Roy Harper (comics)

::"For the English musician, see Roy Harper"Superherobox


caption=Roy Harper as Red Arrow. Variant Incentive Cover to "Justice League of America" #11, by Gene Ha.
character_name=Red Arrow
real_name=Roy William Harper Jr.
publisher=DC Comics
debut=as Speedy:
"More Fun Comics" #73 (Nov. 1941)
as Arsenal:
"The New Titans" #99(July 1993)
as Red Arrow:
"Justice League of America" vol. 2, #7 (May 2007)
creators=Mort Weisinger
Paul Norris
alliances=Justice League Teen Titans Suicide Squad Checkmate Outsiders
aliases=Speedy, Arsenal
supports=
powers=exceptional marksmanship;
proficiency with a huge variety of weapons;
hand-to-hand combat training; occasional use of trick arrows.|

Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in "More Fun Comics" #73 (Nov. 1941). The modern-day version formerly assumed the identity of Arsenal and became a member of the Justice League of America under the guise of Red Arrow.Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Arsenal | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 26 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = London | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5]

Fictional character biography

Origin

Roy Harper was raised by Brave Bow, a Navajo medicine chief after his father, a forest ranger, died in a forest fire.

Under Brave Bow's tutelage, Roy became a remarkable archer, and, after Brave Bow's death, Roy was adopted by Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, and became the Green Arrow's sidekick, "Speedy."

Teen Titans and Roy's addiction

Speedy joined Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Wonder Girl in the newly-formed Teen Titans, a group originally formed from the various "teen sidekicks" active in DC comics at that time.

Speedy was initially a successful member and began dating Wonder Girl (Donna Troy). Some time later, however, Roy's fortunes took a turn for the worse. The Titans disbanded, Roy and Donna broke up, and then Green Arrow both lost his fortune and began neglecting Roy. While the Green Arrow was away on a cross-country adventure with Green Lantern and Black Canary, Roy became addicted to heroin; the award-winning story played out in "Green Lantern" vol. 2, #85-86 in September and November 1971. Once Roy's secret was discovered, Green Arrow angrily punched him and then threw Roy out on the street. Green Lantern later found him and left him in the care of Black Canary, who stayed by his side while he went through withdrawal. Soon after, he had a confrontation with Green Arrow that caused the two of them to stop working together.

In addition to some brief adventures with later incarnations of the Titans in the 1980s, Roy also served as a government agent for the CBI, and as a private investigator, and went on a single mission with the Suicide Squad (vol. 1 issues 11-12).

Agent of Checkmate

While still helping the Teen Titans on occasional missions, Roy frequently worked as a counselor for various anti-drug programs. During this time, Roy established government contacts, and was soon hired by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI, also known as Checkmate) as a drug enforcement agent.

Roy was given an assignment to go undercover and gain the trust of the villain Cheshire. The intention was to turn Cheshire over to the authorities, but the two fell in love and had an affair. Roy could not bring himself to turn her in, but he was concerned that his presence endangered Cheshire's life, so he left her, unaware that Cheshire was pregnant with his child.

Roy eventually learned that he was the father of Cheshire's daughter, Lian. He went on a mission with Nightwing (the former Robin) to track down Cheshire and prevent her from assassinating a group of diplomats. Roy was captured by Cheshire and then freed by Nightwing, who also brought Roy's daughter. Cheshire had left Lian in Roy's care.

Arsenal

Roy later returned to the Titans, and was appointed leader by Sarge Steel. At this time, he adopted the new identity of Arsenal, now equipped with a vast array of high-tech weaponry. When the original members of this latest incarnation of Titans left the team, he gathered new members and led them until the team disbanded.

Soon, another team of Teen Titans emerged. This group consisted of a teen-aged Atom (de-aged by events in "Zero Hour") and new heroes Argent, Risk, Joto and Prysm. The team was funded by Loren Jupiter, who had also funded a group of Titans during Roy's time on the team.

Jupiter gathered together the original Titans (now going by the aliases of Nightwing, Tempest, Flash, Troia, and Arsenal) to combat the threat of his bitter, super-powered son Jarrod Jupiter (Haze). New and old Titans joined forces to defeat Haze – but at a price; Joto apparently lost his life, and Arsenal felt responsible for his death. Arsenal remained with this new group of Titans for a time, but eventually left the group before it disbanded.

Arsenal later came into conflict with Vandal Savage. Savage had discovered that both Roy and his daughter Lian were his descendants. Thus, their organs were suitable for him to harvest to prolong his life.

Roy was able to save his daughter from Savage. After this ordeal, Roy adopted a new look to reflect his Navajo heritage. Shortly after, the original five Titans decided to re-form the team. Arsenal served as a full-time member on the team, and resided at the new Titans Tower with his daughter, Lian.

