HISTORY

Though never explored in detail...Oliver Queen was born of a rich socialite family from Star City who had their roots in the Diamond Trade. Oliver received his blond good looks from both parents. At an early age, his father gave him a bow and arrow set for Christmas because young Oliver was such a tremendous Robin Hood fan. Young Oliver got his first taste of death when he semi-accidently killed a rabbit with his archery later that Christmas day. At that point, saddened, he realized the nature of death which would follow him throughout his life. When Ollie was a teenager, he was a rascal who would hot-wire his uncle's Porsche to race around it around the streets of Star City to pick up girls.

Oliver was geared all through his school years by his father to take over Queen Enterprises. His father sent him to Hudson University in New Carthage, New York to study business where he would receive his B.A. degree. Oliver returned to his hometown of Star City and worked on his Master's Degree where he majored in Business Administration when the rest of the world was majoring in Politcal Science. Though coming from a conservative background, Oliver was exposed to the ideology of liberal movements and began participating in different demonstrations. Oliver's activism concentrated in social issues and Civil Rights. Oliver attended several peaceful marches across the nation though some radical anarchists tried to recruit him, he refused.

During this time period, in an untold story, Connor Hawke, his first son is born with Sandra "Moonday" Hawke. Oliver didn't learn of his illigitimate son until the end of his life when Connor was a very young man. They would meet at the Ashram Monastery where Oliver retreated to in his early career as Green Arrow.

During Oliver's young adulthood, his parents died and he decided to leave his past relationship with them buried deep in his past and hardly ever discussed his parents after their deaths. Left with an enormous fortune, Oliver began setting his course to take over Queen Enterprises.

After college, Oliver assumed control of Queen Enterprises and dived into the millionaire industralist position he felt he must live of a conservative business executive like his father. This would lead to extensive hours working with stress to be that man he thought his father expected. Oliver would try diversions when possible. Oliver learned to fly planes and received his civilian pilot's license. He tried skydiving, boxing, judo,and other combative arts with some friends. Oliver excelled at his interests but they could not fill what was lacking in his heart. Oliver would strike up a friendship with much older socialite Abigail Horton and the tabloids would romantically link the two together because they were seen all across town though the friendship was strictly platonic. Oliver would eventually meet her daughter and would date her but the relationship would not work out and she would leave him.

With failed relationships, the death of his parents, and money not being able to buy the happiness he was looking for, playboy Oliver Queen turned to alcohol and womanizing for a temporary comfort. Oliver would become a bit of an overbearing man who began treating his employees and others of a lower social class with contempt. He had become what he despised. He became one of the "establishment".

On his first vacation in over six years, the dilettante, known as Oliver Queen, joined friends aboard the yacht Kristina for a cruise off the California coast. Oliver was looking for another diversion and wanted to try his hand at archery again. The yacht belonged to the famed Hollywood actor/stuntsman and fellow archery enthusiast Howard Hill whom Oliver met through a mutual friend. Oliver was ready for another wild weekend when something happened to change him for the rest of his life...

One evening, after a full day of overindulgence onboard, Oliver was taking a walk on deck, and feeling ill, bent over the side of the ship. He lost his balance and fell overboard in a drunken stupor. There have been theories that he may have been pushed over by some in past accounts by "modern day pirates" or perhaps a cabin boy he "bullied" on board, but with the amount of booze Oliver drank that day and night he was never sure. He assumed he simply fell overboard with his gin from drunkeness, drifting all night before washing up on the shore of first to a nearby island in the Solomon Chains.

On the first island he comes to, Oliver Queen is stranded with killer Nicholas Kotero. Ollie battles him and leaves Kotero behind on the island as he gets away on a raft.

Oliver supressed all his life the tale that he first came to an island where he found a beached derelict ship "The San Miguel" which layed on the shore. There he came across another marooned individual named Nicholas Kotero, also known in the media as "the Love Boat Killer". He was a man who would meet women on cruises, strike up a romance, and then murder them for a sick pleasure. Kotero deceived Oliver for the first few days that he was Stephen Clothier, a sailor marooned. Oliver discovered the truth through detective work. Kotero took the name of the Captain of the San Miguel. He killed the entire crew because the Captain figured out who Kotero was. Oliver confronted Kotero, fought with him, and won. Oliver Queen then decided to leave Kotero trapped on the island as a punishment of "Life Sentence in Solitary". (Kotero would later escape and come back and haunt both Oliver Queen and Connor Hawke in the the future).

