Warning: SPOILERS for DCeased #6
There’s no joke to be made about Green Arrow that hasn’t been made already, as the one member of DC’s Justice League with no superpower. And we mean absolutely any power, other than his ability to fire arrows. But while his friends may never say it to his face, Batman is delivering the truth: Oliver Queen just isn’t a major hero.
The devastating insult to Green Arrow’s pride comes in the final issues of DCeased, the miniseries bringing a zombie apocalypse to the DC Universe. In one of the most surprising twists of the series, the always prepared, ever vigilant Batman was among the first superheroes to be killed. But after entrusting the role of Batman to his son Damian, Bruce Wayne sent him to join up with the Justice League in his place–but not empty-handed. So when Superman kills the zombie Flash and winds up infected himself, the surviving heroes have no options… other than the back-up plans Batman made for just such a scenario.
The heroes have just minutes to act once Superman goes full-on zombie, and Damian springs into action with a USB stick branded with Superman’s ‘S’ logo. It’s not the first time DC has confirmed Bruce plans for his allies’ possible turns to villainy, but DCeased reveals not every hero makes the cut.
Since Green Arrow and Batman are opposites in terms of worldview, politics, temperament, and almost every other metric (aside from a love of gadgets), it makes sense for Oliver Queen to cut the tension with some dark comedy at Bruce’s expense. When he notes that Bruce’s paranoia has survived even his own death, still “scheming against us all,” Damian drops the bomb. Batman may have famous contingency plans for taking on Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and all the other League heavyweights… he never bothered to concoct one for Green Arrow.
There’s no real way to soften that blow, since the only message it sends is that Bruce Wayne assumed if he needed to take Oliver down, he just would. The devastating insult is made all the more effective by Batman not even being alive to deliver it himself, leaving the facts of the strategies he left behind reveal the truth. And even in a story that saw Green Arrow’s best friend murdered, that has seriously got to hurt. It’s a good thing he has Black Canary by his side to help him through this trying time.
For those fans of Oliver Queen who are outraged or offended by Batman’s slight, it isn’t necessarily an insult. Maybe Batman just deemed that out of every single hero on the Justice League, Green Arrow would be the one least likely to ever turn against them. Is that because the villains wouldn’t want him? There’s no way to know for sure. Only Batman can really reveal a different conclusion–and he ain’t talking. Readers can find the official credits and plot synopsis for DCeased #6 below:
- DCEASED #6 (OF 6) Release Date: October 30th, 2019 Written by: Tom Taylor Art by: Trevor Hairsine, Neil Edwards, Stefano Guadiano Cover Art by: Mark Brooks Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and only a few remaining members of the Justice League stand between life and annihilation. As the remnants of humanity make their last gamble for survival, will there even be a planet left to call home when all is said and done? The senses-shattering conclusion to the year’s surprise blockbuster is here!
DCeased #6 is available at your local comic book shop.
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