Top 10 characters the Arrowverse completely botched

9. Laurel Lance/Black Canary

This Arrow leading lady does not get the same slack as Iris. Unlike her, Laurel is thoroughly detestable from the beginning, and that carries all throughout the Arrowverse. Though initially justified in her hatred of Oliver Queen, she soon loses our sympathy as he bears the weight of his family’s sins and works to atone for them. At a point, her attitude devolves into petty spite.

Laurel is not only selfish but self-righteous. She’s so personally offended when people don’t meet her impossible standard that she allows it to affect her own wellbeing, and she has no problem making it your problem.

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We see this when she becomes an alcoholic, making life difficult for everyone who inexplicably cares about her. During this period, her sister Sara returns after supposedly being dead for years, and Laurel’s first response is to angrily shun her. Even with Mom and Dad overjoyed to see their daughter again, she lambastes Sara (and Oliver) for somehow ruining all their lives.

With this God complex, it goes without saying that Laurel thinks she’s always right. When her sister actually dies, she keeps it a secret from Daddy for months. After all, she doesn’t think he can handle it so that obviously gives her the right to decide what he can and can’t know about his own daughter. It also gives her the right to exhume Sara’s rotting carcass and resurrect her as a raving lunatic through the mystical Lazarus Pit.

Whenever the other characters call her on such poor decisions, she denies any wrongdoing. Laurel maintains that she knows best and that the naysayers simply don’t see things clearly. This is why she never seems to learn from any of her mistakes, resulting in an obnoxiously stupid drag too set in her ways to even think about improving. Plus, it’s all made far more excruciating thanks to Katie Cassidy’s pouty performance. Sounds like a great foundation for a superhero!

Yeah, much like a petulant child trying on her parents’ business suit, Laurel takes some boxing lessons and clumsily follows in her sister’s footsteps as the Black Canary. Way to lessen the significance of every other costumed crimefighter on the show! I shouldn’t have to tell you that Cassidy isn’t the least bit convincing in any of the action scenes.

More than that, though, her character never strikes you as someone truly devoted to the cause. As evidenced by both the script and Cassidy’s immature acting, Laurel isn’t doing this because she wants to save the city, protect innocent people, or atone for past mistakes. Rather, she dons a mask and beats people up as an escape, a way to let out her own frustration. In essence, she’s a charlatan.

Suffice it to say, I was elated when she was killed by Damien Darhk, but the writers quickly backpedaled and replaced her with a doppelganger from a parallel universe. Life sucks.