Oliver then took a raft they made and then he floated his way to a deserted nearby isle called Starfish Island in the Channel Islands. Oliver managed to stay alive for eleven weeks on the other island. He survived with his makeshift bow and arrows and his hunter's spirit. He refined his skills. In order to survive, he killed animals for food. He created a makeshift bow and arrows and, through long trial and error, refined his skills and became a skilled archer and hunter. Oliver learned to wait until he was absolutely sure of his shot and he learned to kill. This was the island Oliver Queen would later state "gave birth to Green Arrow". He was finally "rescued" when a group of marijuana farmers (Oliver stated that there were actual only two of them), who were using the island as a secret base to grow their illicit goods, arrived to harvest their crop. Oliver "captured" the dope growers while they were under the influence of their own crops and, using their boat, took them off the island and turned them over to the Coast Guard.

Not wishing to get involved, Oliver kept his true identity from the authorities, and the news media dubbed this mysterious crimefighter a "modern-day Robin Hood". (Over time, the story was embellished, making it appear that "the modern-day Robin Hood" had captured modern-day armed and dangerous pirates on the island).

Oliver returned to work at Queen Enterprises six months after his hiatus from falling off the yacht. The Board of Directors were able to take care of the company well during his absence. Oliver discovered that he was really never missed. He figured they wouldn't miss him for a few more days. This attitude would lead to his losing Queen Enterprises as Oliver left his "dutiful roll" of businessman to his Board. Oliver would indeed not ever be the "executive" needed.

Oliver had a new outlook on life. He felt more alive and looked to spend more time in his outside interest of archery which had helped him save his life. Oliver joined some new acquaintances (a society of archery club members) and began to strengthen his skills he re-awoke on the islands. Oliver's character changed. Before, he was that snobish macho socialite who bullied those under him. Now, things were different. He was on his way to finding a new role within himeself. He was given a second chance and he wanted to live life to the fullest.

Shortly after his return to civilization, Oliver was attending a charity costume ball in the guise of the legendary hero "Robin Hood", whom he loved since childhood, when a thief named Lester "The Gooch" Norton burst in to rob the guests. With only his bow and arrows to aid him, Oliver worked up enough courage to stop the crook outside the ballroom because the crook held an innocent female hostage. He fired his first shot with a regular arrow from his quiver pinning the "Gooch's" tie to a tree. "The Gooch" had let go of his hostage but brandished a shotgun aimed at Oliver. In that split second, Oliver had to make a choice between life or death. He grabbed his second arrow (which unattentionally happend to be the arrow with the golf ball stuck over the arrowhead while playing with is new Archery buddies) and he released it with the plea to God to help. Instead of killing him, the arrow struck "The Gooch" in the private parts. He immediately dropped his gun and surrendered.

Then, as Star City police were taking Lester "The Gooch" Norton away in handcuffs, he turns and said to the police, the press and the "modern-day Robin Hood", "Aw, you never woulda caught me...if it hadn't been for that big, green, arrow-guy!" The next morning, the Star City newspapers prints on the front page: GREEN ARROW GRABS GREEDY GOOCH.

Even though Oliver thought that the reporter had no sense of style, he had alot of fun. More than he had in years. He had the money and time and nothing better to do. Already missing the adventures he had found himself on the islands, Oliver decided to embark on a career as a crimefighter. The "modern-day Robin Hood" who the press named GREEN ARROW. This new hero, the Green Arrow, would pop up several times in Star City over the next weeks. Green Arrow caught the attention of the country we he stopped an assassination attempt on a Presidential candidate.

Shortly after beginning his work as Green Arrow, Oliver took on a young orphan named Roy Harper as his ward. Roy also became his partner in crimefighting, Speedy. The two moved into the Queen Estate mansion, set up the Arrow Cave, and would work together during the youth's early teens for a few years. The two of them would fight the villains of Star City together. During the first couple of years, a clean shaven Green Arrow wore a simplified green utilitarian outfit with red gloves and red boots.The youth took on a outfit that looked liked Green Arrow's except it was red with yellow gloves and boots. They would fight villains such as Clock King, the Rainbow Archer, Bulls-Eye, and other two-bit bad guys. With Oliver's wealth, they had all the money a crimefigting team could want. In keeping up with what Batman and Robin had, both Green Arrow and Speedy would have a mustard colored "Arrow Car" (which had a catapult Oliver loved to spring himself and Speedy up into the air to go head to head with criminals in tough spots), an "Arrow Jet" which Oliver would crash before heading into the monastary, an "Arrow Cave" underneath the Queen mansion, and every bit of "trick arrows" money could buy. The Star City police even fired a "Green Arrow Bolt" into the Star City skyline when there was trouble much like Batman and Commissioner Gordan's "Bat Signal".

