- "For a long time, I hated Oliver Queen. I blamed him for the death of my youngest daughter, I blamed him for the violence in my city, I interrogated him, I hunted him, persecuted him. I've never been more wrong in my life. Oliver Queen wasn't just a hero. He was a good man. He was an honorable person. The fact that he didn't start out that way makes him, in my book, even more honorable. He stands as a reminder to all of us that anyone can change. So will this."
- —Quentin Lance[src]
Quentin Larry Lance[1] (born June 15, 1960)[2] is the mayor of Star City. He is a former police captain, detective, and officer of the Star City Police Department. He was partners with the late Lucas Hilton before being demoted, as well as a good friend of the latter. He was reinstated as a detective by Lieutenant Frank Pike when Slade Wilson launched an assault on Star City with the intent of destroying everything Oliver Queen loved. Quentin is the ex-husband of Dinah Lance and the father of the late Laurel Lance and Sara Lance. Whilst working with Team Arrow, he was frequently referred to as "Detective", due to his initial police rank, eventually being used as a codename on one occasion.[3] He reluctantly accepted the nickname Hoss from Rene.
Quentin had originally sworn to take down the Hood by any means necessary, even using his daughter as bait once. After helping the Hood take down Malcolm Merlyn he began to see the law can only do so much but the Hood can go outside the law to compensate for the law's limits. He eventually began to work with him to catch criminals, even knocking out his fellow policemen that tried to attack the Hood, now known as the Arrow. He recently had a falling out with the Arrow, after having held a grudge for his not telling Quentin that Sara was dead. He has decided he's done with the Arrow and issued a city-wide manhunt for him. This also estranged his relationship with Laurel since she hid the secret from him as well. After Ra's al Ghul was defeated, Quentin finally reconciled with Laurel.
Damien Darhk approached Quentin a while later and forced Quentin to work for him, threatening Laurel's life if he refused. Despite aiding and abetting Darhk in his criminal activities for a short time, Quentin eventually betrayed him and joined Team Arrow, leading to Darhk fulfilling his promise by murdering Laurel in a prison riot. After Oliver defeated Darhk, Quentin was fired from the SCPD for assisting Darhk, despite the fact that he was under duress. He returned to alcohol to cope with Laurel's death.
Months later, Thea Queen hired Quentin as Deputy Mayor of Star City as a means to try to help him. However, Quentin continued drinking while working. When Thea found out, she urged him to seek out rehab, and he did. After he finished rehab, he returned as Deputy Mayor. Working closely with Oliver, the new mayor, and his assistant Rene Ramirez, Quentin tried to help Rene regain custody of his daughter Zoe, while supporting Oliver and Team Arrow in their war with Adrian Chase. After being caught off-guard by Black Siren, Laurel's Earth-2 counterpart, Quentin was kidnapped and taken to Lian Yu as part of Chase's endgame. After Oliver confronted Chase and the latter committed suicide, Quentin was caught in a series of bomb blasts activated by Chase's death, but emerged alive.
Quentin was killed by Ricardo Diaz while saving Earth-2 Laurel Lance; who he saw as his own daughter and in turn she came to see him as her own father.
When Oliver sacrificed himself to create a new multiverse during the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Quentin's death was averted on Earth-Prime, with his Earth-1 memories restored so he could remember his original life. Quentin attended Oliver's funeral to honor the legacy of the man he thought of as a son and the hero of Star City.
Biography
Original multiverse
Early life
Quentin Lance was born on June 15, 1960 in Starling City. In his younger days, Quentin met and fell in love with Dinah and the pair moved in together into their first home at Spring Street while in their early 20s. According to Quentin, he repeatedly proposed to Dinah, only for her to turn him down until the right moment. Quentin claimed he spent a year with that engagement ring "burning a hole in [his] pocket", waiting for Dinah to finally accept his proposal.[4]
Quentin with his youngest daughter, Sara.
