Oliver Queen’s childhood was not idyllic, it was not the picture of utopia. Following the disbandment of the Justice Society of America and the anti-superhero sentiment within the United States federal government, the world seemed to get bleaker in the face of poverty and crime. The prosecution of superheroes affected the mood of Star City a great deal as icons like the Arrowette were forced to retire or surrender to the wrath of the law. Robert Queen however wouldn’t let the suffocation squench his ambitions— a fact that became obvious as he turned his small startup company, Queen Industries, into the likes of a Fortune 500 in what seemed like an overnight success. Soon the little fish became known as a titan as it increased its strength with affiliations with Ferris Aerospace, Bolt Financial, and others until it became a rival to old money corporations such as Wayne Enterprises. From a young age Oliver knew what it was to be ambitious, determined, and powerful.

However, Oliver’s mother lost her life to cancer fairly early in his life thus leading to a empty single parent household. Oliver could see his father’s own despair as it led Robert through several relationships; this always moving sight of relationships made him feel uncomfortable and wary— he swore he wouldn’t go through life so recklessly. Unlike his father Oliver took to coping in different ways such as martial arts, archery, and academics; his favorite was archery.

In 2000, the new millennium didn’t bring much hope back into the world but for Oliver there was some light to this at the age of eighteen the news of his father’s second wife brought a daughter into the Queen legacy named Emiko. Oliver wouldn’t have much time to bond with the infant as he set his sights for University as he left the west coast to study at Metropolis University in the ivory-touched “utopia” that was the City of Metropolis. Whilst at University he met Sandra Hawke who too was going towards a degree in Business; the two would become more than friends in time. His time at college would have him see firsthand the machine that was LexCorp as it began to restore and gentrify rotten neighborhoods. A gentrification that made Oliver sick to his stomach as he worked for his business degree. Oliver saw it as the greed of corporate America— a greed that rolled over the little guy to plop hipster neighborhoods on once thriving blue collar neighborhoods. How could Alexander Luthor be so blind to what he was doing?

Following University, Oliver Queen wasn’t quite ready to go home. The debut of Superman in 2002 had been a empowering experience as he looked to restore peace and integrity to the word “hero” despite the government’s vicious laws against vigilantism. Even with the military’s unjust laws against vigilantism, Oliver was convinced he had to start doing something instead of barking liberal politics that he couldn’t preach. The next few years had Oliver experience Iran and Afghanistan at their worst… until he caught the eye of one military official by the name of Amanda Waller who offered a promotion to do “real good” with Task Force X— a “tough” unit that had been nicknamed as a “Suicide Squad”. Oliver did not hesitate to join. It was 2005.

A few years after joining the squad Oliver would find himself on his most harrowing mission yet: Lian Yu. The mission was the textbook definition of a disaster. After landing on the island their transport was shot down, communication lines were cut, their contact a double agent, the group ambushed, and Oliver left for dead. Learning to survive on his own and swearing to get off the island to fulfil his promise to his now dead comrade, Oliver began to default back to his training as he learned about the island— from the herbs to the geography to the wildlife… he memorized it all. He refused to be an unmarked gravestone. Using only his wits and a bow he would take down the entire insurgent operation. A situation that Waller was impressed by following Oliver’s extraction; so impressed she offered him a command position of a squad of his choosing. However, he had a promise to keep… and he had been away from home for too long.

It was time to go home.

Oliver Queen returned to Star City in 2009 fatigued from his time with the military and found himself ready to put his business degree to good use. His father commended him on his “patriotism” and re-introduces Oliver to his half-sister, Emiko, who is now nine years of age. However, Oliver feels uneasy as a business leader when he sees how much worse Star City has gotten in his absence; drugs fill the streets while poverty ravages the low income neighborhoods of the city, but what can he do about it? But before Oliver can sort his thoughts everything falls apart.

Robert Queen was dead.

Now the guardian of Emiko Queen and with a wave of inheritance coming his way, Oliver is overwhelmed by the death of his father; an alleged suicide. Oliver begins to investigate as he suspects foul play— all evidence suggests this was not what it seemed… but actually a well set up murder. Oliver enlists the aide of Queen Industries Security Consultant John Diggle and Police Detective Mack Morgan. As legitimate means seem to be uneventful Oliver looks to the heroes of past and present as he dons a green hood and bow in the darkness of the night. Oliver soon deduces that Daniel Brickwell, an important executive in Queen Industries, is responsible and a fight ensues that ends in the arrest of Brickwell. Green Arrow is born.

