Will Harper

Red Arrow (real name Roy Harper) is a superhero archer from Star City. His alias was Speedy whilst partnered with Green Arrow, but became Red Arrow after his defection from his former mentor. He is currently a solo crime fighter, and an associate of The Team. Despite not being part of The Team he has access to Mount Justice. He particularly likes to stop the League of Shadows.

Personality
Roy's personality is in sharp contrast to his erstwhile mentor, Green Arrow. Unlike Green Arrow's lax and friendly disposition, Roy is far more serious and is not at all tolerant of juvenile acts. He passed off Green Arrow's joke on Icicle and quickly changed the conversation to the more serious topic of visiting the hall.

Out of the original four teenage pupils, Roy is the most brash and outspoken. He demands respect, despite his own inability to show respect to anyone else. This attitude and arrogance alienates him from most people, even those who refuse to give up on him. After becoming a solo hero, he came to the conclusion that The Team is not in his league. When an imprisoned Cheshire mocks Red Arrow for believing he is in her league, she asks for Green Arrow because he needs him, to which an annoyed Red Arrow denies. Roy would adamantly refuse to accept help from other people until he ended up on the losing end in a battle against both Sportsmaster and Cheshire. He is also shown to be extremely impatient and gives little thought to the consequences of his actions.

Roy is a fiery teenager with a short fuse. He always sees himself as Green Arrow's partner and detests being called a sidekick to the point that he snaps at anyone who calls him one. His temper is also lost whenever the topic of his former mentor and the league is brought up. After changing his name, he would make it a habit to correct anyone who made the mistake of calling him Speedy, even commanding the monitor in The Cave to refer to him as Red Arrow instead of Speedy. In other instances, he is shown to lose his temper when things do not go his way, such as when Cheshire managed to escape from prison.

Roy also seems to hold grudges against those who he feels have betrayed him—in particular Green Arrow and by extension the league. He refuses to accept help from the league, and has admitted he does not need Green Arrow. After rescuing Serling Roquette from the League of Shadows, he went to The Cave, where he meets Green Arrow for the first time since he quit. With the betrayal still fresh in his mind, he would shoot down all of Green Arrow's attempts to convince him to join him again. He would instead tell Green Arrow to take his new protege, whom he referred to as his replacement.

He initially speaks dismissively and rudely towards his friends when they attempt to convince him to join their team, as he wants no connection with the League. Despite this, he is also protective of them, warning Artemis not to hurt them when he realizes that she is lying to them about her background. After getting help from Aqualad to guard Lex Luthor from the Shadows, he gained respect for the team. He is now willing to help them when they are in need.

Characteristics
Speedy has auburn hair and blue eyes.

Speedy's costume resembles his original design from the comics. A yellow sixteenth century hat complete with the feather, yellow gloves, boots, belt and a red suit. He later abandons the hat after quitting as Green Arrow's partner.

After re-branding himself as Red Arrow, the suit itself is redesigned. It is now predominantly black, with a red chest and collar. His quiver (red) is now attached with two grey shoulder straps connected across the chest, and his gloves (black) are fingerless.

Early life
Speedy joined Green Arrow three years prior to taking a "tour" of the Hall of Justice. He quickly came to see himself as Green Arrow's partner rather than a mere sidekick.

Present
Star City: July 4, 09:01 PDT

Speedy and Green Arrow react to Icicle's attack a suspension bridge in Star City. The two began to fire arrows at the ice villain, until finally Speedy knocked him out with a trick arrow. Green Arrow jokes about Icicle's glass jaw, but an unamused Speedy is more focused on heading to the Hall of Justice. He is ready to become a full-fledged member of the League.

Washington, D.C.: July 4, 14:00 EDT

Green Arrow took Speedy to the Hall of Justice, where they joined Batman, Robin, Flash, Kid Flash, Aquaman and Aqualad. They all enter the Hall of Justice, where Green Arrow and the other members of the League are called into a meeting. Speedy immediately senses something amiss, and becomes infuriated when it turned out to be little more than a 'glorified backstage pass'. He revealed that Green Arrow had told him all about the League's real base, the Watchtower, and tried to get the others to see his point of view. When this failed, Speedy quit, throwing down his hat and walking out of the Hall of Justice to become his own hero.

Star City: July 17, 23:16 PDT

He subsequently returned to Star City, where he is seen stopping Brick's shipment of alien weapons at the docks. Despite being a lone hero, it is continued to be believed by Brick that he still worked for Green Arrow, even telling Speedy that "Green Arrow shouldn't send boys to do a man's job". An annoyed Speedy eventually encased him in high-density polyurethane foam. When Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash came to try to convince him to join The Team, he refused. He tells them that the team is a joke and a means by which the Justice League could keep the sidekicks busy and in their place. He leaves, wishing to have no part in it.