The Outsiders

Later, a mysterious conglomerate known as Optitron offered to sponsor the Titans and Young Justice after summoning them to San Francisco. Before any decisions could be made, a cybernetic girl from the future (known as Indigo) invaded the complex, and immediately engaged both teams in combat. With half the group out of commission, the remaining members tried to track down Indigo, but instead encountered a rogue Superman android, which had been activated. Caught by surprise, Lilith had her neck snapped by the Superman android, killing her instantly. Troia (Donna Troy's new identity) tried valiantly to defeat the Superman Android, but he released a deadly heat beam directly through her chest, killing her. Indigo arrived and shut down the Superman Android, leaving Arsenal and Nightwing to mourn the fallen Troia. Shaken by these losses, Nightwing decided to officially end the Titans.

Roy saw an opportunity. He accepted Optitron's offer and set about forming a new team: the Outsiders. He began by buying a massive secret underground headquarters beneath New York City. Roy outfitted the shelter with state-of-the-art equipment and began recruiting members for the new team. He successfully coaxed the veteran Metamorpho, as well as newcomers Grace and Thunder into joining the team. He also decided to accept Indigo as a member. Even though she had been responsible for activating the Superman android, and ultimately for Lilith's and Troia's deaths, her memories were wiped clean and she convinced Roy that she wanted to atone for what she had done.

Indigo's presence would prove to be a major sticking point for Arsenal's last recruit: Nightwing. The Titans' former leader was completely unwilling to renew his involvement in a team after such a devastating loss. Arsenal argued that the Outsiders were the next logical step for them beyond the Titans, and that perhaps a team of strangers would operate more efficiently than a team with so many emotional attachments. Nightwing, while still reluctant, agreed to join and lead the Outsiders shortly after defeating Gorilla Grodd.

Arsenal was shot in the chest while attempting to stop Brother Blood from activating a global network of sleeper agents. He survived, but was sidelined for months. In the interim, he assigned the Huntress as his replacement. He was hesitant to resume active duty, feeling afraid of his own limitations, but returned with encouragement from Nightwing.

Not long after his recovery, the Outsiders took on a case which involved a child-slaver and molester named Tanner. One of Tanner's informants recognized Roy from years prior, and led Tanner to Roy's daughter, Lian. Lian's nanny was killed and the girl was branded with Tanner's mark. The Outsiders arrived just in time to save Lian and other children from being flown out of New York.

Oddly, his near-death from gunshot wounds saved his life when soon he met Deathstroke. The villain, Arsenal discovered, had been posing as Batman and feeding him information since the Outsiders began. Deathstroke and Arsenal fought, with Deathstroke intending to kill him, but when the mercenary discovered the bullet scars on Arsenal's chest, he figured Arsenal had suffered enough and gave him a "pass". About the same time, Arsenal was also kidnapped by Green Arrow's nemesis Constantine Drakon. Drakon was working with the Riddler, and he slit Roy's throat so that he would have to apply constant pressure or die. The Outsiders helped search for and rescue Roy.

Infinite Crisis and One Year Later

During "Infinite Crisis", Arsenal served as leader of the Outsiders while raising Lian as a single father. He was among the heroes gathered to defend Metropolis from an invasion by the Secret Society of Super Villains (see also: "Battle of Metropolis"). Following the Crisis, Roy attempted to keep the Outsiders running, but unfortunately they found themselves handling low-level criminals and making little difference in the world. When Nightwing and Red Hood discovered a fellow hero, Black Lightning, was arrested for a crime he didn't commit, Nightwing helped in a rescue mission that ultimately failed. The Outsiders are believed to be dead. Arsenal soon realized he was not made for the life of a cloak-and-dagger hero, returning command to Dick and leaving the team.

Red Arrow

Roy was approached by Hal Jordan with membership in the new Justice League. ["Justice League of America" (vol. 2) #1] While in battle, Hal referred to him as "Red Arrow" in an attempt to stop himself from revealing Roy's name (despite the fact that Roy's identity has been public knowledge for some time now). ["Justice League of America" (vol. 2) #4] Roy accepted membership in the League and officially adopted the identity of Red Arrow, justifying it as a final "coming of age" and outgrowing his troubled relationship with his adoptive father, Oliver Queen (Green Arrow). ["Justice League of America" (vol. 2) #7] Roy began an intimate relationship with his teammate, Hawkgirl.

Powers and Abilities

Red Arrow possesses no superhuman attributes, but he is a marksman of incredible accuracy. He is extremely adept at the use of the bow and arrow, as well as a wide array of weaponry. He also has the ability to take virtually any object and use it in combat as an effective weapon. Red Arrow also possesses keen analytical and detective skills.

