The following contains major spoilers for Justice League #75, on sale now from DC Comics.
The Justice League did not have a choice in their latest mission. Readers of the “Death of the Justice League” will have noted that the members of the iconic superteam were plucked out of their place in the DC Universe and transported to Justice League Incarnate’s House of Heroes. They were then flung into the fight against the Great Darkness, before facing their bitter end.
There was one member of the Justice League who may not have been forced into this deadly fate like the others. All the members of the current team became a part of the mission in Justice League #75 (by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Taragona, Matt Herms and Josh Reed), but one didn’t arrive exactly the same way as all the others.
Although he’s been funding the team this whole time and is their current leader, Green Arrow was not chosen by Justice League Incarnate. Instead, he hitched a ride with Black Canary’s teleport. When she was disappearing, being transported to the House of Heroes, he immediately grabbed onto her. As he would follow her anywhere, it was the only logical choice in his mind. However, for readers, it raises the question of whether he was even meant to be on this mission or not – or whether he was even meant to die during it.
It’s possible he would have been teleported too, straight after Canary. However, we can’t know since he hijacked her teleport. As none of the Leaguers were together, dealing with their own threats all across the universe, there’s also no way of knowing whether or not these teleports were instantaneous or one after the other. The Justice League Incarnate also mentioned they had limited power. Therefore, there’s a big chance that Oliver Queen wasn’t actually meant to be on this mission.
It’s a good thing he showed up though. He was integral to the League’s success in their fight against the Dark Army. When the more powerful heroes were occupied by the likes of Darkseid and Doomsday, and therefore unable to make it to Pariah’s machine, Oliver’s skillset meant he was in range. He landed an expert trickshot and destroyed Pariah’s Antimatter machine with ease. That may not have helped the Justice League survive in the end, but it’s still unconfirmed what Ollie’s actions mean for the Great Darkness’ plan in Dark Crisis. It could very well have delayed everything, giving the remaining heroes the time they need to build a force ready to fight this impending threat.
However, it’s also possible this was no mistake at all. Given how integral he was to the League’s only success here, it’s possible that another cosmic entity pushed him to be a part of this mission. The Light is the Great Darkness’ enemy and opposite. Given how Oliver’s actions were out of love for Canary, a staple of the Light, who’s to say this wasn’t the Light’s attempt to halt the plans of the Great Darkness?
There’s definitely something unusual about Green Arrow’s place in this mission. First, there’s how he became a part of it, by hitching a ride with Canary. Then, there’s the fact he was a crucial part of the League’s assault on the Dark Army, destroying Pariah’s Antimatter machine. Finally, there’s the fact he was killed by Doomsday and not Pariah like everyone else. His inclusion may look like a mistake on the surface, but it’s entirely possible that it was one of the most important things in the DC Universe.
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