10 Radical Ideas To Save Arrow

A bow-wielding hooded vigilante materialising to save a crime-torn city and to wreak an unspecified vengeance: that’s how Arrow was introduced to us. When Malcolm Merlyn turned up as the dark archer, the antagonist of season one, it was like Ollie had an even darker mirror image of himself to fight. His defeat of Merlyn in hand to hand combat was a significant personal victory, even if he failed to prevent the evil scheme going ahead.

Fast forward three years to near the end of season four, and it's not special or important that Green Arrow be a bow-wielding vigilante ninja, because practically everyone else is too.

Malcolm’s still around; Nyssa Al-Ghul and the League cropped up again this season, and were the focal point of the whole of season three. Hooded, bow-wielding Arsenal left last season, but Thea took his place (and his costume), even though her dad taught her to fight with a sword, not a bow.

We’ve had Cupid, we’ve had Komodo... how is Green Arrow, the star of the show, supposed to stand out and be a unique little snowflake when there are a whole bunch of hooded archers constantly wandering around Star City flinging arrows at one another?

No more archers. If Nyssa or what’s left of the League crop up again, forget about the bows. If Arsenal returns to Star City, have him live up to his name and use a variety of weapons. Have Speedy be a swordmaster. Portraying Green Arrow as forever battling with or against people with archery gimmicks is just reductive and pointless.