One of the biggest Green Arrow characters that Arrow introduced early on was Roy Harper a.k.a. Arsenal (Colton Haynes) who found his destiny as a DC hero fast within the first few seasons. While his story may have played out a bit different from how it went in the comics, Roy ended up being one of the show’s most accurate portrayals of the iconic archer who has a long history in the DC Universe beyond being Green Arrow’s partner. From discovering his destiny as a vigilante, joining Team Arrow, building a romance with Thea Queen (Willa Holland), Roy has gone through a lot in the seasons that he was part of.
Haynes, for personal reasons, exited the series in season three as a main cast member but would return later on in guest spots here and there. Arsenal ended up being part of the final season as Oliver Queen’s journey (Stephen Amell) in the Arrowverse came to an end. With that said, it’s time to look at Roy’s 10 best moments in the series.
His First Meeting With Thea
Love, at first sight, has so many ways of happening. In high school settings, it could be as simple as bumping into someone in the hallway and laying eyes on one another for the first time. In the case of Arrow, the love story with Thea began a bit unconventionally, to say the least. Rather than showing off his charm, Roy did what most guys probably don’t do before falling in love with their future girlfriend: steal Thea’s purse.
It’s seen as a “best” moment for Roy simply because of how absurd the origin of their relationship is. While they certainly go on a big journey following their first encounter, it’s still amusing that the way they found each other was through Roy purse-snatching Thea.
Learning Oliver’s Secret
In the second season, things escalated for Roy as he began fleshing out his role in the series. While the Mirakuru storyline may have been a mixed bag, it did eventually lead to Oliver taking Roy under his wing when trying to learn how to be in control of his abilities. Roy’s anger problems were also a crucial part of his character arc throughout Arrow’s whole run. But the 12th episode of season 2 is where Oliver’s relationship with Roy changes for the better. Failing to reach him as the Arrow, Oliver finally reveals his identity to Roy as he realizes that his girlfriend’s big brother was the one to save his life in season 1.
Finding A New Path
Throughout the first season, Roy was, without a doubt, a major troublemaker. Constantly getting in trouble with the law, Roy would soon learn the hard way that it was time for change. In the 18th episode of season 1, Roy ends up being kidnapped by the Savior who was determined to execute Starling City’s biggest sinners.
As he was ready to die, Oliver, as the Hood, ends up stopping the Savior from killing Roy. But not only does Oliver save the future hero’s life, he ends up being what inspires Roy to find a new purpose in life.
Joining The Battle Against The Deathstroke Army
The second season is still recognized as being one of the best seasons in Arrow’s entire run. That includes the incredible season finale where Oliver and his expanded team take on Deathstroke and his army of Deathstroke soldiers, battling for Starling City’s survival. While he hadn’t gotten a costume yet, still sporting the red hoodie as an allusion of what was to come, Roy does officially “suit-up” as a vigilante after Oliver grants him his own domino mask. Seeing Roy join the team and fight the soldiers made viewers look forward of seeing more of him as a hero.
Debuting His Arsenal Suit
The third season began with a bang in more ways than one. With the coming threat of Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable) and the expansion of the Arrowverse with The Flash, Arrow had a big third year. Having finally joined Team Arrow in the previous season, season two still needed to get Roy into a costume as he couldn’t be running around in a simple red hoodie and domino mask.
The season three premiere took care of it right away. The first episode has Roy sporting his new suit, operating as Arsenal, skipping his Speedy phase like in the comics. Seeing Haynes finally get his costume was special in more ways than one. The details and the design of the suit made the wait worth it.
Joining Team Arrow For The Final Adventure
The final season luckily had Haynes come back for a few episodes as the series was getting ready to end. Still determined to not return to life as a superhero, Diggle (David Ramsey) still convinces Roy to join them on the quest as the Crisis was coming up. Even though he had his fears and concerns; Roy never failed to come through for his allies whenever they needed him.
Introducing Another Iconic Arsenal Comic Element
While Roy’s participation in the team’s final mission pre-Crisis was admirable, it did cost him, literally, an arm. For fans of Roy’s comic history, they knew what it meant for the TV version of the character to lose one of his arms as it’s a crucial part of Roy’s canon. The series finale has Roy come back with an upgrade which pays respect to the comic mythology.
Still operating as Arsenal, Roy sports a metal prosthetic arm, which pretty much completes most of Arsenal’s big comic traits on the show. While Roy never ended up meeting Cheshire or having a daughter like in the comics, getting him the new arm was still appreciated.
Calling Oliver Out On His Hypocrisy
Oliver had a tendency to be a bit too bossy throughout the show’s whole run. That didn’t change even after he came back from his fall with Ra’s al Ghul in season three. In the 13th episode of that season, when Laurel (Katie Cassidy) was battling her inner demons, Oliver demonstrates that trait despite having been gone for a while. Having just found out that Oliver was the Arrow, Thea gets shouted at by Oliver when checking in on a beaten-up Laurel. That’s when the team, including Roy, calls out Oliver on his hypocrisy. Roy is the person to start it, saying that he can’t throw Thea out when he just brought her into the fold. That is just one of many times when Roy would clash with Oliver, a classic part of their relationship, both on the show and in the comics.
Taking The Fall For Oliver
While Roy’s exit from the show in season three was a sad one, it also allowed him to have one of his biggest heroic moments. As the Arrow became public enemy number one in Starling City, Oliver’s identity was about to be unraveled. Despite turning himself in, the team wasn’t going to go along with it that easily. Roy’s biggest act has Arsenal taking the fall for Oliver by pretending that he had been the Arrow this entire time.
Proposing To Thea
Out of all the great things that Roy has done in the series, it doesn’t beat the moment when he and Thea finally get their happy ending. During the series finale, Roy officially proposes to Thea who accepts as the two young heroes, off-screen, will get to be together for the rest of their lives. Even though they had a bumpy ride since that day he first stole her purse, Roy and Thea were simply meant to be.
