Stanley Dover

For the Arrow​​​ episode, see "Star City Slayer"​.

Stanley Dover
Biological Information
Species	Human
Status	Alive
Universe Information
Home universe	Earth-1
General Information
Occupation	Serial killer (incarcerated) Inmate of Slabside Maximum Security Prison
Affiliation	Slabside Maximum Security Prison
Family	Unnamed (father; deceased) Unnamed (mother; deceased) Unnamed (brother; deceased)
Alter ego	Star City Slayer
Actor	Brendan Fletcher

"Some people don't deserve to live."

—Stanley Dover to Oliver Queen^[src]

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 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 is the only one who truly understands him, with his actions leading the media to refer to him as the Star City Slayer, a nickname that he despised. However, Stanley was subdued by Oliver, putting an end to his killing spree; as he was soon taken into custody by the SCPD and sent back to Slabside.

Biography

Early life

Stanley was born in Central City into a dysfunctional 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 in 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'd given 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 have Stanley sent to Arkham Asylum in order to potentially get help, 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 he'd become obsessed with by murdering everyone he deemed harsh to that person and, if it doesn't work, kill the person he'd become obsessed with too. After many investigations led by the CCPD (probably started before 2013 as Dinah Drake remember taking part on it) under the supervision of Captain Singh himself, Stanley was eventually caught, arrested and condemned 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"

Oliver refuses to offer Stanley his protection.

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 tells Oliver that he was wrongfully imprisoned.

Stanley, angered that Oliver abandoned him, reminded him 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.

Stanley as Oliver's "sidekick".

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 which 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 transferred, while Stanley watched in admiration.

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.

Stanley steps aside as Oliver faces Brick's goons.

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 Demon" is incarcerated according to Brick's information.

Stanley meets Felicity.

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 which 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 said place, Stanley welcomed him and told him he met Felicity, referring him of the message from his wife.

Revealing his true nature

Stanley and Oliver in in the prison mess hall.

On November 19, 2018, Stanley and Oliver were in the prison canteen having their meal, when they saw one of the guard, B. Dunbar, ostracize even Brick and his group, to wich Stanley explained that after the clandestine fight club was closed the guards are no longer under Brick's payroll and Dumbar has become even harder on everybody. After he finished the sentence, Stanley watched Oliver being taken away by Dumbar due to having a visit with DA Laurel Lance.

Later that night, Stanley murdered Dunbar in cold blood near the shower room and, for no apparent reason, tried to frame Ben Turner by planting his shiv on the wall.

Stanley taken into isolation.

The next morning a group of guards entered Stanley's cell accusing him of the murder for being the last one who saw Dunbar alive, then they dragged him away in isolation while Oliver watched the scene speechless. Oliver then visited him in the isolation cell and asked if he was okay, to which Stanley replied that the guards took turns in beating him up trying to get a confession as they has yet to find the murder weapon. As Stanley repeatedly stated that he'd never hurt anyone, Oliver asked to tell him how they said Dunbar's murder happened, prompting Stanley to tell him he was killed in the showers and to swear that he wasn't even close to that room when it happened. After Oliver reassured him that he would help him, Stanley told him that he knew that if anyone could prove his innocence, that's the Green Arrow. A few hours later, Oliver found Turner's shiv hidden in the shower room and turning in the weapon, leading to the latter being sent into isolation despite insisting that he was the wrong guy.

Oliver start to get suspicious over Stanley.

That evening, during dinner, Stanley, freshly released from isolation, thanked Oliver for what he has done, saying that if Oliver hadn't found Turner's blade he would have been stuck in "the hole" for the rest of his life. Shaken, Oliver suspiciously asked how Stanley knew it was Turner's blade, since he was in isolation, but Stanley ignored the question stating that he "must've heard it somewhere".

Escape

Oliver tells Stanley that he deservs to spend his whole life in Slabside.

The following day, during the lunch, Stanley congratulated Oliver for being close to be released and asked if, once free, he could ask to his friend Laurel to do something for him too. However, Oliver coldly refused stating that he knew Stanley was Dunbar's real killer and that Slabside is where he belong. Stanley tried to point that he was his "best friend" to which Oliver replied they "were never friends". Upset, Stanley declared that he was simply doing what Green Arrow always do, leading Oliver to point out that he does not kill innocent people and Stanley to reply that he has hurt several of them since they met and that "prison change people", but Oliver firmly stated that it hasn't changed him and that as soon as he was freed he would assured Stanley would have faced justice for what he has done, as he deserve to spend all his life in prison.

Stanley witnesses Oliver's escape.