Infinity Island: August 7, 23:49 ECT

After Serling Roquette of the Royal University in Star City was kidnapped by the League of Shadows, Red Arrow traveled to Infinity Island to rescue her. He manages to infiltrate the base and head to the room Serling was working in. He successfully rescues her, but by this time, she had already created the Fog for the Shadows.

Mount Justice: August 8 The following day, he enters The Cave just as Kid Flash was talking about Green Arrow's old sidekick. It is here that he encountered Green Arrow's new protégé Artemis for the first time. Instantly, the relationship is acrimonious, as Red Arrow questions Artemis' skill with the bow, which Artemis defends. Artemis and Green Arrow both claimed that she was Green Arrow's niece. Red Arrow instantly knew this was not true, but did not pursue the matter and proceeded to state his business at The cave. He explains that he rescued Serling Roquette from the League of Shadows, which instantly gains the appraisal of both Kid and Robin. The only problem is that The Shadows had already coerced her into a weapon known as The Fog, which is made from millions of microscopic robots that can not only destroy everything in their path but can hack any system and retain the information. In order to protect her, he left her in a local high school's computer lab. Green Arrow uses this opportunity to convince Red Arrow to join him, so they can protect her together. Red Arrow shoots his attempt down, and tells him to take his new protege. Green Arrow tells him that it is now Artemis' mission since she is now apart of the team. Red feels his job is done then, so he leaves, but makes sure to reprogram the monitor to refer to him as Red Arrow now.

Gotham City: August 9, 01:16 EDT On the morning of August 9 in Gotham City, Red Arrow awaits Artemis in the shadows as she leaves the telephone booth. Artemis instantly suspects someone and prepares her bow, demanding him to step out of the shadows. Red Arrow is impressed, and admits she almost made him believe she was Green Arrow's niece. He tells her he is in on her secret, but said that he would not disclose her secret since Batman and Green Arrow probably had good reasons for the deception. Nevertheless, he threatened her not to hurt his friends before leaving.

Taipei: September 7, 19:20 NST Roy is in Taipei during the peace summit. He calls Aqualad to give him information on Cheshire. Aqualad gives him the information and asks if he needs backup, but Roy denies the offer. He readies his bow and shoots an arrow just in time to prevent Cheshire from firing a missile at the limo holding the independent arbitrator. He then attempts to capture her with a trick arrow that releases a net. Cheshire cuts through it, which forces Roy to tackle her to the ground, whereupon the police apprehend both him and Cheshire. Lex Luthor tells the police to release him, as he is Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy. Roy is quick to correct this, though. Still, Lex's act of kindness does not impress Roy, who refuses to trust Lex. Roy tells Lex he has intel that reveals he is profiting off of the sale of weapons from both sides. He also warns him that the Shadows will not stop until their part of the contract is fulfilled, which brings up the point of who hired them and who their target is. Luthor offers to hire Roy as a bodyguard, but Roy refuses to take money. Luthor is mildly amused, but accepts the free offer.



Red Arrow visits Cheshire in jail to interrogate her. He asks who hired her, to which Cheshire answers by saying The Shadows. Red Arrow asks who hired them, but Cheshire does not know, as she never asks. He then asks what the end game is, whether it is the peace summit or Luthor himself. Cheshire tells him it is two birds, one stone. Cheshire brings up the topic of his sidekick friends. Red Arrow tells her they are not in his league, but Cheshire is not persuaded, and questions if he is in hers. She mockingly asks for Green Arrow. She then ducks, which Red Arrow immediately feels uneasy about. His uneasiness is warranted, as an explosion destroys the walls in Cheshire's cage. She escapes with Sportsmaster. An angered Red Arrow runs after them.



As Red Arrow makes it outside, he sees Cheshire and Sportsmaster jumping across buildings to reach the helicopter to escape. Red Arrow fires a bow with a rope attached to a building and slings down it. He appears to be catching up to them until Cheshire throws a shuriken that cuts the rope. This gives her and Sportsmaster enough time to make it to the helicopter. Still, a determined Red Arrow makes it in time to fire a another bow with a rope attached as the helicopter takes flight. He hangs by the rope until Cheshire cuts it. As he falls, the quick Red Arrow fires a bow filled with high-density foam to create a cushion for his landing. As he lands, he checks a device that tracks the arrow he had previously fired at the helicopter.