For a time, Green Arrow also joined the Justice League of America at the end of the first year of it's inception. He was the first non-founding member to join. He would continue serving with the JLA through the first five years of the team's operation.

As time passed, Queen's social conscience grew, and he created many projects that benefited others through his organization, the Queen Fund. His efforts as Green Arrow began to consume Oliver's time and he soon let his attention to business matters wander, opening the way for John Deleon, his ruthless business rival, to fake documents that showed Oliver had mishandled Star City municipal bonds for his own personal profit. Oliver was unable to prove his innocence and, though he was never convicted on any charges stemming from these forged documents, his stature in the business world was destroyed and he was forced into bankruptcy. Deleon bought Queen's estate as well as the Queen Fund.

His personal fortune gone with his business holdings, Oliver threw himself fulltime into his work as Green Arrow. The experience radicalized Queen. He was no longer interested in wealth. He was willing to fight for the weak and downtrodden even when that fight set him up against the establishment and the law. Oliver was willing to defy the law if he believed it to be unjust.

Green Arrow had fallen in love with the second Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) in their working together with the Justice League of America. They often worked in tandem together and would continue to do so for almost a decade. The two saw each other often and would work on each other's cases as time permitted. After losing his fortune, Green Arrow would team up with his partner Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). Hal was of a conservative nature and saw justice and law as a black and white issue where one was either right or wrong. Oliver's radicalized nature made him see shades of gray. The two took a journey to look at what America was going through. Oliver was trying to prove to Hal that he was forgetting about the common man on Earth. Oliver figured Hal lost touch with the everyday "human beings" because his head and worries were in the "cosmos".The two would work together on and off in crimefighting together in several adventures for a few years together. Usually Dinah (Black Canary) would join.

It was during this time that Oliver didn't pay attention to his ward, Roy Harper. This was when Speedy decided to experiment with drugs such as heroin. Oliver discovered by accident when he walked into a room that Roy was a junkie shooting up. Oliver confronted his ward (whom he considered a son) angrily which put a rift between the two forever. Though at the end of Oliver's life, Roy (now Arsenal) would come to terms with his "dad". It would take Dinah Laurel Lance and Hal Jordan to help Roy Harper break his addicition.

After certain build up of stress (Roy's addiction, financial problems, his failure to save a martyr's life {Issac}, his frustration in love life with Dinah Lance) Oliver accidentally killed a sniper in a heist. For the first time in his life, he missed on his own accord. Oliver had a nervous breakdown. He tore up his outfit and broke his bow and arrows. He took the "Arrow Plane" and crashed it into a mountain, parachuting out in the nick-of-time. This to him was the last semblance of "Green Arrow". He made his way to a Monastery called the Ashram (the one that Connor Hawke would grow up in) and asked for asylum to help him forgive himself. During this stay, Oliver shaved his head and took on Monk's clothing. Oliver would learn under Master Jansen a few points of Zen Philosophy. This would lead Oliver to his first contact with Kyudo. Oliver began to rediscover himself and found out he would not be able to fight against his character of being a "swashbuckler". He would have to live out his life in the spirit of what his character is. Master Jansen told him to not battle his soul, but to accept, be, and become. At this time Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) found Oliver and took him out to help a troubled Black Canary. Ollie and Hal returned to the JLA shortly after. Green Arrow and Green Lantern continue to work as partners outside of the JLA on several adventures.

Queen tried to be more involved in his social activism by taking these jobs as Oliver Queen. Oliver still had the "playboy" nature about him but lived that way the best he could since losing his fortune. But, he would devote himself to his role as Green Arrow fully in Star City with Trick Arrows and all gusto on several capers and adventures. After Ollie returned to the JLA, he and Dinah become lovers. She allowed him to open up a Public Relations Agency in Star City above her floral shop. Meanwhile, Speedy joined the group known as the Teen Titans. Later, Dinah and Oliver moved in together in an apartment in Star City.

