The CW’s Arrow has been on for an impressive eight seasons. The final season is currently airing and fans are sad to see it go. As one of the network’s most popular shows, it has helped pave the way for more DCTV shows like The Flash and Supergirl, keeping comic book fans entertained for years to come.
While Arrow is certainly popular, it isn’t perfect. It’s difficult to navigate such a popular character like Oliver Queen without getting a few things wrong and disappointing some fans. With so much comic backstory, there are some aspects surrounding The Green Arrow that get lost in translation when changing over to live action.
Fans are quick to voice their opinions when they believe the show has made a mistake. Here are 20 Things Wrong With The CW’s Arrow.
20 The Canary Mess
Fans of Black Canary were excited to see her come to life on Arrow, but after eight seasons the character’s story has been confusing and inaccurate compared to the comics.
Three different characters have had the mantle, resulting in a muddled, confusing backstory. Laurel and Sara Lance both took turns as the hero and eventually Dinah Lance held the title. It’s hard to follow, and it ruined the Black Canary.
19 No Proper Beard
Oliver Queen’s beard is iconic in the comics. He’s an easily recognized hero with a very unique look. When Arrow came out, fans were upset he didn’t have his famous facial hair. Throughout the early seasons, he didn’t have the right look.
While he did have the comic-accurate goatee at one point in season seven, it certainly took a long time for them to get there.
18 Oliver’s Son
Arrow tried to create a dramatic plot twist when the show introduced Oliver’s son, William, but fans weren’t having it. Even as he’s become a more central part of the show in the flash-forwards, people simply don’t care much about him.
He’s mostly been used as a plot device to move the story forward and doesn’t add much value to the show.
17 Adding Ra’s Al Ghul
Ra’s Al Ghul is certainly one of the most interesting comic book villains, he wasn’t paired with the right hero on Arrow.
He is typically one of Batman’s foes and the show clearly replaced Bruce Wayne with Oliver Queen. Not only was he not the right villain, but he wasn’t even portrayed well. Ra’s made much more sense appearing on Gotham.
16 Felicity’s Disability
In a plot twist no fan wanted, Felicity ended up disabled and in a wheelchair. While Arrow tried it’s best to portray a disabled person, it didn’t do a great job.
She became a knock off of the Batman character Oracle, who is responsible for the hero's tech and sits in a wheelchair. The plot arc didn’t work well, especially when she was cured with a chip with little explanation.
15 Laurel’s Fate
When fans first saw Laurel Lance on the show, they assumed they knew where her story would go. She was supposed to become the Black Canary and be romantically involved with Oliver.
While both of those things technically happened, she was also whiny, judgemental, and pushed to the side to make room for Felicity. Eventually the character perished and fans were outraged at the way the character was treated.
14 The Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is arguably one of the most interesting groups of characters that DC has. When it was first announced that Arrow would feature the group, fans were excited.
However, the show didn’t have the rights to the majority of the recognizable members, like Harley Quinn, and the plot was scrapped. Warner Bros wanted to use them for the movie instead, so the squad on Arrow was a waste.
13 Malcolm Merlyn’s Relationship With Thea
One of the biggest plot twists Arrow has presented was revealing that Malcolm Merlyn is Thea’s real father. Up until that point, he was a major villain.
After realizing they’re related, he became heavily invested in her well-being and it felt very forced and out of character. He sacrificed himself for her, but their relationship never felt legitimate or believable.
12 Dropped Plot Points
Most CW shows have their fair share of plot holes, and Arrow is no different. There have been quite a few major story-lines that the show has dropped completely or wrapped up with little explanation.
Roy disappears and appears out of nowhere, Laurel becomes a superhero far too easily, and Oliver somehow survived being stabbed and kicked off a mountain by Ra’s. The show tends to be very vague.
11 Making Atom More Like Iron Man
While both Atom and Iron Man are amazing characters, they aren’t supposed to be super similar.
In the comics, he is a scientist who can merely shrink down. On Arrow, they made him a tech genius who wants to help the city however he can. He creates an ATOM suit that looks a lot like the Iron Man one. They changed Ray into a goofy, awkward Tony Stark.
10 Giving Oliver A Sibling
While Thea has developed a fan base, she wasn’t really supposed to exist. Oliver is an only child in the comics.
She grew to be an important character on the show, but she started out as a spoiled brat and annoyed a lot of people. Her addition ended up working out, but the show randomly adding a sibling was a weird change from the comics
9 Too Many Resurrections
While it’s normal for a character to be resurrected in the comic book world, Arrow has shown a few too many. Reviving characters over and over again makes the original perishing less emotional.
When everyone can come back from the grave, the tension is gone and the show becomes predictable. It tends to ruin the drama and people become less interested in the storyline.
8 Artemis Is All Wrong
Artemis has a pretty big following because of her appearance in the comics and the popular animated series Young Justice, but Arrow changed a lot about the character.
In the comics, her name is actually Artemis and her parents are the villains Tigress and Sportsmaster. On the show, her real name is Evelyn Sharp. The character is also supposed to be Asian and fans were upset Arrow ignored that.
7 Making Oliver Too Much Like Bruce Wayne
Batman and The Green Arrow have always been compared, but Arrow took the similarities to a new level. Some have even referred to Oliver as the Bruce Wayne of the Arrowverse.
Ra’s, typically a Batman villain, was one of Oliver’s main foes, Felicity acts as his version of Oracle, and they changed Oliver to more of a brooding loner. They took away a lot of the originality surrounding Green Arrow.
6 Not Political Enough
It’s clear that Arrow has a political bias, especially after the gun control episode, but it’s not nearly as drastic as the comics. That version of Oliver is very openly political.
While he is elected as Mayor, he doesn’t go on enough political rants compared to the comics. He was basically considered a social justice warrior before that term was widely used. The show has relaxed that side of him.
5 Cheesy Writing And Bland Acting
The CW isn’t known to possess the strongest actors in the world, but it’s still disheartening to see some of the bland performances fans get on Arrow.
The predictable and hokey writing isn’t doing it any favors, either. While all superhero stuff is a little on the cheesy side, it goes a little too far on the show. It’s entertaining but could definitely be better.
4 Not Using Deathstroke Anymore
As far as Arrow villains go, Deathstroke is one of the best. He is definitely considered a fan favorite.
That’s why fans were so upset when it was announced that he would no longer be on the show. Because the character was going to appear in the DCEU, he couldn’t appear on Arrow anymore. It’s one of the most upsetting things to happen with the show.
3 The Olicity Romance
While there are plenty of fans who love Oliver and Felicity together, there are also a lot who don’t. Regardless of whether you love or hate them, they changed the focus of the show as well as the background of the character.
Felicity is not a love interest for Oliver in the comics. Adding her to the show was a bold decision and not everyone was on board.
2 Oliver Is A Bad Person
Obviously Oliver has saved a lot of lives. Star City has a lot to thank him for. Despite his heroics, he’s a bad person to those he truly loves.
He’s constantly breaking promises he makes to friends, lies to them all the time, is an absent father, and is the reason a lot of his loved ones perished. He may be a hero, but he isn’t the best of friends.
1 It Should Have Ended By Now
While Arrow is currently in its final season, there are a lot of fans who believe it should have already ended. Season 3-5 are widely considered the peak of the show.
Even actor Stephen Amell said it should have stopped at season seven. While he claims he changed his mind, it’s clear that a lot of people think the show has jumped the shark.