Aspiring to serve justice and protect the city, Quentin joined the Starling City Police Department. He and Dinah soon got married, with Quentin's father gifting him a wristwatch on their wedding day.[5] On November 15, 1985, they had a daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance.[2] On December 25, 1987, the couple had another daughter, Sara Lance.[6] Quentin shared a particularly close bond with his eldest daughter, Laurel, in part due to their similar ideals.[7] Every year on Laurel's birthday, Quentin would personally pick up chocolate-frosted yellow cake, his daughter's favorite, from the bakery.[5]
During his time as a beat cop, Quentin caught Rene Ramirez tagging a building in The Glades. Instead of arresting the kid, Quentin simply got down on one knee and encouraged him to be more than just another thug in the area. While Quentin would later forget this encounter, Rene would always remember it.[8]
Having to deal with being a police officer and a father to his partying daughters, Quentin was not able to administrate much responsibility into his life. Upon learning that Sara was being severely bullied by some of her classmates in high school, Quentin taught his daughters self-defense[9] and also had them take classes to refine their skills.[10] Quentin's relationship with Sara was especially difficult as his daughter began rebelling and acting out as a teenager. He worked hard to help Sara go straight, including preventing her from being arrested for shoplifting.[11]
In 2007, Quentin worked on the case of Camille Declan's murder.[12]
Sometime in 2007, Quentin brought Sara to the precinct to help her research a school paper on the criminal justice system. She wanted to see what it looks like on the inside, but she was not expecting her father to walk her through the booking process—including handcuffing her to a desk, with every intention of the inside of a jail cell being next. However, before he could, the SCPD is attacked by a professional assassin who is targeting Sara. The Pilgrim kills every cop but Quentin and before she can manage to make the kill on Sara, a man with a heat gun and a woman with a staff come to her rescue. They successfully defeat the assassin, taking Sara along the process and leaving Quentin behind. However, the assassin (known as The Pilgrim) soon abducts Quentin along with other individuals are threatened as a way of luring the same people who saved Sara earlier. With the Pilgrim having been defeated, Quentin soon encounters the woman with the staff, who reveals she is a future version of Sara. Quentin gladly hugs her, stating that he is proud of the woman she has become. With that in mind, he takes a pill that erases his memory of the events that occurred.[13]
Later in 2007, Sara came home from college for a surprise visit. Without Quentin's knowledge, Sara had began an affair with Laurel's boyfriend Oliver Queen and accompanied him on a boat trip on the Queen's Gambit. Quentin was with Laurel when they saw on the news that the Gambit had sunk and believing only Oliver had perished, he comforted his daughter. However, later Oliver's mother paid them a visit and revealed Sara had been on the ship when it sunk.[4]
Quentin blamed Oliver for Sara's death and harbored a great contempt for him and his family despite his own supposed death. Following Sara's death, Quentin fell into a deep state of depression, becoming an alcoholic, and buried himself in his work in an attempt to ignore his pain, taking every case that passed his desk without pause.[14] Sara was also the first and last thought of Quentin's mind every day and it took him years to get past that point. His drinking and work obsession eventually lead to Dinah divorcing him.[15]
By February 2010, Quentin's drinking problem had only gotten worse and after spending one afternoon at a bar and ignoring work, Laurel was notified by Quentin's desk sergeant. She paid for her father's drinks and took him home. That night, Quentin was called in to Tommy Merlyn's 25th birthday party at the Merlyn mansion after a drug dealer was found dead, who had been killed by Oliver Queen. When he found Laurel was there, he lashed out, berating Laurel for continuing to associate with Oliver's crowd after what happened to her sister.[7]
Hunting the Hood
- "You see, the vigilante, he doesn't have to answer to anyone but himself. That's a very dangerous power to give to any one man."
- —Quentin Lance to Roy Harper[src]
In late 2012 after Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn were kidnapped shortly following the former's return to Starling City, Quentin and his partner, Lucas Hilton, questioned the two. Quentin retained his professional demeanor, yet made his hostility towards Oliver in particular clear. Oliver explained "a man in a green hood" saved their lives, which the detectives initially refused to believe. As they left, Quentin stated how Oliver's luck "never seems to run out", bitter over him surviving the sinking of the Queen's Gambit while the former's daughter, Sara, didn't. The next day after learning a bow and arrow-wielding vigilante in a green hood attacked Adam Hunt, Quentin and Lucas came to believe Oliver's story and set up a trap for the vigilante at Hunt Multinational.
