Claim: Green Arrow first appeared in 1941.

Green Arrow is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics . Created by Mortimer Weisinger and designed by George Papp , he first appeared in More Fun Comics # 73 in November 1941 . His real name is Oliver `` Ollie '' Queen , a billionaire businessman and owner of Queen Industries , also a well-known celebrity in his locale of Star City . Sometimes shown dressed like Robin Hood , Green Arrow is an archer who uses his skills to fight crime in his home cities of Star City and Seattle , as well as alongside his fellow superheroes as a member of the Justice League . Though much less frequently used in modern stories , he also deploys a range of trick arrows with various special functions , such as glue , explosive-tipped , grappling hook , flash grenade , tear gas and even kryptonite arrows for use in a range of special situations . At the time of his debut , Green Arrow functioned in many ways as an archery-themed analogue of the very popular Batman character , but writers at DC subsequently developed him into a voice of progressivism very much distinct in character from Batman .   Green Arrow enjoyed moderate success in his early years , becoming the cover feature of More Fun , as well as having occasional appearances in other comics . Throughout his first twenty-five years , however , the character never enjoyed greater popularity . In the late 1960s , writer Denny O'Neil , inspired by the character 's dramatic visual redesign by Neal Adams , chose to have him lose his fortune , giving him the then-unique role of a streetwise crusader for the working class and the disadvantaged . In 1970 , he was paired with a more law and order-oriented hero , Green Lantern , in a ground-breaking , socially conscious comic book series . Since then , he has been popular among comic book fans and most writers have taken an urban , gritty approach to the character . The character was killed off in the 1990s and replaced by a new character , Oliver 's son Connor Hawke . Connor , however , proved a less popular character , and the original Oliver Queen character was resurrected in the 2001 `` Quiver '' storyline , by writer Kevin Smith . In the 2000s , the character has been featured in bigger storylines focusing on Green Arrow and Black Canary , such as the DC event The Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding and the high-profile Justice League : Cry for Justice storyline , prior to the character 's relaunch alongside most of DC 's properties in 2011 .   Green Arrow was not initially a well-known character outside of comic book fandom : he had appeared in a single episode of the animated series Super Friends in 1973 . In the 2000s , the character appeared in a number of DC television properties , including the animated series Justice League Unlimited , Young Justice , The Batman and Batman : The Brave and the Bold , and several DC Universe Animated Original Movies . In live action , he appeared in the series Smallville , played by actor Justin Hartley , and became a core cast member . In 2012 , the live action series Arrow debuted on The CW , in which the title character is portrayed by Stephen Amell , earning positive reviews and launched several spin-off series , becoming the starting point for a DC Comics shared television universe .