Warning: Spoilers for Green Arrow #16!Batman Good at everything: being a detective, sword-fighting, contingency plans, even bare knuckle brawling. But he’s nowhere near the best fighter, considering there are heroes like Black Canary and Wildcat. More than that, there is one father who believes in his son more than anything, vi Green Arrow Reveals that his son Connor Hawke is the best fighter the world has ever seen.
In the preview pages for Green Arrow #16 By Joshua Williamson, Amancay Nahuelpan, Sean Izaakse, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Troy Peteri, Team Green Arrow is up against the wall fighting with their newest enemy, Bright, an agent of Amanda Waller’s from the Absolute power Event. But as Green Arrow defends his family, he does so with a little filial help.
Instead of shooting an arrow at Bright, Oliver Queen frees his son, Connor Hawke, who immediately ties a bandage around his eyes to protect himself from Bright’s light attacks. Green Arrow then proudly reveals that His son can confidently strike wide with his eyes closed – that’s how good of a fighter he is. Let’s see Batman do it.
Who is Conner Hawke, the New Green Arrow of DC?
DC’s second Green Arrow – and Oliver Queen’s son
Debuting in 1994s Green Arrow #0 by Kelley Puckett, Jim Aparo, Gerry Fernandez, Lee Loughridge and John Costanza, Connor Hawke is the second hero to take up the mantle of Green Arrow. He was a major part of DC’s initiative in the nineties to replace major icons with new heroes, such as Kyle Rayner’s rise to be the sole Green Lantern and Wally West’s ascension to the Flash. Conner is The son of Oliver QueenAnd after Oliver’s death, Connor Hawke took up the mantle of Green Arrow, replacing his father and increasing his legacy.
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Connor Hawke even became part of the Justice League at one point. Unfortunately, due to the event of Flashpoint By Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert, Connor Hawke was erased from the timeline and Oliver Queen returned to the mantle of Green Arrow, now the only hero to wear the hood. But Connor eventually returned to DC continuity, And all the special combat training he learned in his previous iteration stayed with him.
How did the Green Arrow become the best fighter in the world?
Character design by Sean Izaakse
Before his removal from continuity, which saw more than one Green Arrow family member erased from existence, Connor Hawke studied extensively at the monastery in which he grew up. Unlike his billionaire father, Connor grew up as a practical monk, much more in the vein of Batman and his intense physical studies. Under the tutelage of Sir Jansen, the same master who taught Oliver, Connor became a master in Zen philosophy, Aikido martial arts and Kyudo archery.
To be a master in martial arts as well as Zen philosophy means to completely empty yourself, hoping in the flow of battle in such a focused way that no hero of DC is able to emulate.
While Batman has some lesser-known powers, like control over his mind, he never quite became a Zen master like the Green Arrow of the 90s. To be a master in martial arts as well as Zen philosophy means to completely empty yourself, hoping in the flow of battle in such a focused way that no hero of DC is able to emulate. Green Arrow’s son shows the simplicity of this training as he blindfolds himself before a battle. As Green Arrow says, Connor doesn’t need his eyes to fightBecause he is not only the best fighter there is, he is completely ingrained in the calmness that comes with his fighting style.
Green Arrow doesn’t need his eyes to win a fight
Father and son fight with their fists instead of bows
Connor Hawke never explicitly says that he is the best fighter – like all loving fathers, Oliver does the bragging for him. Connor’s exploits also detail how powerful he is without him saying a word. Early in his career, he encountered Lady Shiva, the deadliest assassin in the DC Universe. However, they fought to a standstill, which is about the best result for a meeting with Shiva. Connor Hawke is one of the few DC heroes who fought Shiva and lived. Batman is another. But Batman still fights with his eyes open.
It’s vitally important that Connor Hawke was DC’s main Green Arrow once, and not just another member of the complicated Green Arrow family. Just like with Batman, there are many in his family who can take up the mantle, but only one of them is right for the future vision. Connor Hawke is that future, and he is the culmination of all the training and more that Green Arrow has undergone to become the hero he is. like a son Connor Hawke is the future of his father’s legacy and the perfection of his cause. Connor Hawke can live up to the legacy of Green Arrow with his eyes closed.
Connor Hawke: The Green Arrow of the past and the future
Connor Hawke dons the mantle of Green Arrow once again
At a time when his father has apparently betrayed the Justice League, Connor Hawke once again lives up the Robin Hood legacy. Takes his father’s hood to protect the poor and wealthy. Connor has become Green Arrow again, and there is no one more suitable for the title. He has carried the mantle through the increasingly dangerous world of DC’s crisis events in the nineties and beyond, and when the world is threatened again, he rises to the challenge. The Green Arrow of the past – and of the future – is not only DC’s best fighter, beating out Batman – He is the most pious of the Green Arrow Legacy.
Green Arrow #16 Available September 25, 2024 from DC Comics!