In the show’s five seasons, Arrow has had an dozens of characters flow in and out of Star City, and while we’ve already taken a look at the most influential members of Team Arrow, there’s something to be said for Oliver’s civilian friends, family, and community, as well.
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Whether friends, foes, or somewhere in between, there have been plenty of people who weren’t villains, and weren’t Team Arrow members proper, who have helped shape Oliver’s crusade as the Green Arrow and his efforts to make Star City a better place.
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Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
SHADO
In the comics, Shado is a badass; she’s basically Deathstroke, but a little less evil.
In the show, she was tough, smart, and one of the best characters of the first two seasons…but not exactly who or what she is in the source material.
One of the few positive influences on Oliver, Shado has managed to keep creeping back into his head over and over again since her season 2 death on Lian Yu. And that’s a good thing, because every time she pops back into the show, we’re glad she’s back…even if it’s only for a while.
TOMMY MERLYN
In some ways, Oliver was never fully Oliver — and arguably never fully human — after the death of his childhood best friend, Tommy Merlyn, at the end of season 1.
Tommy is the character that fans have been hoping to see back for years, and even though he was only part of Arrow for the first year (at least full time), Colin Donnell developed deep relationships with the Arrow cast that he keeps popping up on their social media presence.
Will the audience ever really see Tommy again? Who knows? Honestly, as much as we miss him, there’s something to be said about a character on these shows who actually stays dead. That said, an alternate-Earth version of the character might not be totally out of line…!
MOIRA QUEEN
Oliver’s mother manages to edge out Tommy mostly from having been around for longer, but even without that, she’s an incredibly complex character that drove a lot of really interesting story.
There’s emotional resonance for Oliver and Thea, there’s intrigue and lies, there’s ties back to season one and to the original “mission” that Oliver’s father kind of sent him on as the Queen’s Gambit went down.
There’s a lot of good stuff that came out of Moira…and that’s even without talking about the most absolutely crushing death scene in the history of the Arrowverse.
ANATOLY KNYAZEV
Funny, charming, and infinitely more interesting than either the comic book or big-screen version of his character, Arrow‘s take on the KGBeast is one of the best characters on TV.
The fact that he’s playing a key role in tonight’s episode, bringing the Bratva to Star City, is just a bonus. He’s one of the only characters who can truly understand what Oliver has gone through, from Lian Yu through the Bratva and back home to the battles in Star City.
That he’s come through it so much more unscathed than Oliver speaks to the way he functions.
QUENTIN LANCE
Outside of a period in season 4 where he went totally cloud-cuckoolander crazy, Quentin Lance has had one of the best and most fascinating journeys of any character on the series.
He’s survived the losses of his daughters, his understanding of the Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow situation has evolved, and he’s been there to protect the city more and more consistently than Oliver.
