What is the personality of Roy Harper/Arsenal/Speedy/Red Arrow?

[Timothy Hunter]

What is the personality of Roy Harper and how does he differ as a character in relation to the rest of the Titans?

[MajorHoy]

What is the personality of Roy Harper and how does he differ as a character in relation to the rest of the Titans?

Well, his current personality = deceased.

As for how he differs from the other Titans, he wasn't an original "Teen Titan"; he didn't work with the group until issue #4 (July-August 1966)


And while Speedy didn't become a regular member of the Teen Titans right after that story, it was in issue #4 of Justice League of America (April-May 1961) that Green Arrow joined the JLA.

[Restingvoice]

I only know him from New 52 onward and the impression I got is the annoying best friend who's loyal and have his heart in the right place but somehow always screw up everything despite being a genius in engineering.

So a high intelligence, low wisdom, loveable loser kinda guy.

[Timothy Hunter]

Well, his current personality = deceased.

As for how he differs from the other Titans, he wasn't an original "Teen Titan"; he didn't work with the group until issue #4 (July-August 1966)


And while Speedy didn't become a regular member of the Teen Titans right after that story, it was in issue #4 of Justice League of America (April-May 1961) that Green Arrow joined the JLA.

First off, being dead is not a personality. Obviously I ask what personality Roy had when he was Alive. I thought that too obvious for that ve worth mentioning.

Also when I use the word "character" I am asking the poster to state Roy's morals, disposition, and temperament, not what his physical history.

[Sutekh]

What is the personality of Roy Harper and how does he differ as a character in relation to the rest of the Titans?

[Add 'IMO' to the end of every sentence that starts with a capital letter...]

Brash, hotheaded, doesn't like to be told what to do (and not hypocritical about it, he's not a leader/loner type who refuses to follow advice but expects everyone else to do what he says). He's overconfident, but can usually put his money where his mouth is, and deliver when the time is right. He got a lot of swagger (and perhaps a little too much 'hands off' mentoring, when a firmer hand might have been useful, given his proclivity for jumping in over his head and picking fights he didn't have to) from Green Arrow, but isn't always able to pull it off (and to his elders, particularly, doesn't seem to have completely earned that attitude, even if that cheeses him off even more...). Unfortunately, his larger than life persona cuts both ways, and while he's usually 'up,' when he goes 'down,' he goes down hard. He takes losing as a personal affront, as a sign of weakness or failure on his part, of 'letting everybody down,' even if he was well and truly outmatched, or in a situation that nobody would reasonably expect him to handle all by himself.

And so he sets himself up. He's all, 'I can handle this alone!' and then he runs into something he can't and takes it to heart, getting down on himself, when the one thing he did wrong was in thinking that he could do everything all by himself and never needed to ask for help.

He can be a roller-coaster, emotionally, but like a roller-coaster, some people like that sort of thing and think he's a fun ride.

[MajorHoy]

. . . Also when I use the word "character" I am asking the poster to state Roy's morals, disposition, and temperament, not what his physical history.

You also asked

. . . and how does he differ as a character in relation to the rest of the Titans?

so I thought it was worth mentioning he was not one of the three (later four in their next appearance) initial members of the group.





Also thought the parallel between Roy first appearing with the Teen Titans in issue #4 and Roy's mentor Ollie joining the JLA in issue #4 of that group's comic book was interesting and worth pointing out.

Sorry to bother you with such ancient history.

[byrd156]

What is the personality of Roy Harper and how does he differ as a character in relation to the rest of the Titans?

Have you not read the character before? Is that why you're asking?

In a logline, Roy Harper is a fun loving sarcastic single father who grew up as a sidekick, helped found one of DC's premier teams and became an incredible hero in his own right. He dealt with issues that most superheroes don't, drug addiction, being a single father, and various other mental health issues.

It just seems that DC is hung up on that last part and things that drugs and other issues are his defining traits when that was never the case.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

In YJ season 1 he was the aloof friend to Aqualad, KF and Robin. He took himself too seriously and often judgmental. Which made the reveal of him being a clone/traitor all the more ironic.

In season 2 he was obsessive at finding his original self, crossing a few lines in the process. When he found his original self he decided to retire and focus on being a dad to Lian.

[DrNewGod]

Speedy was created as a generic Robin clone. Thus, initially, he was the co-quipping right-hand cypher to Green Arrow. I can't remember when they gave Roy his Raised On A Reservation origin, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there at the beginning (but then, GA didn't have an origin at first either; just popped up fully formed, complete with analogs for almost all Batman's signature schticks).

When he joined the original Teen Titans, they made him The Brash One, with a bit of a womanizing bent. I'd imagine the writers figured that, since he'd be standing right next to Robin, he needed something to make him look less clone-like. There was a certain amount of meta-text to that, as writers tended to have Speedy buck Robin's authority, as if resentfully trying to break out on his inspiration's shadow.

He fell into limbo after that, but the Teen Titans characterization appears to followed him from there forward. Almost everything else done with him seems rooted in that.

[Timothy Hunter]

You also asked so I thought it was worth mentioning he was not one of the three (later four in their next appearance) initial members of the group.





Also thought the parallel between Roy first appearing with the Teen Titans in issue #4 and Roy's mentor Ollie joining the JLA in issue #4 of that group's comic book was interesting and worth pointing out.

Sorry to bother you with such ancient history.

No problem.

