Arsenal


 * This article is about the original sidekick of Green Arrow. For the Cadmus-created clone, see Red Arrow.

Arsenal (real name Roy Harper) was the original Speedy, and the former sidekick of Green Arrow. Shortly after becoming Green Arrow's partner, he was abducted by Lex Luthor and the Light, where he was cloned for the purpose of infiltrating the Justice League. He remained cryogenically frozen for eight years, before he was found in early 2016, by Red Arrow, and his wife, Cheshire.

Physical appearance
As the genetic template for Red Arrow, Roy exactly resembles his physical clone. He has auburn hair and blue eyes, and is shorter and much less muscular than Red Arrow, given that he was fifteen at the time of his replacement by the clone at his (then) current biological age. While under the guise of Speedy, he donned the same outfit that the clone wore before assuming the position of Red Arrow: a yellow sixteenth century-style hat complete with a red feather, yellow gloves, boots, belt and a red suit. Currently, he is missing a portion of his right arm from below the elbow.

Since dubbing himself Arsenal and joining the Team, Roy sports a buzz cut and an outfit similar to his clone counterpart. He has the mechanical arm replacing the part of his arm he originally lost.

Early life
Early on in his crime fighting career at the age of 15, he went on a solo investigation into a LexCorp shell company trading weapons with North Rhelasia. He was captured and taken to Cadmus, where the scientists amputated his right arm to have an endless supply of his DNA to use to perfect their cloning technique. He was replaced by a clone who took over as Speedy for the next 3 years, then Red Arrow after that. The real Roy was stored in a cryo-containment pod in Cadmus.

2011


When they raided Cadmus, the Light took Roy's pod with them.

2011-2015
The Justice League discontinued the search for Speedy after a few years, believing with Guardian's inside knowledge of Cadmus protocol that he was truly dead. Red Arrow kept looking for him, and was consumed by the search.

2016
With Cheshire's help, Red Arrow finally found Roy, locked away in a cryogenic chamber in a Tibetan monastery. Red Arrow opened the pod and caught the boy, who started to regain consciousness.

Following his liberation, Roy was taken to Royal Memorial Hospital in Star City, where he was watched over by Green and Red Arrow.



Upon waking up, Roy had a conversation with Green Arrow and his clone about what happened to him and the eight years during his absence. He was particularly furious with Green Arrow for giving up looking for him while Red Arrow saved him. After they left the room Roy escaped his hospital room by jumping out his window in order to hunt the man responsible for his confinement, Lex Luthor.

After his escape he went to one of Green Arrow's storages. There he changed to his original costume and took some equipment to stand off against Lex Luthor. After Red Arrow and Green Arrow arrived, Speedy escaped with the Zeta-Beam and left a grenade behind to make sure they wouldn't follow him.

From an adjacent rooftop, Speedy fired a rocket at Luthor's office. Lex survived the attack, and Speedy outmaneuvered Luthor by going underground. After Luthor approached a car with Mercy, Speedy made the car explode. Speedy confronted Luthor and aimed a gun at him, he demanded that Mercy would disarm, however by surprise he saw that Mercy was actually a weaponized cyborg. Mercy was ordered by Luthor to take on Speedy.

In the midst of the battle, Speedy was praised by Luthor for the use of his full arsenal: his intelligence. Speedy thought out the strategies to take out Mercy, eventually he used LexCorp detonation cord to bind Mercy's arm and detonated it, destroying her right arm. Speedy went straight to Luthor and bound his arm as well. When Speedy threatened to destroy Luthor's arm, he was surrounded by Luthor's security force with guns. He told Luthor that he wanted his revenge and that he was willing to die for it. Luthor then gave his briefcase to Speedy to let him see what is inside, after wondering if it was a booby trap, Speedy opened the briefcase, revealing a mechanical arm.

Green Arrow and Red Arrow arrived late at LexCorp, where Speedy confronted them and told them that he was fine. He also told that he did not kill Luthor yet, but that he received something instead and showed them the mechanical arm. Green Arrow wondered if he was alright, but Roy told them that he wasn't Speedy anymore and the sound of "Arsenal" was more to his liking.

Arsenal was one of the Team members assigned to Alpha Squad to investigate LexCorp Farms in Smallville. Arsenal complained about the warehouse that was being used and asked why The Team couldn't use the Watchtower. Nightwing told him that only Justice League and senior members of The Team were allowed access to the Watchtower.

Arsenal joined Robin, Blue Beetle and Impulse for a tour of LexCorp Farms. As they were taken around the facility, Arsenal motioned to Robin, pointing out tubes and tanks filled with a pink liquid. Robin asked tour guide Sharon Vance about the liquid and she said that it included water, nutrients and "a little Reach-LexCorp love." As the tour continued, Robin directed Alpha Squad to head to the bathroom.

