What would a good CW show be without some mind-bending betrayals? From Artemis to John Diggle, there are plenty of characters on Arrow that have double-crossed others. It's not just the villains that do the dirty work, sometimes it's the heroes, with Oliver also showing his darker side by betraying Team Arrow.
Betrayal is certainly one of the deep themes explored throughout the show. While the betrayals from the villains, such as Captain Boomerang, can be seen coming, it's still fun to go through the journey with them teaming up with the heroes, wondering how, where, and when the betrayal will come.
Artemis Betraying Oliver
Evelyn Sharpe first appeared in season 4 of Arrow in 'Canary Cry' and resents Oliver for not trying to saver her parents who were killed by H.I.V.E. This is the seed for Evelyn's betrayal as she believes the Arrow to be a false hero.
Evelyn sided with Prometheus and did reappear later in the show as well. Some could argue that betraying Oliver for being a killer and then siding with another more dangerous killer in Prometheus was an interesting plotline. That being said at least Prometheus never claimed to be a hero.
Captain Boomerang Betraying Oliver
Digger Harkness, a villain from The Flash, also known as Captain Boomerang, was first introduced in the Arrow / Flash Crossover titled 'The Brave and The Bold,' where Barry and Oliver had to team up for the first time. After being put in prison, Oliver recruits Harkness to help them find his team and fight against Prometheus. However, it doesn't take long for Harkness to betray Oliver, as Talia and Evelyn Sharp fall out of a nearby tree to trap them.
It's certainly always interesting to see a villain team up with the heroes as it's a constant toss-up of whether, or when, they will betray the hero. However, these betrayals can usually be seen coming and are slightly less surprising than one of Oliver's team or family betraying him.
Renee Betrays Oliver
In season 6 episode 21, 'The People Vs. Oliver Queen', Renee must confess to knowing that Oliver is the Green Arrow and that he is also a member of his vigilante team. As Ricardo Diaz walks in with his daughter Zoe, Renee has no choice.
Although fans didn't see this betrayal coming, the fact that it was almost forced upon Renee makes it slightly less impactful than if Renee were to betray Oliver over ideologies. That being said, this certainly was an interesting storyline and fans were eager to see how Team Arrow would survive this.
Emiko Betraying Oliver
Fans are introduced to Oliver's half-sister Emiko in season 7, episode 8, but it isn't until episode 10 that Oliver and Emiko meet.
If there is someone who fans wouldn't expect to betray Oliver, it would be his sister. Her betrayal first began when she made up a false story that Dante forced her to work for him. Later when Emiko and Dante are working together, they realize they still have to make it believable so Dante pretends to try and kill Emiko, all so she can be saved by Oliver and infiltrate Team Arrow.
Isabel Rochev Betrays Oliver
Summer Glau was introduced as Isabel Rochev in season 2 episode 1 as the holder of 45% of Queen Consolidated. Isobel first came across as just the annoying other Queen Consolidated partner, but there was much more to her. Usually, it's the characters that seem too friendly that turn out to be villains, but very rarely is it the ones who just come across as Isabel did.
As Isabel grew more hostile towards Oliver, a betrayal appeared on the cards for Oliver. As it turned out, Isabel was working with Slade Wilson and even became part of his Deathstroke army after Diggle supposedly killed her.
Slade Betrays Moira
Manu Bennet is just one of the great actors to portray Deathstroke. Slade's betrayal of Moria is different than the others, as fans knew that Slade was a fully-fledged villain out for revenge. However, from Moira's perspective, this was certainly a betrayal nonetheless. Just as Oliver chose to let Shadow die, Slade befriended Oliver's mother Moira and then made Oliver choose between Moira and Thea in terms of who lives and who dies.
Moira volunteers to sacrifice herself and Slade kills her as he tries to make Oliver feel the pain that he felt when Shadow died. This scene between Oliver, Thea, Moira, and Slade was one of the most incredibly powerful scenes throughout the show.
Laurel Betraying Lyla
Towards the beginning of season 8 of Arrow, Lylah is revealed to be working with the Monitor, who says he can bring Laurel's world back as long as she retrieves Oliver and John's plans for the weapon they were going to build to defeat the Monitor.
However it isn't Laurel's betrayal of Lylah that really showed her true colors, it was soon after when Mia tells Laurel that she is a hero in the future. Laurel realizes that going back to her own world would leave her a villain again. So she decides to betray Lylah and not help her in the hopes that she is seen as a hero going forward on a new earth. This was certainly a brilliant Black Siren moment.
Oliver Betrays Team Arrow
The last person that fans would expect to betray the team is the leader of that team himself. In season 6, after Oliver learns that Renee was testifying against him, it doesn't take long for it to be revealed that Oliver himself was surveying the team.
Upon learning that Oliver doesn't trust the team, Dinah Curtis and Renee all quit Team Arrow and do things their own way.
Oliver Betraying Ra's Al Guhl
In season 3, Oliver sides with the League of Shadows and becomes the heir to the Ra's Al Guhl mantle. This was of course a betrayal to the rest of the team in itself, but the star moment was when Oliver revealed himself to be essentially undercover.
The infamous first line from the show's opening credits "My name is Oliver Queen." was a perfect phrase to use when Oliver announced his deception to Ra's Al Guhl.