He tracks them all the way to their meeting with the person who presumably hired them. Red Arrow, watching from afar with his binoculars, is surprised that it is Ra's al Ghul. He listens to their conversation until Ra's spots him, signaling Cheshire and Sportsmaster to eliminate him. Red Arrow shoots an arrow Ra's al Ghul, which is blocked by Sportsmaster. Cheshire jumps across rooftops and heads toward Red Arrow. Red Arrow fires a few arrows at Cheshire, but they are blocked and evaded by her. Sportsmaster soon joins the fray and throws discs at Red Arrow, who blocks them with his bow, but the force is strong enough to destroy it. Red Arrow is now defenseless and cornered. Sportsmaster throws an explosive javelin, which forces Red Arrow to evade it by jumping into the river below. Sportsmaster throws another javelin after him. Red Arrow makes it in time and heads deep enough into the water so the explosion does not reach him. He remains in the water until Sportsmaster and Cheshire leave. The defeated Red Arrow comes out of the water and calls Aqualad, finally admitting he may need some help.

In Lex Luthor's office, Red Arrow tells him the League of Shadows wants him dead. It is not just Cheshire, but Sportsmaster and Ra's al Ghul. Lex is not surprised, as Ra's is a competitor. Red Arrow quips letting him and Ra's take each other out. Lex reminds him that he is responsible for making peace. He then recommends surprising the Shadows and increasing security, but Red Arrow recommends another plan.



Red Arrow is next seen at the summit alongside Aqualad, acting as guard. A disguised Cheshire with a cart soon enters the room, but is immediately spotted by Aqualad. Cheshire pushes the bomb-filled towards the people. Red Arrow fires an arrow at the cart, causing the premature explosion, while Aqualad creates a wall of water to protect the people from the explosion. Red Arrow tells Cheshire it's over, but she disagrees. Just in time, Sportmaster and a crew of henchmen appear via helicopter to even the odds. Aqualad takes on Sportsmaster while Red Arrow takes on Cheshire.

Red Arrow fires numerous arrows at Cheshire, but she evades and blocks all of them all-the-while teasing him for bringing one of his sidekick friends to help him, especially since he believed they were not in his league. A little while into the battle, Red Arrow fires an arrow at the fire safety sprinkler systems, dousing the place. Aqualad creates a hydra-beast with the water and takes out numerous men, until Cheshire throws a smoke bomb. When the smoke clears, she and Sportsmaster are not found. The two then head outside and discuss what just happened. Red Arrow brings up the topic of Sportsmaster receiving inside information. Aqualad cannot rule out the possibility, so he will investigate without telling anyone. Red Arrow shows some objection, but Aqualad's reason is to not cause any trouble over baseless suspicions, and that he does not wish to tip the mole off. Red Arrow wishes him luck and heads off, but is stopped by Aqualad. He comments on Red Arrow coming to the team for help when he needed it, instead of Green Arrow or the League. Red Arrow finally admits the team deserves, or rather, earned his respect. He assures Aqualad that he will be there when they need him. With that, the two shake hands.

Powers & Abilities
Like his former mentor, Green Arrow, Speedy is a master with a bow and arrow.


 * Expert Marksman: With an archer's main weapon being the bow and arrow, the aim of the marksman can mean the difference between life and death. Speedy is a highly skilled marksman as can be seen in his battle with Icicle. He is able to fire bows while mid-flip and still manage to be so precise, he can hit the muzzle of Brick's gun, destroying it in the process. He is also able to shoot at least two arrows simultaneously with impressive accuracy.
 * Hand to Hand Combat: Green Arrow undoubtedly trained Speedy in the basics of hand to hand combat should his bow ever fail him. He displayed impressive skill when he knocked out two shadows guarding Serling. He has also managed to go head-to-head with Cheshire, though only for a short time.
 * Stealth: Roy has shown some level of stealth. Most notably in Infiltrator, where he snuck on to Infinity Island without any guards noticing him.
 * Acrobatics: Roy has proven himself to be a vastly above average acrobat. Thought not in Robin's league, he is shown to use flips while evading enemy fire.

Equipment
Speedy utilizes recurve bows and many types of Trick Arrows much like his mentor Green Arrow. He has been shown using
 * arrows that can "punch" an opponent,
 * arrows that explode on impact,
 * arrows that can release a high-density polyurethane foam to engulf and incapacitate its targets,
 * arrows that can electrocute and knock-out armoured soldiers,
 * arrows that can overwrite the feeds from security cameras, and
 * arrows that carry a zip-line, which he can slide down.

While saving Dr. Roquette he also used a blue boat to escape from Infinity Island.