Ollie would have some friction with members of the JLA and especially Hawkman, the Red Tornado, Superman, and the Phantom Stranger and his reputation grows to an all time high as a loud mouth liberal complainer. Green Arrow quit the JLA for several months because he feels the JLA has forgotten about the average guy on the streets. Ollie questioned his usefullness with the other heroes that can move small mountains with their powers. He wanted to concentrate on the non-cosmic adventures and help the common man. He continued to live with Dinah and was very bitter during this stage of his crime fighting career.

During this time, outgoing Star City mayor Jack Major nominated Oliver Queen to replace him and to run for mayor. Ollie got caught up in the politics and thought this might be a new avenue for the aging hero. He received the backing of his frineds in the JLA but he would lose the election to become mayor to a man corrupt with mafia syndicate backing.

Oliver Queen then became a newspaper editorial columnist for the local newspaper called the DAILY STAR writing an opinion column called "Queen's Gambit". Green Arrow returned to the JLA after the team also all convinced him that they need him. Green Arrow continued fighting criminals such including new ones who appeared on the scene such as Slingshot, Count Vertigo, Rainbow Archer, Printer's Devil, Merlyn the Archer, Ozone, and several other villains usually with the help of Black Canary.

Oliver briefly inherited millions of dollars from long time friend Abigail Horton and then investigated her death and tribulations. The JLA satellite crashed and fell to Earth and the situation of the JLA became troubled. Black Canary and Green Arrow decided to leave the JLA. Then, the Anti-Monitor brought about the Crisis in which the Flash (Barry Allen) and Superman was killed.

After the Crisis, Oliver and Dinah, who had been living together for a few years, decided for a great change in their lives. Oliver had a sour taste in his mouth of Star City. His attempts at being a businessman, a politician, a local activist, a journalist, a public relationist, and a member of the JLA all failed. The two of them decided to move to Seattle, Washington together. Dinah opened the "Sherwood Florist" Flower Shop. She would hire her lover to be both an assistant florist and deliveryman.

At this point, Oliver seeking a new direction in life, goes through a bit of a mid-life crisis. Oliver was wandering, looking for the part that's missing in his life...the part he forgot...the basics. The gimmicks and the trick arrows got in the way. Oliver vowed to never use them again. He put away his recurve bow and took back the Longbow like Howard Hill used. Green Arrow donned a new hooded outfit more acclimated to Seattle weather that Dinah made for him for his 43rd birthday. Ollie was also a grandpa in a way since his ward Roy Harper had become a father.

During these first few weeks in Seattle, Oliver asked Dinah to marry him. She turned him down. Oliver stated he wanted them to start a family but she told him no because she didn't want their children to become orphans of crimefighters. This decision would forever dominate the remainder of their relationship and their eventual break up.

In the first month while in Seattle, while following a serial killer, Oliver Queen would meet an equal. Her name was Shado, a Japanese asssassin who was killing off a crowd of elder Americans who killed the brother of her Yakuza master. Shado went to the United States and one by one through her skill in archery, killed the men responsible for her father's shame. She carried out her mission to satisfy her family honor, not simply because she was ordered by the Oyabun. She killed all the men but one...one, Jankowski, whom Green Arrow would kill.

One of her targets had settled in Seattle, where she crossed bows with Green Arrow (Oliver Queen). At first oppossed to her methods, Green Arrow eventually came around working with Shado against a man named Magnor. A man who now ran a cocaine smuggling operation. Shado taught Oliver strong lessons about himself. At one of their first meetings, Shado would tell Oliver that he did not have the eyes of a killer. This changed and because of governed necessity, Oliver would learn that he could kill. He killed Jankowski during a moment of rage when he walked into a warehouse where he saw this butcher torturing his lover, Dinah Lance. Shado would remark that she saw Ollie had changed. In later years towards his death, Oliver would attempt tojustify it by trying to think he was different.

Afterwards, Green Arrow would acclimate himself to Seattle fighting everyday criminals. He no longer wanted to fight the super-villans he and Hal faced in their journeys together in the "cosmos" or with the JLA. A few years went by. Adventures came and went, but Oliver would get tied up again in a Yazuka plot to help Shado over the years. During this bought, Oliver was accidently shot in the chest by an arrow from Shado. She spent a few months nursing him back to health. All during this time, with tension between he and Dinah, he had a sexual relationship with Shado one night which would produce another illigitemate child. This child, Oliver would never get to know. Another year later, he would help Shado rescue the child from the Yakuza. As a final token, Oliver gave his child the necklace which carried the arrowhead from an arrow he used while marooned on an island years earlier. This would be one of the only gestures Oliver gets a chance to make to his second son.

