Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) has killed more people than any other heroic character in the Arrowverse. Though the Arrowverse is a world of superheroes who strive to do the right thing, not all share the same principles when it comes to whether or not it is permissible to take a life. Sometimes, these differing ideas can result in strong disagreements.
Many characters in the Arrowverse have adopted strict moral codes that they believe that both themselves and others must adhere to no matter what. In the DC Universe, characters like Batman and Superman traditionally have self-imposed rules against killing, and these lifestyles are shared by their Arrowverse counterparts (even though Batman’s hasn’t been seen in the flesh yet). These views are also shared by the Flash (Grant Gustin). Though Barry has been tested at times, he’s remained committed to never killing another person. The same can’t be said for some of the heroes on Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman, who have been willing to kill when the situation calls for it.
Heatwave (Dominic Purcell), Diggle (David Ramsey), and White Canary (Caity Lotz) are among the heroes who have been willing to kill in the past. But though these people do have blood on their hands, none have as much as the original Arrowverse vigilante, Oliver Queen. Oliver has killed at least a hundred people during Arrow’s eight-season run. In season 1 alone, Green Arrow killed over 50 people, which is already above the kill totals of many of his fellow Arrowverse superheroes. Season 1 was back when Oliver was on a ruthless crusade for revenge against the people on his father’s list. During this time, he would kill not only his father’s enemies but also the numerous henchmen and gangsters that stood in his way.
Admittedly, many of his kills happened in flashbacks when Arrow was showing what Oliver was doing during his five-year absence. During this time, Oliver took out enemies on Lian Yu in cold blood, and also killed on behalf of Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). Oliver notably ended the life of an innocent person in season 5 when he killed Felicity’s boyfriend, Billy Malone (Jason Ritter). However, this was a trap that Oliver had fallen into due to the machinations of Prometheus (Josh Segarra). Prometheus put Billy in his suit and tricked Oliver into killing him, meaning this murder of an innocent individual was at least unintentional.
During seasons 2, 3, and 4, Oliver took a break from killing, and only made exceptions to his new rule when it became absolutely necessary. This was a time in Oliver’s life when he was trying to find redemption and be a better person. But things changed at the beginning of season 5 when he was captured by criminals. Feeling that it was impossible for him to get out of this predicament without letting his captors figure out his true identity, Oliver determined that he had no choice but to leave no survivors. He was criticized for this decision, but it was his opinion that a change in his approach to killing was needed. According to Oliver, he had stopped killing because he wrongly thought that “taking the high road is more important than saving lives”. After coming to this realization, Oliver’s body count began piling up again. He didn’t go back to who he was in season 1, but his efforts to avoid fatal shots on his assailants lessened considerably between Arrow season 5 and season 8, which is what lands him in his unfortunate position among the Arrowverse heroes.
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