Seeing the good he can do outside of the law, Oliver decides to not retire the Green Arrow alias as a one-time thing. Swearing to fight corruption like the Justice Society of America had in the twentieth century, Oliver begins his crusade against crime as he sets up base underneath the Queen Estate. His only confidant is John Diggle; who despite also being ex-military agrees that vigilantism is the best route to help those who need it. Green Arrow’s first year begins. Green Arrow soon comes to deal with frantic drug lord Werner Zytle who has infected the population with the drug known as Vertigo. As Green Arrow becomes a hassle, Zytle hires an infamous assassin known as Deadshot to deal with the vigilante. The vigilante loses and is apprehended by police with two broken arms in a dumpster. Zytle's operation crumbles not too long after.

At his father’s funeral, it was then that Oliver crossed paths with Sandra Hawke for the second time. Oliver was surprised when she told him she had found herself pregnant when he left for the military and that his father had opened an account in her son’s name, ensuring financial stability and a job in Queen Industries marketing department. Not long after this the two reconcile and continue dating. Oliver meets his then five year old son, Connor Hawke.

In 2010, Oliver would have to contend with the terrorist organization known as HYRAX, when the organization crashes a public event held by Queen Industries in the guise of activism. Green Arrow is all too eager to deal with the eco-terrorists when they begin to use extreme methods of violence, though the aftermath of the incident does make Oliver look into Queen Industries developments that harm the environment and look for alternative options.

Dealing with HYRAX was only the beginning of the year, a fact Oliver would realize when he found himself involved in a case involving the serial killer known as Cupid. The pattern was erratic but easy to pinpoint after some careful observation: men who were blatant womanizers and unfaithful husbands. Unfortunately for Oliver, that meant way too many people in Star City so he had to create a trap. Expanding on his persona as “Ollie” he turned his charisma into a weapon as he began having brief relationships (of which he fed to the press) and the suggestion that his relationship with Sandra Hawke ended because he didn’t want to take responsibility for the son that came from their time together. The trap had sufficient bait with this information out there and as Green Arrow he awaited Cupid to break into the Queen Estate. Cupid was quickly defeated and soon apprehended by the police.

<Merlyn Debut Somewhere Here>

By 2012, Green Arrow has become an icon of Star City much like the other heroes who refuse to halt their vigilantism. This leads to increased government interference and investigation nationwide; with Star City being assigned one specific agent by the name of Slade Wilson. This begins to create problems for Oliver in Star City as Slade Wilson makes it a point to arrest Green Arrow and make an example of the vigilante— during a particularly important case where Green Arrow is trying to stop a vicious serial killer known as the Clock King. However, intervention by a hacker by the name of Roy Harper makes things… somehow less complicated when information is fed to Green Arrow about the serial killer whilst he slows Slade down by feeding the agent with faulty information. As the Clock King is defeated, Roy Harper reveals to Green Arrow that he knows his identity but wants to help more actively. Oliver calls it blackmail but accepts the terms considering his options with Slade on his tail.

Before Roy's debut as his crime-fighting partner, Speedy, Green Arrow finds himself dealing with China White, a mysterious individual who had taken advantage of the hole left in the drug trade by Werner Zytle’s defeat by the Emerald Archer. However, China White is not a simple drug lord like Zytle had been but is in a way similar to Oliver in that she runs a pharmaceutical firm as her cover; a cover that is well-designed and hard to immediately destabilize. However, he finds himself an ally in a vigilante known as Katana who had been fighting China White’s cartel for a year. The two work together to reveal China White’s operation and force the police to react. However, China White vanishes before she can get apprehended.

Sandra Hawke is killed by Brick. <details later>

Slingshot happens.

The Justice Society of America is restarted by Superman. Green Arrow joins.

Big Game happens.

Merlyn organizes a group he calls "The Longbow Hunters" to test Green Arrow & Speedy's skills. Black Canary helps.

Roy Harper retires his role as Speedy when he is approached by Batgirl, Kid Flash, and Supergirl about an initiative called the Titans. Green Arrow tells him to be careful. Emiko Queen succeeds him as Speedy.

Rev. William Miggs becomes Mayor of Star City.

Black Canary starts a relationship with Green Arrow.

Brought into another dimension by an unknown being, Green Arrow finds himself seeing triple as he finds two separate versions of himself staring back at him equally as confused by where they are and how they got there.