After Oliver was visited by Ricardo Diaz few hours before his release, informing him he was going to start a riot to kill him first and then his wife and friends, Oliver broke out from his cell by creating an improvised explosive with bath products, Stanley witnessed it and pointlessly begged him to be taken with him but was ignored. However Stanley was then freed, alongside all the other prisoners, when Diaz unlocked all the cells in Slabside. He quickly hid into the infirmary and, as Oliver walk on it he sneak up on him and then used a sleeping drought to knock him down in order to tape him to a table so they can talk. Oliver tried to trick him by telling him that if he freed him, they could make a plan together and he would be his "sidekick", to which Stanley promptly replied that he already has a plan to escape through the morgue duct, as Oliver claimed that in doing so they would have left Slabside in the hands of Diaz, Stanley stated it doesn't matter since the prisoners deserved to be slaughtered by him.

Stanley reveals of his previous victims.

After Oliver declared he couldn't leave all those people, Stanley started to get delusional, affirming that he never does anything wrong, that he just tried to impress him as he doesn't wanted him to think he was a monster like everybody said, and that all the people he killed, like Dunbar, had it coming. Realizing that Stanley was actually a serial killer, although he claimed they were not so different because of this, a disgusted Oliver freed himself from the tape, knocked him unconscious and locked him inside the infirmary.

Stanley escapes after killing Brick.

Later Stanley somehow managed to get out from the infirmary and, knowing that the morgue is the only way out of Slabside, he went there, running into Brick, who was having the same idea to escape from the prison. Stanley killed Brick by stabbing him in the kidney from behind, stating he should have been nicer to him and, then, escaped from Slabside.

The Star City Slayer

The investigations of former Team Arrow by Stanley Dover.

Sometime later, Stanley traveled to Star City and settled in an abandoned homestead on the outskirts, beginning to follow Green Arrow's accomplishments, as well as to stalk and retrieving information on the former Team Arrow's members. Shortly after having moved, he started a killing spree paralyzing and then murdering people with the help of a rare drug known as "Mivacurium", leading to the media refer to him as the "Star City Slayer", a nickname he despised. Also he started sending threatening notes to former Team Arrow members, starting with Laurel Lance (ignoring she wasn't that from Earth-1), and then continuing with Dinah Drake, John Diggle and Rene Ramirez.

One night, as former councilman Kullens (who previously worked for Diaz) was sleeping in his bed after getting released from prison for a month by far, Stanley quietly broke into his room and injected him with the Mivacurium. Kullens awoke in shock and asked him what he wanted but Stanley sliced his throat without any response, killing him.

Stanley slices Dinah's throat.

After recognizing the killer's modus operandi, Dinah asked Captain Singh to gave her the file regarding the investigation taken over him years prior, so Curtis Holt was able to identificate the paralyzing drug as Mivacurium and, being a mix between Mercurium and other specific substances, to track down the killer's hidout searching for massives orders of said substances. At the abandoned homestead, while Diggle, Rene and Curtis found his old Slabside's uniform, realizing he was a former prison mate of Oliver, Dinah has an encounter with him during wich Stanley managed to sneak on her and slice her throat (although she was later saved by Curtis' T-Spheres) right before escaping.

Stanley holds William, Felicity and Oliver hostage.

Stanley then proceeded to Oliver Queen's apartment paralyzing him, Felicity and William Clayton by spreading Mivacurium through the ventilation system. At first he acted calm introducing himself to William as Oliver's best friend and claiming to be the only one who truly understands Oliver and that that's why they needed to be a team, then he started to told them about his family history and how he despise being called "Star City Slayer", progressively and completely losing his temper, he finally stated his firm believe that "some people don't deserve to live", then shouting about how everyone had been so "mean" to him and that he had to kill everyone.

Oliver knocked out the Star City Slayer.

Stanley was then distracted mid-conversation by Felicity, who insulted him by declaring he is even worse than his father since he was the Star City Slayer, a furious Stanley tried to kill her but he was subdued and knocked unconscious by a still half-paralyzed Oliver, in the exact moment in which Diggle and Rene arrived at the place.

Re-incarceration

Stanley was later taken into custody by the SCPD and subsequently sent back to Slabside. It is very likely that Stanley's recent crimes such as the murder of B. Dunbar and Kullens and, the attempted murder of Dinah Drake, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak and William Clayton respectively, has increase his prison sentence from several years, to life in prison.

Personality

"You're the Green Arrow, and you fight bad guys, and you think I'm a bad guy. And you just think that I'm what everyone says that I am."

"How could I? I don't - I don't know what people say."
"That I'm a killer, that I'm a monster, that everything I did, everything I did - that whole Dunbar thing. It was just like the Dunbar thing. I... I didn't have a choice! I didn't haven't a choice! And all those people had it coming."

