SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Star City 2040," the latest episode of Arrow.
Connor Hawke isn't who he said he was. In "Star City 2040," the latest episode of Arrow, circumstances forced him to reveal that he is an agent of Knightwatch.
As William and Mia continued their search for Felicity, they found themselves at Galaxy One, a major corporation and the hub of the ARCHER program. William attempted to sneak Mia through as his assistant, but security flagged her almost immediately. Fortunately, Connor was nearby. He flashed a badge and told them she was with him. "Sorry, Agent Hawke. We didn't know she was one of yours," the security guard said, releasing her into his custody.
Naturally, Mia was none too pleased with this turn of events. After all, she had long believed he was a tough-on-his-luck street kid like her. Despite her clear anger, he plunged on, saying, "I've been tailing you guys since the bazaar. Once I figured out you were headed here, I started pulling credentials for clearance," he explained. He confirmed that he was an agent of Knightwatch, which William described as "the good version of A.R.G.U.S."
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At that, Mia could take it no longer. She threw him up against a wall and demanded to know "was any of it real," suggesting they had a romantic connection. In return, Connor promised "all of it" was real.
Fortunately, Connor's Knightwatch connections proved useful. Because of his clearance, he had already cased the building; what's more, he was able to provide the tech with which they were able to access the secret sublevel where Felicity was being held.
As Connor tried to reconcile with Mia, he offered some insight into his own upbringing. "I know what it's like to have heroes for parents," he told her. "It sucks. Man, I used to ask my dad all the time why he even adopted me if he and my mom were never gonna be around. But you know what? When I got older, I realized I was proud of them... We [superhero kids] have to learn to share our parents and be a little selfless."
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After he was introduced in "Emerald Archer," the series' 150th episode, he revealed himself to be the adopted son of John Diggle and Lyla Michaels. The present-day sequences in "Training Day" later revealed he is the son of Ben Turner, aka Bronze Tiger. At the time of writing, it is unclear how or why the Diggles adopted Connor, but they certainly seem to have made a lasting impression on him.
Though his character has a long history in the comics, his agency does not. In the comics, Knightwatch is an offshoot of the D.E.O. or the Department of Extranormal Operations, which plays a major role on Supergirl. However, this version of Knightwatch doesn't seem to have anything to do with aliens or "extranormal activity," instead focusing on everyday threats in much the same way that A.R.G.U.S. did.
Airing Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW, Arrow stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Colton Haynes as Arsenal, Kirk Acevedo as Diaz and Katie Cassidy as Black Siren.