Why did it take so long for Arrow’s Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) to become the Green Arrow? Oliver had the bow and arrow and the green color scheme since the pilot episode, but he didn’t actually start using the superhero alter ego of his comic counterpart until the beginning of season 4.
After being gone for five years, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was rescued from the island of Lian Yu and brought back home to Starling City where he began a secret crusade against his father’s enemies. In season 1, Oliver used the skills he gained during his time away from civilization to kill the people on his father’s list as a hooded vigilante carrying a bow. During this time, Oliver was referred to as “The Hood.” After Oliver saved Starling City and decided to go on a redemptive quest, Oliver evolved into the “Arrow,” a name which he kept through seasons 2 and 3. In season 4 of the CW series, he was rechristened the “Green Arrow.”
At the same time, the series changed the name of his hometown to Star City, which was a symbolic move that reflected his own transformation. There’s a good reason why it took such a long time for Oliver to use the name of the comic book hero. Arrowverse producer Marc Guggenheim has explained that Arrow had “a slow, organic incorporation of the comic book elements,” and that this goes for characters like Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) as well, not just Oliver Queen. Guggenheim said that their intention for Arrow was for it to be “an origin story” [via Collider].
This idea makes sense for Oliver’s character. The Flash and Supergirl both saw their titular characters using their comic book monikers at day one, but Arrow was a different kind of story. Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) developed as their seasons progressed, but becoming the Flash and Supergirl wasn’t a journey for them, but in the case of Oliver Queen, becoming the Green Arrow was a process that took time.
Oliver had a lot of growing to do as a character and as a hero, so it wouldn’t have worked for him to be the Green Arrow too soon. In season 1, Oliver was running around Starling City killing nearly every criminal who got in his way and ruthless hunting down each person on his list. It wouldn’t have felt fitting at all for a character like this to carry the mantle of a DC Comics superhero. After that, Oliver faced a great deal of internal conflict and had to go through a lot to earn the redemption he wanted. For the longest time, he was viewed by the people as an enemy. Arrow took Oliver on a long journey to evolve into the hero of the city, and once he was able to do that, only then was he ready to complete the transition to Green Arrow.