—Stanley Dover and Oliver Queen^[src]

Even before Stanley's incarceration, he was already a sociopath to begin with, evidenced by the fact that he killed his parents due to how badly they abused him and then later killed his brother, when the latter attempted to send him to Arkham Asylum to be imprisoned (in order to potentially get help) then began to kill several innocent civilians, including some children which eventually led to Stanley's deserved/justified incarceration in Slabside Maximum Security Prison. His modus operandi is getting obsessed by an individual 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 lacks any form of empathy, compassion, sympathy and remorse, as he (delusively) believes that some individuals 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 and Danny Brickwell, Stanley persistently views himself as unjustly hated, telling Oliver that he was imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit when he was in fact a serial killer and when his crimes were revealed he refuses to take responsibility and claims his victims deserved to die. Stanley is also incredibly childish in nature, initially displayed through a timidness and somewhat wide-eyed inquisitiveness next to outright joy to being Oliver's "sidekick" in Slabside was also revealed to be a completely disturbed trait of his personality as he murdered Brick solely for "being mean to him".

Despite Stanley using Oliver for his own ends, he is still a big fan of the latter, often admiring his past actions as 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 framed Ben Turner for the murder for no clear reason, as well as declaring that Slabside's inmates deserved to be slaughtered by Diaz as he always gave little-to-no importance for others' lives.

Like all psychopaths, Stanley lacks any form of logic; for example, he fails to realize that no sane individual will ever be impressed by the fact that he kills innocent individuals for them, even during his trial and imprisonment, Stanley still believes himself to be innocent; unable to understand that he deserved to be imprisoned for his crimes.

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 individuals who don't listen to him.

Stanley is proven to be delusional; for example, he tried to justify killing his victims by stating that they were mean to him, he even tries to compare himself to Oliver who previously also has killed individuals; however, they are completely different, as Oliver has never killed innocent individuals.

Abilities

• High-level intellect/Expert tactician: Stanley is a very intelligent and calculating serial killer, with exceptional observation and investigative skills, as he is capable of learning everything of his victim's life. As a serial killer, his elusiveness and ability to cover his tracks is so great that he escaped capture at the hand of CCPD for years, and even Dinah Drake, John Diggle, Rene Ramirez and Curtis Holt has difficulty in finding any sort of connections between his victims.
  • Expert of deception/Manipulator: Stanley is an exceptional liar, as he was able to deceive Oliver Queen for months making him believe he was incarcerated on Slabside Maximum Security Prison for crimes that he didn't commit. However, when he killed B. Dunbar in trying to blame it on Ben Turner; Oliver was initially fooled, but he soon realizes that not only did Stanley really kill Dunbar, but he is also in fact guilty of the crimes (several counts of murder) that he was convicted of.
  • Toxicology: Due to his familiar history, Stanley is very proficient in toxicology as evidenced by him being able to create homemade "Mivacurium" (a paralyzing drug) by mixing Mercurium and other substances, as well as to recognize and use sleeping drought in Slabside's infirmary.
• 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; however, it should be noted that at the time, Stanley only managed to kill Brickwell well the latter was not looking. He even slash Dinah Drake's throat.
• Stealth: Stanley has great skills in stealth. He was able to sneak up on Oliver Queen (however, it should be noted that Oliver's honed senses weren't in good condition at the time; during a prison riot start by Ricardo Diaz). He also snuck up on Dinah Drake without her noticing him.

Weaknesses

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• Predictable: Despite the fact that Stanley is an elusiveness serial killer, he is also proven to still have a degree of sloppiness; as he was eventually caught and arrested by the CCPD, and imprisoned in Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Although Dinah Drake, John Diggle, Rene Ramirez and Curtis Holt had difficulty in finding any sort of connections between Stanley's victims, due to the mistake he made by leaving his prison uniform in his hideout, when Rene and Curtis found it; they not only realised who the killer they were looking for is, but also that his target is Oliver Queen; proving that Stanley did not learn from his previous mistakes; regarding how he got caught by the CCPD the first time.

Equipment

• Knife: Stanley carries a knife with him and, as the Star City Slayer, is his signature weapon.
• 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 so that he can slash their throat without having them fight back.

Appearances

Arrow

Season 7 "Inmate 4587" "The Longbow Hunters" "Crossing Lines" "The Demon" "Due Process" "The Slabside Redemption" "Star City Slayer" "Living Proof" (mentioned)

Trivia

• Initially, it was believed that Stanley was wrongfully incarcerated for crimes (several counts of murder) that he didn't commit, however, in "The Slabside Redemption"​​​​​, 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.
• Stanley's signature weapon as the Star City Slayer being a knife is a reference of the ceremonial dagger used by his DC comic book counterpart.
• Stanley is similar to Carrie Cutter; as both are murderous, delusional and obsessive.

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.
• Stanley Dover was included in the original pitch for Arrow, then titled The Hunter. His original role was described as "Brilliant but a bit eccentric. Our computer and technology savant. We'll learn that Stanley has a history with Oliver's father which explains why he's the first person Oliver recruits for his crusade."