15 greatest Arrowverse couples of all time, ranked
Arrow — “Year’s End” — Image AR109b_0128b — Pictured (L-R): Katie Cassidy as Laurel and Stephen Amell as Oliver — Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW — ©2012 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved
2. Oliver and Laurel (Arrow)
When playboy billionaire Oliver Queen spent five years stranded on an island, enduring immeasurable amounts of torture, it wasn’t the thought of his lavish parties or his many affairs that kept him going. No, there was only one person he wanted to get back to – the first and only woman he ever truly loved: Dinah Laurel Lance.
Keeping her picture with him during his times of strife, he realized that she was the only thing that really mattered – something that he highlighted countless times throughout the show’s first season when he attempted to make up to her for all the horrible things he had done.
While Laurel was understandably unmoved, she couldn’t hide her feelings forever and, eventually, the pair found their way back to each other. Though there were issues with how their story played out, nothing could take those heartfelt moments away from them – many of which were so fulfilling because, when all was said and done, Oliver wasn’t a heartless playboy here or a troubled vigilante, he was just a man who finally realized how much he loved the woman in front of him.
Arrow‘s portrayal of their relationship was commendably different from the comics and started out with real promise. However, as Oliver became the heroic Green Arrow and Laurel became the Black Canary, the writers decided to strip everything away from the latter and force her into the background of her own show – a mistake they have never stopped paying for.
Laurel is, was and always will be at the heart of Oliver Queen’s story. She kept him going throughout his hellish times on the island and ultimately taught him to be a better man and, in turn, a better hero. This is why the writers’ ridiculous decision to friendzone them, pair Oliver with Felicity and ultimately kill Laurel off has left the show with a major hole that will never be filled.
There were times when Oliver wanted to die, but in the end, there was something, someone, he wanted more. Nothing else could ever compare to this.