All 9 DC Archers In The Arrowverse (Besides Green Arrow)

Arrow’s Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is far from the only DC Comics archer in the Arrowverse. Similar to the situation with all the speedsters in The Flash,Arrow has introduced viewers to a large number of characters who share the same skillset as its main protagonist. These people have varying levels of skills when it comes to the bow, with some being better than others.

Naturally, Oliver is easily a better archer than most of them, due in no small part to his diverse experiences in the Arrowverse. Most trained under a single character, while Oliver was mentored by several people. By learning from Yao Fei (Byron Mann), Shado (Celina Jade), Deathstroke (Manu Bennett), Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig), and Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable), Oliver has accumulated a unique set of skills that have made him one of the most formidable fighters in the Arrowverse. The character has also imparted some of his knowledge to his proteges, and has helped shape them into fellow archers.

Many of the characters who use the bow as their primary weapon in the Arrowverse, such as Maseo Yamashiro (Karl Yune) from season 3 and Prometheus (Josh Segarra) from season 5, aren’t known for having these skills in DC Comics, whereas several others are notable DC Comics archers. Here’s every DC archer in the Arrowverse (besides Oliver Queen).

Dark Archer

In DC Comics, Oliver Queen’s archenemy is the Dark Archer, a villain whose skills with the bow come close to rivaling his own. In the Arrowverse, this character is Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), the father of Oliver’s best friend, Tommy (Colin Donnell). Malcolm gained his skills from training with Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins, and he went on to become the main villain of season 1. When Oliver was still the Hood, his expertise with the bow was inferior to Malcolm’s, but much has changed since then. Thanks to the additional training he received from Ra’s al Ghul in season 3, Oliver has come a long way and has managed to surpass Malcolm, as seen in their fight in season 4.

Connor Hawke

In the comic books, Connor Hawke is the son of the Green Arrow, and a hero who served as a replacement for his father. The Arrowverse version of the character, played by Joseph David-Jones, is instead the biological son of Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White), and the adopted son of Diggle (David Ramsey) and Lyla (Audrey Maria Anderson). In an alternate timeline that was depicted in an episode of Legends of Tomorrow, Connor carried the mantle of the Green Arrow and seemed to have exceptional skill with the bow. The primary version of Connor, however, introduced in the season 7 flash-forwards, shares a different history and isn’t an archer at all.

Arsenal

Roy Harper a.k.a. Arsenal (Colton Haynes) is an off-and-on member of Team Arrow and one of Oliver’s closest allies. Roy became proficient with the bow after receiving training from Oliver in season 2. He of course isn’t as good as his mentor, but has enough skill to provide a worthy challenge for members of the League of Assassins.

Speedy

Oliver’s sister Thea (Willa Holland) knew how to handle a bow before the show even started, but didn’t become a vigilante until she was taken under the wing of her real father, Malcolm. After months of vigorous training, Thea became a capable archer whose skills are likely on par with Roy’s. Thea’s nickname and codename in the field is “Speedy,” the alter ego of Oliver’s teenage, bow-wielding sidekick from the comics.

Shado

In DC Comics, Shado is an experienced archer and a Green Arrow villain who battled Oliver in the 1980s. In the Arrowverse though, she was a love interest to Oliver during his time on Lian Yu in seasons 1 and 2. As the daughter of Oliver’s first mentor, Yao Fei, Shado is unsurprisingly a master with the bow and arrow. In fact, she’s largely responsible for the archery skills that Oliver developed on Lian Yu, since Yao Fei died before he could learn that much from him. Shado played an integral role in Oliver’s evolution into the Hood.

Komodo

In a season 3 episode, Arrow brought DC Comics archer and villain Komodo to the Arrowverse as a killer-for-hire who was at one point a suspect in the murder of Sara Lance (Caity Lotz). It was discovered that he was innocent in this particular crime, but he was responsible for several other deaths. As an archer, he proved to be good enough to match up well with Oliver Queen, but was defeated in the end.

Artemis

“Artemis” is a name that belongs to multiple archers in DC Comics. In the Arrowverse, the name is used by Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin), one of the new vigilantes to join Team Arrow in season 5. Previously, she had attempted to replace Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) as the Black Canary. Thanks to the time she spent with Oliver, she evolved into a competent archer, but never came close to rivaling her instructor, who she eventually had to face in battle. It turned out that Artemis was a traitor in league with the season 5 main villain, Prometheus.

Cupid

Cupid (Amy Gumenick) was a love-obsessed archer whose string of attacks in Starling City gained the attention of Oliver – the object of her affection – in season 3. Though it’s not clear how, Cupid developed an impressive aptitude with the bow. With her skill, she was able to effortless murder her opponents and take down Roy, Thea, and Diggle. But as efficient as she was, she still wasn’t on the same level as the Emerald Archer, who was able to best her in combat.

Emiko Queen

InArrow season 7, Team Arrow crossed paths with a new Green Arrow, who was eventually revealed to be Emiko (Sea Shimooka), the illegitimate daughter of Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) and the half-sister of Oliver. After become a pupil of Ninth Circle leader Dante (Adrian Paul), Emiko was trained in martial arts, archery, and more. After traveling to Star City, she put in motion her plan to get revenge on the Queens and began masquerading as the new Green Arrow. Her archery skills in combat against the targets on her list made it clear that she was an effective replacement for Oliver. She was good enough to fight with Oliver, but not good enough to beat him in a fair fight. At times, Oliver even held back a bit, knowing that she was his sister.

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