When we often look at the Arrow show, I frequently hear about how great the first couple of seasons were and then it went downhill. Don’t worry, I agree with those statements but this isn’t about the show itself. This is about Stephen Amell’s portrayal of Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow.
The Green Arrow wasn’t a popular superhero among casuals before this show came out. I mean, I get it. When you look at some of the comic strips of the OG Green Arrow, he looks ridiculous. A green hat with a bow and arrow wasn’t anything that DC usually puts out.
Amell brought this different energy to the role, especially in the first season. We got a different vibe from what we typically see in superhero shows/movies. Once Oliver returned from the island he had no qualms about killing. I think the way Stephen looks and his build, added a lot for me.
More was brought to the series as a result of Amell. You genuinely cared about the character and that’s because of him. The speeches, the fighting, the always feeling of wanting him to win I think wasn’t down to the writing of the show in particular, it was the portrayal above all else.
I’ve said this many times before: if you take Olicity out of it and follow the accuracy of the comics, you perhaps have the best superhero show.
Take a look at this YouTube video to see some of his best moments.
When I realized that Stephen truly was the embodiment of Green Arrow, he returned in The Flash’s final season. I remember that episode more than I did anything else in that series for the last 3-4 seasons. Social media was more bothered about Amell returning than they were about anything else. It meant more.
Stephen Amell was also the starting point of what was at one point, the best TV superhero universe. It started with Arrow and because of that, it spawned this incredible universe.
I’ve talked about this prior but Arrow saved my life. Part of that is because of how incredibly Amell played the role, he made me invested. That’s what it’s all about.
Now don’t get me wrong, the show deserved much better showrunners but we can’t take anything away from Stephen himself. He had a script and he had to go with it. I don’t blame him or any of the other actors at all, I blame the writers for taking the show to PG instead of focusing on it being a dark show.
This particular Green Arrow was loosely based on Batman. Same villains, billionaire with no powers, expert hand-to-hand combatant, master tactician, and among others. It works for the Green Arrow and I see no harm in that being the case. I even loved the subtle references to Bruce Wayne and Batman as the show progressed through.
I don’t believe Stephen’s version of the Green Arrow will be topped. I’ve heard rumors that Amell has expressed interest in donning the hood once more in the upcoming DCU, I’m all for it. The same way I am with Grant Gustin reprising his role on the big screen. You have the perfect actors for the role then why not?
We’ve seen a lot of content with them, granted but we’ve seen what happens in the case of The Flash when you try something different from the already tried and tested. You give them a good script then you’ve got it sorted.
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I agree with this wholeheartedly. Stephen was perfectly cast for this role. More than anything, he was BELIEVABLE. Stephen has a commanding presence in general and it translated so well on screen. Despite how bad the writing got, Stephen is the only reason I continued watching the show until the very end. And during that one season when he wasn’t included in the flashbacks, his absence was really felt. Questionable writing aside, I fully believed that this was a character that other characters would happily follow as their leader. I don’t think anyone will ever play this role as well as Stephen. He set the bar too high.