Quentin at Hunt Multinational
That night, the vigilante attacked Hunt Multinational, killing the security personnel and stealing from the company's bank account. Quentin and his SCPD task force eventually arrived at the scene in Hunt's office in time to see the vigilante jump out the window and zip-line towards the building across the street, where Oliver's welcome-home party was being held. The police stormed the party, where Quentin informed Oliver and Tommy the vigilante had attacked "a millionaire bottom-feeder" like them. The two men didn't know anything useful, so Oliver jokingly offered $2,000,000 to anyone who could find the vigilante. Annoyed and insulted at his seemingly unchanged playboy attitude, Quentin angrily asked if Oliver even tried to save Sara, remembering how she and Laurel both fell under his spell. Lucas led Quentin away and the party continued.[16]
A week later, Quentin interrogated Martin Somers at Starling Port in response to The Hood attacking him the night before. He questioned Somers as to why The Hood would be interested him, but Somers tried to deny that a confrontation even occurred. When Quentin pressed the issue, citing a 911 call and a green arrow left behind, Somers subtly threatened Laurel, who was prosecuting him. The next day, Quentin went to CNRI and placed Laurel, her friend and colleague Joanna de la Vega, and their client under police protection in case someone tried to attack them, due to Somers' threat and connection to the Chinese Triad.
That night after the Triad tried to kill Laurel at her apartment, Quentin rushed to the scene. After reuniting with his daughter, Quentin thanked Oliver's bodyguard, John Diggle, for protecting Laurel, though was angered with Oliver's presence. Later after failing to convince Laurel to drop her case, Quentin appeared at the Starling City Docks when there were reports of The Hood battling China White. He cornered The Hood at gunpoint, but the vigilante escaped, leaving behind a trick arrow for Quentin with a recorded confession of Somers' crimes. Following Somers' arrest, Quentin made it his mission to bring down the vigilante.[17]
Quentin and Lucas investigated the scene of James Holder's death, with the former correctly deducing that The Hood wasn't the one who killed him. At the police department, Quentin learned that the bullets which killed Holder were laced with curare, further supporting the theory. After exploring the crime scene again, he deduced where Holder's shooter was positioned. A few nights later following a second murder, Carl Rasmussen, Quentin spoke with Moira Queen and Walter Steele, informing them about the deaths of potential stock-buyers of Unidac Industries by an unknown sniper. His implied suspicions towards Walter slightly miffed the couple.
That night, Quentin was walking to his car after work when he was cornered by The Hood and pinned down. The vigilante needed the police's help protecting the people at the auction for Unidac in the Exchange Building. He revealed that Deadshot would attack the event and advised Quentin to have the SCPD wear Kevlar to protect themselves from the sniper's poisoned bullets, leaving behind a laptop of evidence. Despite his hatred of the Hood, Quentin took heed of the vigilante's warning and stationed multiple officers near possible vantage points in the Exchange Building. When Deadshot tried to kill Walter, Quentin pushed him out of the way, saving his life.[10]
When Laurel decided to represent Peter Declan, Quentin gave his daughter the case files of Peter's wife Camille's murder, though believed it was a clear open-and-shut case. Later when Camille's supervisor, Matt Istook, reported being attacked by the Hood, Quentin realized Laurel had been in contact with the vigilante and angrily confronted her. He scolded Laurel for breaking the law and lying to him, to which his daughter protested that she just wanted to save an innocent man, which the law failed to do.