[byrd156]

Speedy was created as a generic Robin clone. Thus, initially, he was the co-quipping right-hand cypher to Green Arrow. I can't remember when they gave Roy his Raised On A Reservation origin, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there at the beginning (but then, GA didn't have an origin at first either; just popped up fully formed, complete with analogs for almost all Batman's signature schticks).

When he joined the original Teen Titans, they made him The Brash One, with a bit of a womanizing bent. I'd imagine the writers figured that, since he'd be standing right next to Robin, he needed something to make him look less clone-like. There was a certain amount of meta-text to that, as writers tended to have Speedy buck Robin's authority, as if resentfully trying to break out on his inspiration's shadow.

He fell into limbo after that, but the Teen Titans characterization appears to followed him from there forward. Almost everything else done with him seems rooted in that.

Roy's connection to Native American roots was there from pretty much the very beginning. In More Fun Comics #89 which is the original origin story for Green Arrow shows Roy, his father, and Quoag their "Native American servant" (casual 40s racism) crash on the Lost Mesa. Quoag teaches Roy pretty much everything about Archery, survival, etc. Ollie was basically Indiana Jones searching for Native American ruins and the like. Ollie loses everything in a museum fire so he goes searching the Lost Mesa where he meets Roy and Quoag.

Roy has never really been a sidekick in the way Dick was to Bruce. While Dick was already competent enough to become a hero in his own right he needed Bruce to groom him into Robin. Roy learned everything on his own away from Ollie, the two have always been partners in terms of skills from the start. Hell Roy for a lot of his stories was depicted as a better archer than Ollie. Their relationship was always very laid back and kinda distant which lead to the famous "Snowbirds Don't Fly". I really wish that DC an the writers who work with Roy would reread this story. They only take away that Roy did drugs and that somehow makes him bad or a lesser superhero. Hell Jason is supposed to be his "best friend" in the new continuity and he called Roy a half-assed superhero and a terrible archer in a eulogy. Roy hits rock bottom in that story and it's about him learning from those mistakes and rebuilding himself.



There's this I don't know if stigma is the right word but there's this idea that Roy is a character about self destruction. I remember hearing a quote about that from a writer a while back, trying to remember who said it. I do think that Roy has lived a very "improper" life for a superhero but I think it makes him all the stronger for it. Overcoming addiction, helping his community through testimonials and other addiction networks, being a single father. Roy has faced nothing but adversity and would still stand strong and laugh in it's face. I'm so tired of this idea that Roy is weak or lesser or a terrible hero.

[oasis1313]

I want Roy and Wally back.

[married guy]

Roy's connection to Native American roots was there from pretty much the very beginning. In More Fun Comics #89 which is the original origin story for Green Arrow shows Roy, his father, and Quoag their "Native American servant" (casual 40s racism) crash on the Lost Mesa. Quoag teaches Roy pretty much everything about Archery, survival, etc. Ollie was basically Indiana Jones searching for Native American ruins and the like. Ollie loses everything in a museum fire so he goes searching the Lost Mesa where he meets Roy and Quoag.

Roy has never really been a sidekick in the way Dick was to Bruce. While Dick was already competent enough to become a hero in his own right he needed Bruce to groom him into Robin. Roy learned everything on his own away from Ollie, the two have always been partners in terms of skills from the start. Hell Roy for a lot of his stories was depicted as a better archer than Ollie. Their relationship was always very laid back and kinda distant which lead to the famous "Snowbirds Don't Fly". I really wish that DC an the writers who work with Roy would reread this story. They only take away that Roy did drugs and that somehow makes him bad or a lesser superhero. Hell Jason is supposed to be his "best friend" in the new continuity and he called Roy a half-assed superhero and a terrible archer in a eulogy. Roy hits rock bottom in that story and it's about him learning from those mistakes and rebuilding himself.



There's this I don't know if stigma is the right word but there's this idea that Roy is a character about self destruction. I remember hearing a quote about that from a writer a while back, trying to remember who said it. I do think that Roy has lived a very "improper" life for a superhero but I think it makes him all the stronger for it. Overcoming addiction, helping his community through testimonials and other addiction networks, being a single father. Roy has faced nothing but adversity and would still stand strong and laugh in it's face. I'm so tired of this idea that Roy is weak or lesser or a terrible hero.

I really LOVED this.
I really enjoyed Meltzer's take on Roy. Which isn't really surprising as I loved his take on Ollie too.

[byrd156]

I really LOVED this.
I really enjoyed Meltzer's take on Roy. Which isn't really surprising as I loved his take on Ollie too.

As much as I hate IC, Meltzer can write the Arrow characters really well.

[bat39]

I've always preferred Arrow's take on Roy Harper, as played by Colton Haynes, pver the comic-book version. The TV Roy had a great arc over the first three seasons of the show - going from petty criminal and cynic to someone who basically hero-worships the Green Arrow, to finally becoming the Green Arrow's partner and a hero in his own right. And what they're doing with Roy in Season 7 is pretty great as well!

The comic-book Roy has unfortunately been defined far too much by one particular story - 'Snowbirds Don't Fly'. His being a reformed junkie seems to be the centrepiece of the character in the comics. Beyond that, few writers IMO have really been able to really define the character and what he stands for. Not that there haven't been interesting things done with him in the comics - him being a covert operative was a neat angle, as was his taking over Green Arrow's position in the Justice League. But somehow, I find it hard to get a really distinct feel for the character, and I think the writers too end up circling back to 'reformed junkie' more often than not.