Made famous by his long-running CW show and appearances on Smallville, the Green Arrow has become one of the staples of DC comics and one of the most well known Justice Leaguers. Some call him a Batman ripoff due to similar backstories, but real fans know they are completely different characters, with GA being more progressive and radical.
Fans have seen the Green Arrow change throughout his time in comics, and like other DC heroes that have been around for decades, there have been many versions of the Emerald Archer. So let's look at some of the best alternate versions of the Green Arrow.
10 Longbow Green Arrow - Elseworld's League of Justice
Inspired by Lord of the Rings, this Elseworlds story takes place in a medieval world, with the Justice League all with completely different looks and appearances to match the times. The story features all our favorite leaguers, and one in particular that plays a big role is none other than Longbow.
In this comic, he resembles Gandalf, with the long beard and eternal wisdom, and also represents Robin Hood, with his affinity for the longbow and his signature green hood.
9 JLA: The Nail
In this Elseworlds story, we see the entire landscape change due to one single nail on the road. On their way back home, Martha and Jon Kent hit a nail and get a flat tire, preventing them from getting to Kal-el's ship and keeping Clark from ever being Superman.
This comic eludes to the fact that the world needs a Superman and that the League is almost lost without him, with a lot of drama and tension between heroes. Among some of the biggest twist, we see an Oliver Queen with missing legs, arm, and eye after a battle with Amazo. His bitterness causes him to publicly betray the JLA and speak out against the group because he blames them for his injuries.
8 Injustice Green Arrow
Made famous by the videogame, Injustice is a world where Superman becomes somewhat of a dictator after he is tricked by the Joker into killing Lois Lane and their unborn baby. He rules with an iron fist and takes down anyone who opposes him, causing an all-out war between the Justice League. Since the heroes are split between taking sides, we see Green Arrow standing with Batman to keep others from suffering from Superman's regime.
In this universe, Green Arrow makes friends with Harley Quinn, fights for freedom, and is eventually gruesomely killed by Superman during a confrontation where he accidentally shoots Jon Kent.
7 Longbow Hunters Green Arrow
This story isn't necessarily Elseworlds or it doesn't take place in another universe, its a one-off story about the emerald archer that takes place outside comic continuity. It is arguably one of the best Green Arrow stories to date.
In this story, we see Oliver with a brand new suit, brand new villains, and he's fighting in a brand new city. Moving to Seattle to be with Black Canary and he meets a whole new set of villains, much more dangerous than anything he's ever faced.
6 Green Arrow - Arrowverse
Arguably the most famous version of the Green Arrows is the first man to don the hood in the CW DC universe. As a caped crusader, he was basically the Batman of the CW, brooding, reckless, and acting as a mentor for younger heroes.
This version of the hero is a bit darker and grittier, killing villains when he has to and almost always on the wrong side of the law. He mellowed out as the show went on but he is still almost nothing like his comic book counterpart.
5 Dead-Eye - Anti-Matter Universe
This version of the Green Arrow shares some qualities with his Marvel counterpart. Residing in the Anti-monitor universe, he's anything but good, acting as the Emerald Archers equal match in the Crime Syndicate. Although he hasn't appeared in a lot of comics throughout the years, Deadeye has been part of a lot of evil teams and he has committed several crimes.
The only similarity he shares with Oliver Queen is their love for archery, but otherwise, these are completely different characters. They are a good match for each other, but Oliver almost always comes out on top.
4 Flashpoint Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
In the story Flashpoint, Barry Allen runs back in time to save his mother from dying and in turn, completely changes the landscape of the DC universe. We see all of our heroes living different lives, from Superman to Batman. Among the heroes living different lives, we have our favorite archer who profits off taking villainous weapons and refurbishing them to the military.
Here he has his team of Green Arrows and he shares many similarities with his Earth-1 counterpart. The main storyline for Oliver is when his team is killed by his own daughter and he goes after her for revenge.
3 Dark Knight Returns Green Arrow
In this storyline, we see a world where superheroes are outlawed and all the Justice Leaguers have either gone into hiding or are simply just retired. Batman is a bitter old man, who turns back to crime-fighting after seeing how bad the world has gotten with the absence of Batman. Superman is a pawn to the government and is loyal to his country, causing tension between the two heroes.
When Batman decides Superman needs to go down, he recruits an old Green Arrow who happily agrees to take down the man responsible for taking his arm. Despite only having one arm, he is still an elite archer and he is not slowed down by his disability.
2 Green Arrow - Earth-167
Taking place in both the Smallville comics and the show of the same name, we see a Green Arrow that most closely resembles the Earth-1 Green Arrow. He was a little arrogant and fun-loving but always got the job done when needed and was a very loyal friend to Clark early in his hero journey.
His adventures continue in the comics as he is still a good friend to Clark and even goes on his own adventures and makes his own name as a hero on Earth-167.
1 Green Arrow Connor Hawke
As Oliver's half son, Connor took the mantle from him and became the Emerald Archer in his own right. He had a rocky start with Oliver but soon became a fan of the Green Arrow and helped Oliver reach inner peace when he needed it the most.
After Oliver was presumed dead, his son took over and became the Green Arrow, proving he was more than capable and even did somethings his father never could. Once his dad came back, he assumed the role of his father's sidekick again but he proved himself.