Later when a riot took place at Iron Heights Prison, Quentin rushed to the scene and realized Peter was indeed innocent after the real murderer confessed. Upon reuniting with Laurel, he admitted she was right about Peter but remained firm on his stance about The Hood. Laurel revealed the vigilante was wearing a prison guard uniform and ski mask when he rescued her, giving Quentin an idea. At the precinct, he had CSU tech Kelton review the footage from the Unidac auction attack from an altered perspective and discovered Oliver taking the vigilante's suit out of a duffle bag. The next morning, Quentin and the SCPD burst into the Queen Mansion to arrest Oliver on suspicion of obstruction of justice, aggravated assault, trespassing, acting as a vigilante, and murder.[12]
Quentin proceeded over Oliver's interrogation. Oliver insisted he wasn't a vigilante, to which Quentin angrily declared how he had always been a "dangerous menace". His interrogation was interrupted by Moira and Walter, who demanded Oliver not be questioned further without a lawyer. Seething, Quentin acquiesced and allowed the family 15 minutes. When Laurel decided to defend Oliver, Quentin was furious. Quentin also received a call from Oliver and saw that he was in danger, so he shot the man who was threatening Oliver's life.[14]
Around Christmas time, Quentin discovered Adam Hunt murdered by a black arrow. He quickly realized it wasn't The Hood, but a copycat archer. He was told he could only go after one, and so chose to chase The Hood over the Dark Archer.[18]
Quentin discovered that Laurel stole his only contact to The Hood. He decided to let her keep the phone after placing a bug on it to trace the calls.
Quentin was seen on the television report about The Dodger's robberies, giving the press the same statement as last time, "No comment".
After Thea Queen was arrested for driving under the influence of Vertigo, Laurel spoke to him about her to see if he could help get her out of trouble and possibly help her get a better deal. Quentin later led a task force that interrupted a "drug deal" between The Count and Oliver Queen. He then went to the Queen Mansion with McKenna Hall to speak to Oliver about his presence at the drug deal. Quentin and his task force responded to a call at The Count's hideout and were on scene when The Hood held The Count and injected him with "the fruits of his labor."[11]
Quentin used the bug placed on The Hood's phone to find out when Laurel would be meeting with The Hood. When The Hood found out that he was on to him, he escapes. Quentin tried to chase him, but The Hood knocked him out. After Laurel was captured by Cyrus Vanch, he and The Hood formed a rare alliance. He attempted to kill Cyrus but was told by The Hood to just arrest him.[19]
Quentin was seen at the Queen Mansion questioning Moira after her encounter with The Hood at Queen Consolidated.[20]
Quentin interrogated Roy Harper after he was caught stealing Thea's purse. He is then seen talking to McKenna Hall, asking her to work with him on the Vigilante case.
Quentin was reunited with his ex-wife, Dinah Lance, whom he refused to talk to initially. He was skeptical, at first, of Dinah's idea that Sara may still be alive, but he soon warmed up to it and helped her in her search. He soon learned that Dinah's evidence was based on another woman and not on Sara. He confronted Dinah, who revealed that she knew Sara was leaving with Oliver and allowed her to go with him on the boat.
Quentin was informed by his tech assistant of a hacker who tried to use the same methods as the police technical analyst to infiltrate Merlyn Global Group. This hacker was revealed to be Felicity Smoak.
Quentin soon arrested Felicity Smoak, suspecting she was working with The Hood because of the hacking of Merlyn Global Group and the evidence trail left by the "research" Oliver had her run before he revealed his identity to her. In the middle of his interrogation of her, Quentin was called by The Hood and informed that the Glades will be destroyed by Malcolm Merlyn. Felicity alluded to the fact that she knows what the call was in reference to, basically stating "Sounds like you have bigger problems than me." Despite the fact that it might endanger her later, she pointed out that her opinion of The Hood was the same as his once, but had changed when she realized he had sacrificed a lot for the city and it made him a kind of hero. This, tied to the fact that The Glades was in danger, led Quentin to inform his superiors about the Undertaking, despite the fact that it would reveal his contacting The Hood and his not arresting him. Instead of mobilizing the forces, Lieutenant Frank Pike suspended him, and the police took no action until Moira Queen held her press conference. When Diggle decided to go with Oliver to confront Malcolm Merlyn, Oliver called Detective Quentin to dismantle the earthquake device, instead of sending Felicity directly into the impact zone. The newly suspended-Detective Lance, along with Felicity's help, searched for, and successfully deactivated the Markov device. Nonetheless, Malcolm Merlyn hid a second device, which activated, and took out half of the Glades. Quentin rushed back through the crowds and towards CNRI, where he found Laurel barely escaping the rubble of her workplace's building. He held her back as she tried to go back in to save Tommy, telling her that it was too late. They stood there, watching, as most of The Glades was falling into rubble and ash.
