Oliver Queen

Oliver Queen

Oliver Queen was born into a wealthy family. Growing up he was a spoiled kid that never had to deal with any consequences. In his late teens and early twenties, he has several run ins with the paparazzi, he stole a taxi car, drove while intoxicated, and even peed on a police officer.  It doesn't take a genius to realize just how immature Oliver was. He partied and had no care in the world. He dropped out of four colleges--one an Ivy League. He was a mess, and  it was easy to hate the character.  However, Oliver soon begins to earn sympathy points. While on the his families yacht (cheating on his girlfriend with her sister), a storm rolls in, and the yacht sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Oliver is now stranded alone on an island, but only after watching his father commit suicide. 

At this point Oliver had earn a few sympathy points, however they are nothing compared to what he is going to get. 

So why do people love Oliver Queen as much as they do? Well, Oliver Queen is a complex character and although he does earn a ton of sympathy points (especially during his time on the island), I believe that people like him because his is honestly a good guy!

I know, how could the person mentioned above be a good guy? Let me tell you! The man went through hell, there is just no other way to describe it, and it changed him.And then he took it upon himself to change his city, Starling City, by getting rid of the crime, and those who are hurting the city for their financial gain. 

While on the island, he was tortured, starved, watched a love interest murdered, had one of his closes friends (Slade) turn on him, and he watched Sara get sucked under water, and "die"  twice. I don't care who you are, you don't walk away from that unchanged! All of these things have certainly earned him some sympathy points, however it is what he does as the vigilante Green Arrow that really makes people see him as the good guy. It is obvious that he really cares about the city and helping people, however he goes about it in a not so nice way-for example: often shooting people with arrows.
                  
Many people disliked Oliver or the Green Arrow because of his habit of killing the criminals. He saw nothing wrong with it, stating that he had to to what he had to do. But that all changes in the season one final. Oliver learns of a machine put in place by Malcolm Merlin, that will cause a giant earthquake that will destroy the Glades, the lower income area of Starling City. He tries to save the city, but time was not on his side, and only after he shut off the earthquake machine, did he learn about a second one. The earthquake killed his best friend Tommy, who was upset at him for becoming the Green Arrow, and killing people.

This scene is important because it's the first time that we see Oliver actually show any emotion, and we know that he is not as cold as he is coming off as. It is also important because it turns over a new leaf for the Green Arrow. Oliver vows to never kill another person again, in order to honor Tommy's memory. 

Green Arrow

 Oliver's personality may make him seem abrasive and at times, cold. However, Oliver actually cares about a lot of people, he just doesn't want them to get hurt because of him and the life style he now leads. He also knows how to lock he emotions away, making it easier for him to become Green Arrow. Like I said, these things make him seem mean, however it is what makes him a great hero. I believe that Oliver is just a little bit damaged (emotionally) from his time on the island, and that he tries so hard to do what is right because he is trying to make up for the sins committed on the island. That is one of the reasons why I love him so much, he tries so hard to make things right. And it absolute breaks my heart when things don't go right for him. Oliver also as subtle humor, he is the type of person who doesn't mean to be funny, but he makes small comments that make people laugh.

Thea Queen

Thea Queen is Oliver's pride and joy. He absolutely loves her.  This is another reason why I love Oliver; he loves his little sister. He realizes the importance of family, but he also knows that if she ever found out his secret, she would be kept safe. Oliver loves his sister so much that admitted to the a murder that she committed (while drugged by Malcolm Merlin), and then fought Ra Al Ghul, the world's best assassin in order to protect her. Oliver lost his fight with Ra Al Ghul, and was stabbed and then kicked off the side of a cliff. Oliver died for his sister. He died.

       
As much as this scene breaks my heart all on it's own, the fact that he did it so his sister could live absolutely kills me. And even though he is healed, he didn't know that he would be, he thought it was win or die. He he chose to fight for his sister.

I love Oliver Queen, he is my favorite character on the show, and he deserves so much credit for all that he has done.  I hope you all agree that Oliver Queen, though he has made mistakes, is a great guy!