Okay so I roleplay on tumblr and like Arrow based Oliver Queen blogs (esp Olicity positive ones) usually write him with his ptsd, often are open to bisexual ships etc. On the other hand every Anyi-Arrow "canon" Oliver Queen is written as a super straight constantly women banging douchebag, usually written by "true comic fan boys" and it amuses me because it shows so well why many hate Arrow's Oliver. They hate seeing a male character that's more than their self insert in porn fantasies.
I agree with this so much, Anon. It’s a glaring problem even within the Arrow fandom itself, and shows just how much the show and the character are misunderstood.
Let’s look at some facts.
Oliver has had four girlfriends in the two-year period between the beginning of season 1 and the end of season 2. Four. That’s not a lot by any stretch of the imagination, and I’d suspect that it’s pretty average for a man of his age. Two of these relationships were serious - he and Sara lived together for a while - so it wasn’t like he was sleeping around or serial dating.
Further, the worst thing we’ve heard him do in canon pre-island is urinating on a cop (which…ew, Oliver, why), stealing a car, and cheating on Laurel. With regards to the latter, though it’s mentioned that he was unfaithful ‘multiple times’, we only ever get confirmation of one, his one-night-stand with Samantha. This, of course, led to William being born.
Oliver is a complex character. He has the strength to beat the shit out of someone but the same hands that bring justice to criminals also cooked three-course meals for his fiance and built an entire underground lair solo. He’s an emotional person and isn’t afraid or ashamed to get upset or angry or scared. (Notice how Oliver tends to cry when he’s scared? That’s a pretty big thing for a male character on mainstream TV.) He has a debilitating mental health issue that he struggles with on a daily basis, but all he ever does is try his best.
There have been no indication that Oliver is Straight™ either. Yes, we’ve only seen/heard about him being with women, but that doesn’t mean anything. The non-platonic overtones in his friendships with both Tommy and Barry are proof of that, whether it’s intentional or not. (I mean, c’mon. Tommy literally died in Oliver’s arms. If that isn’t a star-crossed lovers trope that’s used for every tragic romance story ever, I don’t know what is.)
He’s also pretty passionate about the capabilities and strength of women, and isn’t afraid to recognize when a woman is more capable than he is (example: literally every time he has openly said that Felicity is smarter than him and that he is thankful for it) and nor does he act like it’s the end of the world. This is a big deal for a mainstream male character who is supposed to be this bold macho man who Fights For Justice™.
If justice wants fresh-baked souffles and terrible jokes, Oliver’s your guy. If you just want someone with questionable facial hair who has muscles the size of boulders and is constantly screwing women when he’s not playing Robin Hood then Arrow and its interpretation of Oliver Queen as a mentally ill man who loves his family and his city and who just wants to do some good in the world is not for you.
