After 32 Years, DC Officially Renames A Classic Hero

Published Oct 27, 2026, 2:39 PM EDT Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. A famous DC hero and Justice League member takes up his predecessor's mantle and renames himself to launch a new era. In the DC Universe, successors could be relatives, former sidekicks, protégés, or even complete strangers. Multiple people can also carry the same identity simultaneously, while others abandon an inherited name to establish an independent reputation. DC's approach makes legacy particularly complicated because its history encompasses several overlapping continuities, reboots, alternate timelines, and multiversal counterparts, meaning a character can be an original hero in one universe and a successor in another. Some of DC's most famous superheroes are themselves legacy characters. Hal Jordan inherited the Green Lantern identity from Alan Scott, although the two originally belonged to separate continuities and their powers came from different sources. Meanwhle, Barry Allen was introduced in 1956 as a successor to Jay Garrick, whose Golden Age adventures as the original Flash helped establish the superhero genre as a whole. DC's modern Mister Terrific, Michael Holt, overshadowed his predecessor in 1997, fifty-five years after Terry Sloan's debut in 1942. Even the DC heroes with the most personal vendettas and objectives eventually pass on the torch to younger heroes who put their own spin on their heroic identity. DC's Future Green Arrow Is "Connor Hawk" The Deadman #5; Written By W. Maxwell Prince; Art By Martín Morazzo & Chris O'Halloran As Boston Brand explores an unknown future in W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, and Chris O'Halloran's The Deadman #5, the titular Justice League Dark alum meets future versions of familiar DC heroes. Boston first meets an electronic version of Swamp Thing, now composed of wires instead of vegetation; as well as Amrill Melville aka Ms Terrific, a successor to Michael Holt with an even more brilliant intellect than the iconic second Mr. Terrific. Deadman is also saved by "Connor Hawk," a future version of Connor Hakwe who wears the Green Arrow costume and has somehow dropped the "e" from his name. Connor Hawke is the most famous successor to Oliver Queen's Green Arrow. As Oliver's son, it's natural for Connor to assume the mantle after his father is presumed dead. Raised in a Buddhist ashram and trained in martial arts, Connor brings a special combination of spiritual discipline and exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills to the role. Unlike Oliver, whose impulsiveness often shapes his decisions, Connor usually approaches crime-fighting with greater restraint. Connor Hawke Is Oliver Queen's Principal Successor, But Not The Only One DC's Future Has Several Possible Green Arrows Oliver Queen's legacy as Green Arrow is honored by multiple successors and alternate-universe counterparts in the near and far future. Different continuities have explored different heirs to Oliver's legacy. For instance, in the DC One Million future, Oliver's influence is shared across millennia by descendants who turn an individual vigilante's mission into a mantle that's inherited for generations. And in the Arrowverse, John Diggle Jr. a.k.a. Connor Hawke becomes a future Green Arrow, but as Diggle's son rather than Oliver's. Another notable successor is Emiko Queen, introduced in the New 52 as the daughter of Robert Queen and Shado, which makes her Oliver's half-sister. Initially raised and trained by the assassin Komodo, Emiko discovers her family connections and eventually turns against the people who manipulated her, though she later adopts the name Red Arrow instead of permanently replacing Oliver. In the Arrow series, Emiko is reimagined as Robert Queen's illegitimate daughter and becomes the leader of the Ninth Circle before eventually taking up the Green Arrow identity during Oliver's imprisonment. In Arrow, Mia Smoak travels back to 2019 and receives the Green Arrow mantle from the late Oliver Queen. The biggest addition to Green Arrow's lore in recent years is definitely Absolute Green Arrow, once again Connor Hawke, who takes up the Green Arrow identity after Oliver Queen is mysteriously assassinated. In the Absolute Universe, Connor becomes a key figure in the efforts to expose the forces behind his father's death. The Absolute Green Arrow version of the Emerald Archer is a lethal vigilante known to the public as the "Green Arrow Killer" and wears a full skull helmet beneath his hood, wields dual swords alongside a high-tech bow, and uses a deployable shield. Do you like Connor Hawke in the Green Arrow role? The Deadman #5 is now available from DC Comics Green Arrow Created by Mort Weisinger, George Papp TV Show(s) Arrow First Film Green Arrow Latest Film Green Arrow First TV Show Arrow Latest TV Show Arrow