After everyone had gone home for the night, Robin instructed Alpha Squad to leave the bathroom. He used a device to hack the security cameras, allowing Arsenal to open a door to the basement. Alpha Squad came upon a laboratory and, after the Scarab translated for Beetle, learned there was an additive the Reach was using. Beetle then noticed Robin was missing, but Arsenal told him to wait, and then the squad watched as Robin got a sample of the additive.

As the Squad exited the basement and Robin assessed the situation, Arsenal told him to "wait for it" and an explosion went off in the basement. Robin asked Arsenal why he would blow up the lab and Arsenal told him he wasn't going to let the Reach poison everyone and that he wanted to humiliate Lex Luthor.

As Robin tried to hack the security system, he admonished Arsenal, but then Black Beetle arrived, forcing Alpha Squad to deal with him. Arsenal tried several attacks, with his laser having the most effect on Beetle's armor, although the damage didn't last long. During the battle, Robin asked why Blue Beetle was unable to match up with Black Beetle, and after Blue Beetle explained why, Arsenal said he should give the Scarab control of the armor again (as did the Scarab) but Blue Beetle refused. Robin eventually used explosive Batarangs to blow a hole in the wall, allowing Alpha Squad to escape and make its way through a cornfield.

After exiting the cornfield, Black Beetle caught up with them, then another individual appeared. This individual, wearing green armor similar to that of Blue and Black Beetle, ended up attacking Black Beetle. Robin eventually deduced the new individual was a Martian, calling him Green Beetle. Arsenal asked if the squad should let him fight it out with Black Beetle, but after Black Beetle used his plasma cannon to ignite flames to weaken Green Beetle, Alpha Squad intervened. Arsenal used his laser to disable the plasma cannon, and the squad and Green Beetle eventually took down Black Beetle and escaped to the Kent farm.

Alpha Squad, Nightwing, Superboy and Green Beetle traveled to STAR Labs in Taos, where they met up with Miss Martian.

Powers and Abilities
Above average human conditioning: Having undergone an evidently vigorous and intensive training regimen, Arsenal has demonstrated impressive physical feats for a human of his age and size. Even with one arm amputated he still has shown to be very incredible in combat.
 * Speed: Arsenal has shown to be able to run at above the average speed for someone his age in combat situations.
 * Endurance: Arsenal is able to maintain his stamina during a combative situation.
 * Agility: Arsenal has proven to be at a high level of human agility, able to move, dodge and react to danger with impressive agility.
 * Reflexes: Arsenal has shown to react very quickly in combat.
 * Acrobatics: Arsenal has shown to be good in basic acrobatics.
 * Strategist: Arsenal has shown to prepare before engaging in combat and overtaking a stronger enemy, to the degree that Lex Luthor commented that this was his greatest asset. This factor was especially apparent after Arsenal ambushed Luthor in the parking garage of LexCorp tower. Despite the absence of most of his dominant right arm (above the elbow), thus disabling him from using his weapon of choice, his bow, he succeeded in neutralizing Luthor's android bodyguard with only a slight degree of difficulty. Afterwards, he eluded capture by LexCorp security via engaging Luthor in an almost classic, nobody-wins, Mexican standoff—all the while using weapons and equipment that had been specifically selected within a very short period of time (about 5 to 15 minutes).
 * Marksmanship: Arsenal has shown to be highly skilled in hitting his targets, especially in his one arm condition.

Equipment

 * Bow and arrow: During his (short) time as Speedy, his primary weapon was a bow and arrow.
 * Crossbow: Used with a number of trick bolts.
 * Explosive bolt
 * Foam bolt
 * Hacking bolt


 * Cybernetic arm: Given as compensation by Luthor, the arm has a missile launcher and a powerful laser, activated through cylinders inserted in the red ports on the arm. It also includes a grapple.
 * Electronic key: Able to unlock car doors when placed upon the panel.
 * Grenades
 * Grenade launcher
 * Rebreather
 * Rocket launcher
 * Stealth-tech
 * Tonfa
 * Detonation cord: Arsenal used a detonation cord which could ensnare a foe's limb and with a detonator can make it explode.

Background in other media

 * In the comics, Roy Harper was one of the earliest sidekicks, modeled from the character of Robin to serve as Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy. When his addiction to heroin was revealed, he became estranged from his mentor. He changed his heroic identity to Arsenal, and later assumed the name Red Arrow when he joined the Justice League. At the end of the Cry for Justice storyline, he lost his right arm (and his daughter) at the hands of Prometheus..
 * This marks the sixth animated iteration of Speedy. He first appeared in the 1967 The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure ' s Teen Titans segments, and after that in Teen Titans, Justice League Unlimited, Justice League: The New Frontier, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.