Personal life

Roy is proud of his Navajo heritage and has a tribal tattoo to represent it. He was adopted by Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and became his ward/sidekick but soon joined a rock band and got addicted to heroin. After his recovery, Roy had a daughter named Lian, who he raises as a single father. Roy is a natural thrillseeker, who has many connections in the government and metahuman community.

Romantic involvements

Like his mentor, Roy is an egotistical womanizer. His first known superhero relationship was with Donna Troy during the Teen Titans but was short lived. Roy's main relationship was with the assassin Cheshire, who is the mother of his child. Roy would constantly flirt and buy drinks for women at bars and any social outing. When he formed the Outsiders, he had a fling with Grace Choi. At this time, it was learned that he also had a fling with The Huntress. His current relationship is with his JLA teammate Hawkgirl but is strained because of his search for the missing Cheshire.

Other media and versions

Roy Harper of Earth-Two

The Earth-Two version of Speedy was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and All-Star Squadron in the 1940s along with Green Arrow. Aside from their origin, having been trained on a mesa top together, their history nearly parallels the history of the Earth-One versions up until the point when Arrow and Speedy along with their teammates were thrown into various periods of time during a battle with the Nebula Man. He and his teammates were later retrieved by the Justice Society and the Justice League in order to assist them in saving Earth-Two from the machinations of their old foe the Iron Hand. During the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" a new solitary universe was created at the dawn of time by fusing several universes, including Earth-Two, together. Whether he ceased to exist or exists only as an aspect of the post-Crisis Earth has not been determined, although his mentor died during the final part of the Crisis defending the new Earth from the Anti-Monitor.

* Speedy's first animated appearance was in the Teen Titans segments in 1967's "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure". In those episodes, Speedy serves in the effective place of Robin. He was voiced by Pat Harrington, Jr.
* Speedy has appeared on the "Teen Titans" animated series, where he is voiced by Mike Erwin. Although his real name is not given, his appearance is clearly based on that of Roy Harper. While not a member of the main Titans team himself, he appeared as a supporting character in the episode "Winner Take All", and fought Robin, trying to convince him that winning isn't as important as he thinks. Speedy later joined up with the team's sister group, Titans East.

:As depicted in the series, Speedy is serious and businesslike as in his Arsenal years in comics. However, when he reappears in "Titans East Pt. 1", more of his traditional bad-boy Speedy personality is seen, as he refuses to apologize for buying fish tacos, which offends Aqualad to no end. He was mind-controlled by Brother Blood in "Titans East Pt. 2", but saved by Titans West. Speedy's bow was broken by Cheshire in "Calling All Titans". He was then overpowered by her. However, in the episode "Titans Together", Speedy somehow regained possession of his bow when he was freed from his suspended animation.
* Speedy has also made eight appearances in the comic book series based on the cartoon. His first appearance in issue #10 was a cameo. He made a reappearance with the rest of Titans East in #20 & #25. A super-deformed version of him posed as Cupid in #27. One of the two stories in issue #30 focuses on him and Aqualad. Thus far, he and Aqualad both have made appearances in each tenth issue. He appeared in issue # 39 and after being struck by Larry's arrows and falls in love with Cheshire, similar to the comics. In issue #48 he appeared as Arsenal in an alternate reality in a group called the Teen Tyrants.
* Speedy appears in the "Justice League Unlimited" episode "Patriot Act". There, Speedy states that he is Green Arrow's "ex-partner" when Green Arrow calls him "my ex-sidekick", and is visually designed as a slightly older, better built version of his "Teen Titans" incarnation (his costume is the same, and he is still voiced by Mike Erwin). This does not necessarily mean the shows are in continuity with one another, and may have been a nod to the Titans cartoon and nothing more, much like Michael Rosenbaum's voicing of Kid Flash in the "Teen Titans" episode "Lightspeed". Speedy's appearance is also a nod to the original Seven Soldiers of Victory, who are the stars of this episode. [http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=6836] .
* Roy's identity as "Red Arrow" was first suggested in the graphic novel "Kingdom Come" (1996), which was later assigned as Earth-22 in 2006.
* In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline in "Teen Titans" (vol. 3), a comment from Deathstroke implies that Roy is deceased, but was using the Green Arrow identity prior to his death.
*On Earth-15, a bald-headed version of Roy has taken up the mantle of Green Arrow.
* Speedy is set to appear in .

References

External links

*
* [http://www.titanstower.com/source/whoswho/arsenal.html"Titans Tower" Biography]
* [http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/bios/speedy/ The World's Finest JLU Bio]
* [http://teentitans.toonzone.net/index.php?content=bios/speedy/index The World's Finest TT Bio]