Opening Remarks
So, I recently saw an article with a similar title to this one on Fandom. I usually don't click on those articles that pop up in the sidebar on the Arrowverse Wikia, but this one managed to hook me. Of course, the list itself turned out to be pretty dumb (a couple of the entries didn't even involve Oliver being in danger...), but at least the idea behind it seemed pretty good to me. So here's my take: 6 times Oliver Queen epically escaped near-certain death.
#1. Oliver impresses Slade Wilson
Episode 1x13: Oliver follows Yao Fei's directions to Slade Wilson's fuselage hideout, only to be attacked by Slade and tied to a chair upon arriving. Even though Oliver desperately pleads with Slade that he is not an enemy, Slade doesn't want to take any chances and calmly prepares to kill Oliver.
But Oliver doesn't accept that fate lying down. In perhaps his first act of true badassery, Oliver dislocates his thumbs to escape his bonds, then weakly punches Slade in the face. Impressed by his grit, Slade decides that maybe trusting Oliver could be a good idea after all. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
#2. Oliver escapes Lian Yu
Episodes 5x22 and 5x23: Finally ready to return home to Starling, Oliver has Anatoly drop him off back on Lian Yu and arrange for a fishing boat to rescue him in 48 hours. Little does he know that Konstantin Kovar has one final gauntlet in store for him before his 5 years in hell can be over. Kovar captures Oliver and injects him with a diabolical drug that inflicts incredible pain and torments him with hallucinations. Quite confident that Oliver will break to the torture, Kovar leaves him in a cell with a gun and a single bullet.
But Oliver Queen is no ordinary man! Tortures that have broken a thousand men before him fall short in the face of his incomparable willpower! Oliver uses the gun to escape his cell, and begins taking out Kovar's men across the island, Rambo-style. With the clock ticking on his only chance to escape, Oliver brutally duels and kills Kovar, and just barely manages to get to his bonfire in time to signal the passing fishermen.
#3. Oliver defeats Malcolm Merlyn
Episode 1x23: Oliver has already fought the Dark Archer twice... and been soundly beaten twice, barely escaping with his life. Nonetheless, on the night of the Undertaking, Oliver confronts Merlyn for one final duel. The two archers battle on the rooftop of the Merlyn Global building, and Malcolm Merlyn once again gains the upper hand. As Merlyn restrains Oliver in a chokehold, it becomes clear that this time there will be no escape: defeat means death. Is this the end for our valiant hero?
Of course not! Oliver manages to grab one of his arrows and stab it through his own chest and into Malcolm, somehow threading the needle between his own vital organs and major arteries, but perfectly targeting his foe's. Apparently, in addition to ancient Greek literature, Oliver held onto a thing or two about human anatomy from his school days.
#4. Oliver survives Ra's al Ghul
Episode 3x09: Left completely out of options by Malcolm Merlyn's diabolical machinations, Oliver is forced to challenge Ra's al Ghul to a duel to save the life of his sister Thea. Before the fight even begins, it is clear that Oliver is in way over his head: Ra's doesn't even arm himself for the fight, instead promising to relieve Oliver of his swords when he is done with them. A few short moments later, and Ra's is stabbing Oliver through the chest and kicking his lifeless body off the side of a cliff.
The fall alone should have instantly killed any ordinary person. Seriously, go back and watch episode 3x10 at around 9:20... it's like 25 stories, easily. But--as this list well shows us--Oliver Queen is no ordinary person. The Assassin Formerly Known as Maseo delivers his barely-alive body to Tatsu Yamashiro, who nurses him back to health using ultra-cure/heal-everything herbs (a frequent Arrow plot device) and other unexplained quasi-mystical Eastern medicine. Who needs a Lazarus Pit, anyways?
#5. Oliver escapes the Dominator mothership
Episode 5x08: As certain-death scenarios are concerned, this is pretty much as bad as it gets. In the midst of the Dominator invasion, Oliver is abducted (along with John, Thea, Sara, and Ray) and taken to the aliens' mothership off somewhere in space. To make matters worse, he is placed in a dream-machine that replaces the memories of his real life with an illusory dream-world where his life is perfect.
But even this predicament is escapable for Oliver Queen! He starts to see through the cracks in the Dominators' dream-world and manages to deduce/remember what's really going on. Overcoming the temptation to remain in the dream-world, he leads his friends out of their mind prison and awakens aboard the mothership. From there, Oliver's action-hero super-skills kick in as he fights his way through the halls to a hangar, where he and his friends board a small ship and make their escape. Really, that pic of Oliver firing a giant alien gun says it all.
#6. Oliver escapes the Arrowcave death-trap
Episode 5x20: Under ordinary circumstances an EMP is not a lethal weapon. But Prometheus is nothing if not creative, and in this case he uses one to turn the Arrowcave into a hermetically sealed death-trap with only enough oxygen to last a few hours. Fast-forward a bit and Felicity is paralyzed from the waist down, Oliver is bleeding out, and there's a gas leak. It's a long story. The bottom-line is: the odds are looking pretty grim for Ollie and Felicity.
But terrible odds are made to be overcome! With nothing but their wits about them, Oliver and Felicity manage to claw their way out of the cave and into an adjoining tunnel system. Near to passing out from blood loss, Oliver summons all his strength and carries Felicity through the tunnels and to their exit point. In one final Herculean act, he manages to hoist Felicity up a ladder and then pull her up to a rope with a single arm. More importantly, the whole experience rekindles his romance with Felicity, so really it all works out for the best.
Closing Remarks
Hm, I actually really enjoyed making this list. Sometimes it's fun to forget about plot and characters and romances and just appreciate Oliver Queen for the action-man superhero he is. Also, the list is a fun way to depict Oliver's 10-year progression as a hero, as the near-death experiences become increasingly over-the-top as the years go on.
So, what death-defying stunts are in store for Arrow season 6? Fighting off entire cabals at once? Escape from Earth-X? I guess we'll have to wait to find out, but I'm sure Oliver's days of flirting with mortal danger are far from over.
Hope you enjoyed!
Phillip
