The second Arsenal suit Roy wore in "The Thanatos Guild"​ was loosely based on his appearance in The New 52 and Rebirth comics.
  • Roy is referred to by his first superhero name in the DC comics, "Speedy", twice in the series. The first was in "Birds of Prey"​​​ by Oliver, who was attempting to snap Roy out of killing an innocent man by using Thea's nickname, and again in "The Brave and the Bold"​​ when Lyla had asked if things were okay between him and "Speedy", referring to Barry Allen/Flash, though Oliver had mistakenly believed she was talking about Roy. Ironically, Roy takes an immediate disliking to the name.
    • In a deleted scene from "Dodger"​​​, Roy's first appearance, Thea calls him "Speedy".
  • Sin Simone calls Roy "Abercrombie", a reference to Colton Haynes' career as an Abercrombie model.
  • Roy going by the name "Jason" could be a reference to Jason Todd of DC Comics, the second Robin and a vigilante known as Red Hood. In the New 52, Roy co-starred with Jason in the series "Red Hood and the Outlaws". Additionally, Roy shares many similarities with Jason:
    • Both were born as street-kids.
    • Both become sidekicks to billionaire superheroes.
    • Both are prone to certain fits of rage.
  • Colton Haynes is second cast member of Arrow to be a series regular, then demoted to special guest star, and then a series regular again after Katie Cassidy.
  • Eli Zagoudakis, Adam Chase and Mig Buenacruz were stunt doubles for Colton Haynes in the role of Roy Harper.
  • Roy's mindlessly violent behavior due to the Mirakuru's side effects is reminiscent of Colton Haynes' portrayal of Jackson Whittemore as a kanima in Teen Wolf.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Dodger"
  2. Arrow - Oliver Queen's Dossier
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Birds of Prey"
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Return"
  5. 5.0 5.1 "The Brave and the Bold"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Midnight City"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 "The Offer"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Salvation"
  9. "The Huntress Returns"
  10. "Home Invasion"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
  12. "Sacrifice"
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 "City of Heroes"
  14. "Identity"
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Broken Dolls"
  16. "Crucible"
  17. "Keep Your Enemies Closer"
  18. "State v. Queen"
  19. "The Scientist"
  20. "Three Ghosts"
  21. "Blast Radius"
  22. "Blind Spot"
  23. "Tremors"
  24. "Time of Death"
  25. "The Promise"
  26. "The Man Under the Hood"
  27. "Seeing Red"
  28. "City of Blood"
  29. "Streets of Fire"
  30. "Unthinkable"
  31. "Descent"
  32. "Acolyte"
  33. "Following"
  34. "Awakenings"
  35. "Transitions"
  36. "Gone"
  37. "Assault"
  38. "Assurances"
  39. "Choice"
  40. "Flames"
  41. "The Calm"
  42. "Sara"
  43. 43.0 43.1 "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak"
  44. "Corto Maltese"
  45. "The Magician"
  46. "Guilty"
  47. "Draw Back Your Bow"
  48. "The Climb"
  49. "Left Behind"
  50. "Uprising"
  51. "Canaries"
  52. "Suicidal Tendencies"
  53. "Public Enemy"
  54. 54.0 54.1 "Broken Arrow"
  55. "Al Sah-him"
  56. "This Is Your Sword"
  57. "Unchained"
  58. "Invasion!"
  59. 59.0 59.1 "Doppelganger"
  60. 60.0 60.1 60.2 "The Thanatos Guild"
  61. "Confessions"
  62. "Prochnost"
  63. "Purgatory"
  64. "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three"
  65. "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four"
  66. "Level Two"
  67. "Inmate 4587"
  68. "The Longbow Hunters"
  69. 69.0 69.1 "Fadeout"
  70. "Purgatory"
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