Green Arrow Reveals Hes Had a Secret Joker This Whole Time (And He Finally Beat Him)

As a seasoned hero, Green Arrow has had a lot of villains that have put him through the wringer. Count Vertigo has made his head spin, Onomatopoeia has gone for the hero's throat, and Merlyn coordinated a plan with Amanda Waller to try and ruin Green Arrow's life. But while Oliver Queen was facing this collection of bad guys, another sinister threat was haunting him throughout the years.

Green Arrow Reveals Firestarter, a Villain That He Almost Never Caught

The First (And Only) Appearance of Firestarter

In Green Arrow 2024 Annual #1 by Joshua Williamson, Sean Izaakse, Amancay Nahuelpan, Romulo Fajardo Jr, and Troy Peteri, it's years in the future and Olive Queen has returned to Arrow Island to look over the next generation of the Arrow Family. Uninterested in playing, the kids ask Green Arrow to tell them a story, particularly about a time that the hero missed one of his targets. Oliver agrees and tells them a tale of when he first came back from the island and ran into an arsonist that Green Arrow fails to apprehend.

Green Arrow reveals he went after the mysterious arsonist for years, but unlike most of Oliver's other rogues, this criminal was harder to catch. Over the years, the arsonist became deadlier and more over-the-top, even taking on the name Firestarter thanks to the news. Eventually, Green Arrow deduces that Firestarter has to be one of three people: A demolitions expert, a former fire captain, or a Queen Industries employee. Green Arrow and the Arrow Family work together to take the suspects in, but they’re all let go due to lack of evidence.

Green Arrow reveals that Firestarter disappeared after the bust, but Oliver never got the closure he desired. He reminds the young Arrow Family members that the important thing he learned over the years was the value of teamwork, which finally helps Oliver figure out that Firestarter was never one person, but all three of the suspects working together under a shared identity. Oliver Queen dons his old Green Arrow costume once more and finally brings all three Firestarters to justice, ending the mystery that haunted him for years.

Firestarter is the Perfect Foil to Green Arrow

An Intense Hero/Villain Dynamic That Raged for Years

The existence of Firestarter comes as a surprise to many because, up until now, Green Arrow has never spoken about him, nor have fans ever seen this character. To be fair, Oliver admits that this is because of how frustrated he was at never being able to catch Firestarter, no matter how many times they fought. Oliver has plenty of villains that give him a run for his money, but unlike classic bad guys like Count Vertigo, Green Arrow was particularly frustrated with Firestarter's brand of cruelty.

He might not have as sick a sense of humor as the Joker, but Firestarter's history with Green Arrow isn't unlike the Clown Prince of Crime's dynamic with Batman. Both are villains that always seem to slip through the hands of the heroes, whose identities have remained a mystery for years. Not to mention, much like the Joker, Firestarter only got worse as the years went on, evolving from smaller-stakes crimes to bigger, deadlier acts of destruction. But thankfully, unlike Batman, Green Arrow was finally able to bring his longtime nemesis to justice.

Though his debut and subsequent capture come as a surprise, Firestarter is a great foil to Green Arrow. Green Arrow is someone who wants nothing more than to build a better world while Firestarter is out to raze it completely (for profit apparently, another thorn in the side of the socially conscious Queen). The real shame is that despite Firestarter's potential as a true opposite to Green Arrow, his entire history is laid out in one issue. Perhaps another story detailing more of Firestarter's history with Green Arrow is in order to flesh out their burning rivalry.

Green Arrow Defeated Firestarter, But is There More to the Story?

Fans Should Get to See More of Oliver's 'Joker'

While this story makes good use of Firestarter, it'd be sad to see this idea completely abandoned after just one issue. Green Arrow could always use another villain in his rogue's gallery, and someone who evaded him for years would make the perfect addition. Hopefully, a future Green Arrow story will somehow incorporate this underrated Joker-like foe to vex the Emerald Archer once more.

Green Arrow 2024 Annual #1 is available now from DC Comics.