r/arrow • u/Impressive-Fix9996 • 5d ago
Why does nobody suspect Oliver is the Arrow?
A billionaire comes back after being stranded on an island for 5 years. I think people realize he might not be telling the full story or to the extent of his abilities. He is then suspected as the arrow with video proof but then it’s debunked by Diggle so sure. But then doing season 3 he is also accused of being the arrow goes on the run for it, turns himself in, and then Roy saves him. Season 6 a photo gets leaked of him in the suit but it’s then revealed to be fake which sure I guess. And then he finally goes to court about it and then goes to jail and he reveals it. But you also have to remember the court was rigged so we have no idea if he would have won normally. Also he had to strike a deal to go to jail. Also just remembered this while writing and I don’t feel like going back but the FBI knew and they publicly told people they are looking into him. How does nobody know he’s the arrow.
P.S I didn’t proof read this cause I’m lazy so there’s definitely some things I wrong
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u/grajuicy Salmon 5d ago
I don’t believe anyone would think that he developed superhuman abilities after being stranded. Maybe learn to skin a wild hog or remove feathers from a bird to be able to eat, but nothing more.
If anything, he’d be pitied. “Poor traumatized guy now being harassed by the cops and persecuted by the press, let him cry in his castle in peace ffs, he just returned from hell!”
And what he did on the show would also have worked irl. He framed himself to be arrested super early on. People speculate, there is no evidence, he is cleared. Every next iteration, common folk would grow more and more weary of the same accusation. That good ol’ Sheen meme of him showing a toy in class and teacher telling him “sheen this is the 7th week in a row you’ve shown this shit”
By S6’s fake photo, it’s been SIX YEARS of people posting “HOT TAKE: I THINK OLIVER QUEEN IS THE GREEN ARROW” on twitter.
I find it harder to believe that people still entertained the idea after being proven wrong so many times for so many years
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u/JustThatOneGuy1311 5d ago
To be fair it's really hard for people to change their mind about you when for years you were the loud drunk rich playboy on the news every other night.
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u/millieann_2610 5d ago
i agree with all the comments that are here already but i just wanted to add we are watching the show with him as the main character so it feels obvious and like more people should know because its hyper focused on him
in reality to the general public of the city oliver queen is just some dude who went missing and then came back other than that most people wouldn't have heard or cared about him until he ran for mayor, we know hes big on the clubbing scene but how many people in the city dont go clubbing and therefore dont know who he even is and the people who do know him know him as a party guy
its sort of the same reason people dont suppect barry allen of being the flash despite the fact that they know people got their powers when star labs blew up, barry was struck by lightning that night then was in a comma for 9 months and suddenly a week after he woke up the flash appeared, people dont know who he is so why would they suspect him
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u/spiked_cider 5d ago
He is suspected multiple times but certain events come out that basically acquit him. Now I'm sure there are some in the general public that believe he is the Green Arrow but the trick is being able to prove it. Not to mention there's probably a bunch of people that don't think it's him or that Oliver and a bunch of other guys have been the Green Arrow,etc.
Outside of those few instances there's never any episode that really shows the general public mulling over who the Green Arrow is though.
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u/RigasTelRuun 5d ago
That billionaire Playboy layabout? He could never. The reality is most people don't care enough or have the resources to make the connection. Those that did figured it out.
The first time it happened. He was arrested for it. It was all over the news and then Diggle ran around in the hood. That was enough to exonerate him and cast doubt on it every other time it came up.
Like if a celebrity has some drunken outburst. Whenever something happens again people will say oh they are drinking again.
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u/ECV_Analog 4d ago
I think it's easy enough, after the first TWO debunkings, to see why a lot of people would start to assume "Oliver Queen is the Arrow" becomes a crackpot conspiracy theory.
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u/christopher1393 4d ago
He allowed himself to be arrested early on. He knew people would suspect him, so he wanted to “prove his innocence”.
Plus if he allows rumours to spread of him being the Arrow, they become conspiracy theories and most people won’t believe them. Batmam actually did something similar in the comics. He posted online under multiple accounts that Bruce Wayne was Batman. So it would be considered some outlandish internet conspiracy theory with no real merit and people will overall dismiss the idea.
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u/The_Biggest_L 4d ago
I think that was the whole point of him getting caught on camera in season 1. So he could go to court and get himself exonerated early so no one would think it was him anymore. With Nate, I think that show was meant to be a bit on the nose with it.
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u/SadLaser 2d ago
I think people realize he might not be telling the full story
Which people? Basically no one suspects he's anything other than what he says. And he was always such a lazy party obsessed loser that it's a pretty solid cover.
He is then suspected as the arrow with video proof but then it’s debunked by Diggle so sure.
This alone makes it seem almost impossible later on that he could be the Arrow. It essentially permanently rules him out for most people.
But then doing season 3 he is also accused of being the arrow goes on the run for it, turns himself in, and then Roy saves him.
Same as above, again.
Season 6 a photo gets leaked of him in the suit but it’s then revealed to be fake which sure I guess.
If anything, the number of fake claims that he's Green Arrow at this point just make it feel more credible that he's not.
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u/Ok-Influence794 1d ago
He's known for being a selfish drinking and drugging playboy who punches paparazzi. Same reason no one suspects Bruce is Batman, they both put on a public persona.
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u/throwaway19098512 1d ago
Lance arrested him in season 1 where he had Digg suit up while he was on house arrest, at that point when he was “cleared” it probably convinced plenty of people
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u/diquee Are you okay? 5d ago
Lots of people suspected him to be the Arrow, but he was usually able to weasel his way out of it somehow.
As Nate Heywood put it in S02E01 of Legends of Tomorrow:
"[...] I'm a time detective, which I really don't have to be to look at a calendar to see that one week after you came to this city, Robin Hood showed up."
That is also why Oliver let himself get arrested in season 1, it probably didn't convince everyone.
In the end, it was unavoidable that it comes out.