Emotional Moments in Arrow:
Throughout its run, Arrow has become one of the greatest superhero shows of all time. It has everything – action, drama, suspense, adventure, thrill, and romance. It also has its own moments. Some are tragic. Some are truly gut-wrenching.
10. Robert Queen shoots himself to save Oliver
The things a father has to do to save his son, the sacrifices he has to make. We will never understand them. Robert Queen was a complicated man with an equally complicated past. He was an enigma. Although noble at heart, Robert did more harm than good as the head of the powerful Queen Family. Using his resources, he helped turn Star City into a vile place, ripe for an implosion from within. When the Queen’s Gambit sunk and Robert and Oliver were ship-wrecked, Robert knew they did not have enough supplies for both of them to survive. He did what any loving and doting father would have done in the situation. Robert loved his son and wanted him to survive. So he used the pistol in his hand to kill himself.
9. Maseo’s Death
Tatsu and Maseo were inseparable. Their love for each other was transcendental. It was sacred. The death of their son Akio, who died in a viral outbreak, drove each other apart. Tatsu decided to go into hiding, living a life in isolation. Maseo turned his rage inwards and joined the League of Assassins. When Oliver was wounded, Tatsu took him to Maseo, where she helped Oliver heal. Maseo was then recruited by Oliver to fight for his cause against Ra’s Al Ghul and his plans to release the Alpha-Omega Virus on the residents. Maseo was on Ra’s side. Tatsu and Maseo fought, with the latter clearly having an upper hand. Maseo let his guard down for a moment and that was all Tatsu needed to stab him lethally. As Maseo breathed his last, Tatsu could be seen embracing him and singing the lullaby he once used to sing to her son.
8. Laurel Lance’s Death
All Laurel Lance ever did was try and help save lives. Granted she was a damsel and kind of a brat when she first started out, she became much more than that. She became the District Attorney and helped Oliver and his motley crew of vigilantes stop the bad guys from taking over whenever and wherever evil bumped its head. She then joined forces with Oliver and became the Black Canary to honor her sister Sara Lance, who died in her arms. Laurel Lance is an inspiration. She was not only beautiful but also had the guts to make the hard choices. Laurel Lance was also one of the most complicated characters in Arrow and one of Oliver Queen’s staunchest allies. Her death at the hands of Damien Darhk was all the more tragic because she was one of the original characters from the very first season of the show.
7. Oliver’s heartfelt video message to William
When you are a father, you have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulder. You need to be there for your child. You need to watch his back and get him or her up when they fall. Oliver could not do that for William. And when he found out about him, he was advised to keep things as they are. Oliver is the Arrow and the son of the Arrow will be the first person any bad guy would target if Oliver gets on their bad side. So with a heavy heart, Oliver went against all his fatherly instincts and made a video message to be delivered to his son when he would want to know more about his real father. The video message was heart-wrenching. It showed a very rare side of Oliver Queen.
6. Farewell Tommy Merlyn
Tommy Merlyn was a friend of Oliver Queen’s. In fact, he once used to be his greatest well-wisher. When Oliver died, Tommy was hit the hardest. Tommy tried being friends with Oliver again when he returned from Lian Yu. The heir to the Merlyn Empire was a fan-favorite and a major character of the show. The Undertaking happened anyway and Tommy went to the Glades to help Laurel Lance from being killed. Tommy was him-self trapped in the rubble. By the time Oliver arrived to save him, it was too late. Tommy had died of his injuries but not before apologizing to Oliver for all the wrongs he did to him.
5. Curtis’ eventual divorce
When you are a superhero, you have to make some sacrifices. Those sacrifices cost some of the heroes dearly. Take, for example, Curtis Holt. One of the most loved characters in Arrow, Curtis Holt finally found love for a second time after his first relationship ended badly because Curtis was not ready to divulge any secrets to his Husband. History repeated itself again as Curtis had to watch as the same thing happened a second time. His second relationship also ended the same way when Curtis could not let go of his vigilante life. Sometimes, life hits us hard. For Curtis Holt, Life hit him hard twice.
4. The Death of Quentin Lance
Quentin Lance is a character nobody could hate in Arrow. He had the most amazing character evolution and development, and some would say that was even better than Oliver Queen’s. Once the Police Commissioner of Star City, Quentin had an eventual bout with alcoholism! He survived everything and was right there alongside Oliver Queen whenever he vanquished the bad guys from Star City. And that is why when he was shot by Ricardo Diaz in Season 6, his adieu was something fans had a hard time dealing with.
3. Death of Moira Queen
Moira Queen started out as a stone-cold businesswoman with pretty dark secrets she was keeping too close to her chest when she first came into the scene. Everybody knew she was hiding something. As the new benefactor of the powerful Queen Family, Moira Queen became the object of hatred for many. But she redeemed herself in the latter seasons. There was just one problem though – Oliver Queen needed a trigger to grow. More often than not, a superhero needs to witness and experience the death of a very close family member or friend to do it. Oliver had become complacent in Season 2. Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke used Moira Queen to make Oliver remember his roots by killing her right in front of Oliver’s eyes. The death of his sole surviving parent was what helped Oliver get the drive and rage to defeat Deathstroke and his army of Mirakuru soldiers for good.
2. Deathstroke bids goodbye
Manu Bennett is a living legend within the Arrow Verse. He plays the elite mercenary warrior Deathstroke in the movie. In season 1, the guy was only a supporting character. But in Season 2, Deathstroke was truly formidable. Since he knew Oliver personally, his impact as a villain was that much greater. Deathstroke was defeated by Oliver but he never left his origins. He eventually returned to his old ways of spilling blood. The real reason Arrow Verse brought him back was that fans demanded his return. Deathstroke was not someone fans would allow letting go that easily but he farewell was a long time coming. After recruiting Oliver in saving his son from a terrorist organization, Deathstroke bid an abrupt but tragic farewell to the Arrow Verse.
1. Oliver returns from Lian Yu
The first scene of the show from its very first season is what drove the narrative forward in a permanent direction. It was Oliver Queen’s eventual return from the dead and into the land of the living that set the premise for Arrow. A rich brat who only knew how to make a mess returns after five years to civilization only to become an agent of chaos that is hell-bent on cleaning up his father’s mess and stop whoever is trying to poison Star City with their vile machinations. Oliver’s return marked the start of a new beginning. It also had a pretty powerful “Cast Away” vibe with one man returning to his family to see everything has changed and nothing will ever be the same again. His friends and family have changed for the better. Oliver’s resurrection is what made the show special.
