With Green Arrow poised to take over leadership of the Justice League during Infinite Frontier, here’s why the marksman is perfect for the job.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League #59, by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, Tamra Bonvillain and Josh Reed, on sale now.
The Infinite Frontier Justice League already has no shortage of surprises, including longtime antihero Black Adam poised to join the superhero team alongside the Young Justice hero Naomi as the team prepares to take on extra-dimensional threats. One of the more interesting developments is Green Arrow stepping up in a leadership role in the Justice League. Typically, Oliver Queen offers wry, sarcastic observations rather than stepping up as a leader among his fellow superheroes.
As the Infinite Frontier era begins in Justice League #59, Ollie and his teammates already lay out a strong case for why now is the perfect time for Green Arrow to shine in the spotlight.
As the DC Universe moves on from the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal and the rebirth of the multiverse, Superman is looking for the Justice League to become more proactive and expand its activities, not just to defend the DCU, but inspire it. Green Arrow agrees and expresses his belief that the Justice League should not only maximize their potential but also provide the general public with a greater opportunity to see who they really are and build both awareness and trust. Superman firmly agrees with Ollie’s observations and asks him what the team’s next course of action should be. Ollie suggests expanding the team to include new voices that can provide more of an outsider perspective and shake up the usual dynamic for the better.
For a long time, Green Arrow was perfectly content being more of an outspoken team player than a team leader, criticizing decisions he did not personally agree with but stopping just short of taking the reins of Justice League for himself. During the short-lived Justice League Elite, a proactive team that took the more morally ambiguous missions that the public Justice League wouldn’t, Green Arrow would serve as the team’s tactical expert, usually running operations back from the team’s New Jersey headquarters rather than personally commanding the JLE out on the field and fighting alongside his teammates.
The Justice League could use a public face, and while Superman has dropped his secret identity for some time now, it needs more of an everyman that is also willing to be a public face for the people. While just as human as Oliver Queen, Bruce Wayne is too driven to maintain the secret behind his alter ego as Batman to be the public face of the Justice League. Ollie, on the other hand, was once the Mayor of Star City in addition to heading Queen International; he has no qualms in being a figurehead and certainly would have no trouble speaking for the rest of the team — even if some of the more conservative members wouldn’t agree with what he has to say.
Green Arrow has never been shy in stating his opinions on what he thinks the Justice League should do. Now, with his stance lining up with some of the team’s heaviest hitters, Green Arrow has a strong enough standing to take the lead for once and makes the League’s first order of business to expand their ranks with faces that might not normally agree with the old guard. And while Oliver’s status as a field commander for his longtime teammates has still yet to be seen, his increased prominence will hopefully lead the Justice League into a bold, new era as Infinite Frontier continues.
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