10 Greatest "Dead And I Know It" Comic Book Moments

6. Oliver Queen - Run Of The Arrow

Run of the Arrow Green Arrow Death
DC Comics

Oliver Queen isn't always the most positive, smiley of fellas, but he's also somebody who never shirks doing what's needed to be done - regardless of the consequences that may follow for himself.

It was issue #100 of the second run of the main Green Arrow title that set Oliver's demise into motion. There, after going undercover to track the Eden Corps terrorist group, the Master Bowman found himself dead-locked to a bomb on a plane that was destined for Metropolis.

Despite Metropolis' favourite son Superman arriving on the scene, Queen only saw one suitable solution to this conundrum. While the Big Blue Boy Scout offered to amputate Oliver's bomb-stuck arm in order to safely dispose of said plane, Green Arrow shot down that option. Instead, the Emerald Archer opts to detonate the bomb before it gets to Metropolis - killing himself in the process.

While the death of Ollie itself is obviously jarring, what's also eye-catching is how the rest of DC's heroes don't spend all that much time being down about this death. Instead, one-liners and quips are being made almost instantly.

It would take until 2000 for Oliver to full return, with Kevin Smith and Phil Hester overseeing his resurrection in the critically acclaimed Quiver arc.

In this post: 
The-Flash
 
First Posted On: 
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.