Oliver returned to Seattle to continue in his role as Green Arrow with Dinah being upset at him for not letting her know what was going on. Oliver's and Dinah's relationship together suffered more. Other events in the life would finally make it that the public knew that Oliver Queen was Green Arrow. The two are one in the same...something that Oliver never tried hard at hiding anyways.

He would get mixed up in a government agency cover up where they try to set him up as a patsy for a sunk ship in Panama. Oliver, periodically got tied up with Eddie Fyers. Evading the government, Oliver Queen left the country for about a year and travelled to Canada, the British Isles, and Africa. There he had a supernaturla encounter with a Celtic god named Herne the Hunter who let him know that he was his spiritual son.

After a point, Oliver, who has become a bit cold hearted, was quicker to kill now without the remorse he had in his early days which drove him originally to the Monastery. The events with his meeting with Shado had brought out his hunting and killing instincts. He would eventually returned to Seattle again to rescue Dinah who had been caught as a hostage.

Dinah's and Oliver's relationship crumbled. They tried to work on it but it failed. Over the next year, Oliver continued fighting crime as Green Arrow. The final straw that broke the camel's back came when Oliver was caught kissing another girl named Marianne by Dinah on New Year's Eve. Dinah also learned recently of Ollie's and Shado's child. Unable to give birth and distraught, Dinah left Oliver.

He continued to fight the fight as best he can pretty much bitter and alone, Oliver wanted to give up being Green Arrow again. He retreats to the Monastery where he had years before. He reconciles with himself. While in the process, he meets Connor Hawke (unknown to him...his son). They immediately strike up a strong friendship with Connor eager to learn from him.

Right towards the end of Oliver's life, strange events take place. Zero Hour. Oliver sees an "alternate" universe Oliver Queen die from gun shot wounds in a parallel chase scene. Hal Jordan, who has turned over the edge, killing all the citizens of Coast City has become Parallax. During Zero Hour, it is Oliver Queen who saves the universe by shooting the arrow into his best friends heart, "temporarily seeming" to "kill" Hal and saving the universe from the damage of Parallax and Zero Hour. Oliver returns to the role of Green Arrow with Connor at his side. Also, Eddie Fyers has become entangled with them again and with a turning of the spirit, Eddie appears to be one of the "good guys" for a change. Connor introduces a new "look" for him and his father.

Oliver Queen learns at the last days of his life that Connor is his son. Oliver shares as much knowledge as he can. Oliver gets caught up "undercover" with a terrorist group that is lead by Veronica Dale "Hyrax". She plans to fly a plane and then detonate a mutagenic device over Metropolis wiping it out. There is a struggle when another undercover agen t reveals himself. Oliver is shot in the gun fire. Everyone else is killed. Oliver unfortunately stuck his hands into a double deadman switch. If he let goes the switch, a self destruct incendiary device will kill Oliver. Supergirl arrives at the last second and is appraised the situation with Oliver.

Supergirl and Green Arrow argue over points on what to do. If Oliver releases the switch, the mutagenic device explodes. There are three or four other alternatives but all lead to Oliver dying. Supergirl then decided she could amputate Oliver's arms, save Ollie's life, and the people of Metropolis. In a split decision decisive second, Oliver stated he would rather die. He did just that. He sets the plane to explode. The mutagenic device never detonates. Supergirl is thrown from the plane and Supergirl could not get to him in time. Oliver's body is never found. Oliver Queen...the original Green Arrow died.

His son, Connor Hawke, would immediately take up the mantle of the name "Green Arrow" making his father proud, but he will never be able to replace him.

Most recently it has been revealed that Ollie was saved at the final instant by Hal Jordan, and whisked away to Hal's faux Utopian universe in the Pocket Universe. An explanation for how he returned from there to this world hasn't yet been given, but regardless, Ollie has returned to his home, only to find it much changed in the past year.

SPECIAL POWERS AND WEAPONS

Oliver Queen was one of the world's finest archers. He previously used a number of specially designed "trick" arrows but after moving to Seattle, relied on conventional razor tipped shafts. Green Arrow was also a superb hand-to-hand combatant and a brilliant hunter and tracker. It has been speculated that perhaps Oliver Queen possessed the metagene in his cellular structure which allowed him the capacity to rise to above the current human population with his skills in marksmanship with archery. There is also folk tale lore that suggests that Oliver Queen is the spiritual son of Celtic god Herne the Hunter of Sherwood Forest and that Ollie may even be a reincarnation of Robin Hood himself.