Green Arrow
Green Arrow was Speedy's mentor. Speedy believed that they were partners rather than hero and sidekick, and for the most part Green Arrow seemed to share this view. Green Arrow had a large amount of respect for Speedy, and was the only one of the four mentors who actually thought that his pupil might be ready to join the League. However, when Batman and the rest of the mentors disagreed, Green Arrow was forced to back down, which led Speedy to feel betrayed by his mentor claiming "I thought I was his partner. I guess I was wrong." This left their relationship particularly strained

Nevertheless, he continues to live in Green Arrow's shadow: even when operating solo, his enemies such as Brick continue to believe that he is little more than Green Arrow's sidekick. He later expressed anger when Green Arrow so quickly took on Artemis as a new protégé, saying that Green Arrow believed he was "replaceable".

Green Arrow typically refers to him as "Roy", even in front of members of the Justice League and The Team.

Artemis
Artemis replaced Red Arrow (aka Speedy) as Green Arrow's protégé. On their first meeting, Red Arrow derisively asked Green Arrow whether she could even use the bow, and she responded, "Yes, she can." Red Arrow immediately knew that Artemis was not Green Arrow's niece, as she and Green Arrow claimed, and later confronted her about this. He said that he would not reveal her secret, since he assumed Green Arrow and Batman must have had a good reason for lying, but he threatened her not to hurt his friends.

The Team
It's been implied that Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Roy are friends of sorts, having worked together on several occasions, but their meeting on July 4 was the first time they were all together at once. But while the other three do their best to show friendly dispositions towards Roy, he does not necessarily return those feelings in a conventional sense. Likely due to the smaller age difference and maturity, Roy is closer to Aqualad than the other teammates.

After leaving Green Arrow, Roy has demonstrated annoyance at the others for not following his lead and for being more accepting of their positions in the superhero community. He doesn't seem to appreciate the high opinion the others have for him, and is even dismissive of the fact they have formed their own team. Still, on some level, Roy does consider them his friends, and is intent on protecting them, particularly from their new teammate Artemis, whom he considers a threat due to her mysterious origins. On at least two separate occasions, his first instinct when seeking help has been to turn to his friends, first to protect Serling Roquette, and then to stop an assassination attempt by Cheshire and Sportsmaster. After Aqualad helped Red Arrow with this second matter, Roy admitted that the younger heroes have his respect, and he apologized for his attitude, citing that he's still getting used to the "solo act stuff". He then tells Aqualad that should they need his help, he'll be there for them.

Cheshire
Cheshire seemed to be attracted to Roy when they first met. After attacking Taiwan, Cheshire was sent to jail. After exchanging questions, Cheshire asked where his "sidekick friends" were, particularly "Ar-chery Girl". Roy claimed they weren't in his league and Cheshire cheekily asked if he was in hers. A moment later the jail wall blew up and Sportsmaster came for Cheshire. Roy took chase, and managed to hook a line to the escaping helicopter, but he was cut loose by Cheshire, who showed a bit of reluctance to end the interactions so quickly. They later face off again, but Roy is outmatched by Cheshire and Sportsmaster. Together Aqualad and Roy fight Cheshire and Sportsmaster who attack Lex Luthor, but Cheshire and Sportsmaster escape after an explosion.

Comics background

 * In the comics, Roy is considered one of the founding members of the first teen hero teams, the Teen Titans. However, in truth, he was a late-comer to the team, first only acting in a guest star to the team before he officially joined the team in Issue #19 as a replacement for Aqualad (Garth) who quit the team for a period.
 * In the comics, Roy was in a romantic relationship with assassin Cheshire, which resulted in them having a child together, Lian Harper. Lian unfortunately was killed recently in the highly controversial mini-series "Justice League: Cry for Justice".


 * Roy has had three codenames: Speedy, Arsenal and Red Arrow. He took the Arsenal identity during his time as a member of Checkmate. Roy later assumes the identity of Arsenal before becoming Red Arrow as a means of honoring his family "legacy" upon joining the Justice League. After the death of his daughter, he retook the identity of Arsenal, this time in an anti-hero/villain capacity.


 * Roy Harper is particularly famous in comics for a storyline in which it was revealed that he had become addicted to drugs. Although he recovered from his initial addiction, he has recently regressed into a full-blown heroin addict following the death of his daughter.

Production notes
This is the fifth animated iteration of Speedy, who debuted in the 1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure ' s Teen Titans segments. Later, between 2004 and 2006, he was featured on six episodes of Teen Titans and in 2006 on one episode of Justice League Unlimited. More recently, Speedy appeared in two Batman: The Brave and the Bold episodes. This, however, is Red Arrow's first animated debut.

Roy's Red Arrow costume appears to be a combination of various Arsenal and Red Arrow costumes that Roy has used in the comics.