Though Green Arrow is one of DC Comics' most iconic characters, his parents never got much focus in his publication history. This changed somewhat in J.T. Krul's pre-Flashpoint run on the character, but the parents of Oliver Queen finally became pivotal to his story beginning with the first episode of CW's Arrow. Though Robert Queen was the one to give Oliver his mission to return to Star(ling) City and rid it of the evil elite, it was his mother Moira who shaped the events of the present. A morally ambiguous woman, Moira's choices were all based on protecting her kids, including Oliver.

This Mother's Day, let's look at the one woman who inadvertently birthed the very Arrowverse itself.

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Undertaking Motherhood

Moira Queen and Robert Queen

Unfortunately, Robert and Moira Queen were both a part of Starling City's corrupt upper echelon of citizens. This group also included the vengeful Malcolm Merlyn, who plotted to strike at the heart of the city's crime-infested areas after his humanitarian wife was killed by a mugger. To this end, Merlyn, who had by then been trained by the League of Assassins, planned the Undertaking, which involved a Markovian seismic device that would level the low-income Glades. Robert and Moira were in on this, though Robert's direct opposition to it led to the Queen's Gambit being intentionally sunk at sea. Moira herself also opposed the Undertaking upon hearing about it, knowing it would have the opposite effect of what Merlyn planned.

Moira was still roped into Merlyn's Tempest group, as he blackmailed her with her and her daughter Thea's safety. After Oliver returned and began operating as "The Hood," Moira failed several times to leave Tempest and stop the Undertaking. Each time, her family was leveraged against her. In fact, when The Hood confronted her about the Undertaking, she made him back down by bringing up her two fatherless children. Finally, a remorseful Moira made a public statement, warning about Merlyn's planned Undertaking, stating she was a part of it only due to the threat to her family. While this doesn't excuse her actions, it does show how, no matter what, everything Moira did was about protecting her children.

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Final Sacrifice

Moira's many secrets and lies revolve around her children, including their own parentage. It's revealed Thea is, in fact, Malcolm Merlyn's child, conceived during an affair after the death of Malcolm's wife and one of Robert's many affairs of his own. While Felicity discovered this, Moira tried to convince her to not tell anyone, for the sake of both Oliver and Thea's feelings. The truth comes out, however, and Oliver essentially cuts Moira off. After she became alienated from Thea as well, Moira decided to drop out of her race as a mayoral candidate in an attempt to salvage her family.

Unfortunately, the Queen family limo was attacked by Slade Wilson, who sought revenge for Oliver allowing Shado's death on Lian Yu. He forced the same decision on Oliver that he made between Sara Lance and Shado, but this time with his mother and sister at stake. A defiant Moira rose to the occasion, telling Slade to kill her and let her children live. This is in spite of how distant they had become, with Oliver having previously ended their relationship. Slade compliments her courage before killing her.

In the end, for all of her faults and bad decisions, Moira's every action was an attempt to protect her kids, and her courage was reflected in the hero Oliver Queen became. Though she may have failed her city many times, she constantly succeeded in being there for her son and daughter.

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