It can sometimes be difficult to see how Green Arrow stands alongside the rest of the Justice League. Next to powerhouses like Superman and Wonder Woman, trick arrows and archery skills pale in comparison. However, Green Arrow has proven to be quite dangerous, including one occasion where he revealed a nuclear warhead arrow.
The Emerald Archer initially used this potentially catastrophic weapon back in 1968’s Justice League of America #65, by Gardner Fox and Dick Dillin. In this issue, the villainous T.O. Morrow attempted to kill the Justice League. Morrow already defeated Earth-Two’s Justice Society, before sending energy duplicates to immobilize half of the Justice League.
Green Arrow and the remaining team went off to fight Morrow’s creations, which including a horde of monsters. Afterwards, the league was faced with duplicates of their old enemies, including Starro, the Conqueror. Green Arrow personally went toe to toe with Starro, pulling out his atomic warhead arrow against the Justice League’s first villain.
The atomic warhead arrow was a big shock, considering the potential disaster it could cause. By firing this arrow, Green Arrow could kill himself and everyone in the surrounding area. Green Arrow even remarked that only a desperate situation would lead him to actually firing this weapon. More surprisingly, Starro simply devoured this arrowhead and defeated Green Arrow.
After the rest of the Justice League was captured, Red Tornado arrived from Earth-Two to free the Justice League, and they all defeated T.O. Morrow together. Although ineffective against Starro, Green Arrow’s atomic warhead arrow is probably the most dangerous weapon in his arsenal. The sheer fact that the arrowhead is a nuclear warhead says enough, with the potential to decimate countless lives.
This devastating weapon made its return in 2018’s Injustice 2 #23, by Tom Taylor and Daniel Sampere. In the Injustice universe, Green Arrow used a “small” nuclear warhead arrow in an attempt to stop Amazo. Naturally, the appearance of this arrow raised some concern, especially with Black Canary.
The fact that Oliver had this incredibly dangerous arrow in his home with Black Canary and their child, without telling anyone, understandably shocked Dinah Lance. This arrow is a nuclear weapon, after all. The modern version of the nuclear warhead arrow emphasized the danger of this arrow, even in a smaller form. Of course, the nuclear warhead arrow is only one of a few deadly trick arrows.
In 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns #4, by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, an older Green Arrow used a Kryptonite arrow against Superman. This arrow was a key factor in Batman‘s fight against The Man of Steel, showing how deadly Green Arrow’s arsenal could be.
Another incredibly powerful arrow appeared in 2006’s Teen Titans #32, by Geoff Johns and Todd Nauck: the Phantom Zone arrow. Mia Dearden, aka Speedy, used this arrow during a battle against Superboy-Prime, which was enough to at least slow him down. While it’s true that Green Arrow wasn’t the one to use this arrow, this moment demonstrated the dangerous trick arrows held by the Green Arrow family.
There are a variety of trick arrows in Green Arrow’s arsenal, demonstrating that these weapons shouldn’t be underestimated. Of course, it’s not necessarily the weapon that makes the hero. Most of Oliver Queen’s abilities lie in his skill as an archer and a survivalist. Using simple arrows like the boxing glove arrow or the bola-arrow, Green Arrow has proven himself as a formidable opponent.
Sometimes, Green Arrow doesn’t even use trick arrows, and he still manages to save the day. Conversely, even when he has used the nuclear warhead arrow, Oliver has failed to actually defeat his opponents. The power behind Green Arrow’s weapon isn’t as important as the skill behind the archer. It’s true that Green Arrow has used some powerful trick arrows over the years, but it’s the Emerald Archer’s skill and valor that have truly won the day.
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