Demotion and Dealing with Sara's return
Quentin has been demoted from detective to officer. He continues to hold a better opinion of The Hood, after the attempt to avert the Undertaking and the fact that policing The Glades is a near impossible task, and the pair speaks briefly when The Hood delivers his imitators to be arrested.
Quentin Lance with Laurel at SCPD before Barton Mathis kidnaps them.
Quentin responds to an emergency in a tunnel but is ordered not to by Frank Pike but Quentin arrives anyway, his partner Lucas tries to stop him and Quentin discovers a girl strung up like a doll and knows it to be the work of Barton Mathis who escaped prison during the earthquake but Pike has been keeping it quiet and has ordered Quentin not to get involved or will be arrested. Quentin disgusted by Pike's actions goes to the Arrow for assistance instead and tells him about Mathis and his history with him. Later Quentin and the Arrow visit Mathis' lawyer and get his location from him but arrive and discover only a phone where Barton tells them that he has another girl and forces Quentin to listen as he kills her. Later Felicity Smoak uses herself as bait to lure Mathis out while Quentin, John Diggle and the Arrow but it fails and Quentin is arrested by Lucas for obstruction of justice but is freed by Laurel who tries to convince him that the Arrow is evil but Quentin realizes that Laurel is still blaming him for Tommy's death. Later Quentin and Laurel are abducted by Barton who forces Quentin to watch as he kills Laurel but the Arrow stops him and with the help of the Canary, kills Mathis. Quentin and Laurel walk out of the facility where Laurel has a breakdown moment to Quentin believing herself to be responsible for Tommy dying.
He has become worried about Laurel when she is nearly arrested for a DUI. He even asks Oliver to check up on her, confirming how far he has come in his opinion of the latter.
Quentin is reunited with his daughter Sara and helps her fight off the League of Assassins members pursuing her. When she leaves Starling City, he (albeit reluctantly) agrees to keep her existence a secret from Dinah and Laurel in order to protect them.
Quentin arrested Roy after he was caught beating up a gang member. He then releases Roy, saying that it was a mistake after Roy bought up that he was working for The Arrow.
Quentin is seen at the Robert Queen Applied Sciences Center after a break-in, joining in on speculation of what happened. He questions CSI Barry Allen's credentials along with Oliver Queen and is extremely skeptical of Barry's description of what happened, despite the evidence he presents. He takes Felicity to the side, asking her to get in contact with The Arrow, to see if he could help. She assures him with a smile that The Arrow is already on the case (as Oliver is still right behind them examining the scene.)
Quentin was informed by the Arrow that Cyrus Gold was responsible for the break-in of Queen Consolidated and warned of the threat Cyrus posted. He manages to convince Lucas Hilton to perform a manhunt for Cyrus. They track Cyrus to a warehouse but fail to take down Cyrus, instead resulting in most of the team being killed. During the fight, Quentin manages to steal a key off Cyrus, which he gives to the Arrow when he comes to visit him in the hospital.
Officer Lance leads a raid with policemen and SWAT against Hugo Mannheim. During the gunfight between the police and Mannheim's men, Quentin gets shot but the bulletproof vest protected him. The police arrests the assailants and Quentin have a talk with Arrow and Canary. He tells Canary that she can't toss a guy out of a window but she argues back, saying that the guy shot Quentin. In a brief talk with the Arrow, he realizes that it is a matter of time before The Huntress returns. During the hostage situation at the courthouse, Quentin runs to the scene and screams after Laurel but Oliver tells him she got separated from him. Fearing for his daughter's life and in his rage, he punched Mr. Donner and asked if the hostage situation was his idea. Officer Lance calls The Arrow and coincidentally, Oliver got a call from his "mom". While Oliver walked away, Quentin started to talk to The Arrow about the hostage situation and Arrow replies that he's aware of the situation. Quentin, Arrow, and Canary kidnap Frank Bertinelli to make The Huntress release Laurel. During the prisoner exchange, a crazed S.W.A.T officer opens fire against the vigilantes and aimed his gun at the Arrow but Quentin saved him by knocking out the policeman. After the drama, Quentin quickly arrests Helena.
At the Arrow's request, Quentin arrests Slade Wilson for Thea's kidnapping but is forced to release him for lack of evidence. Because of this, he is himself arrested by his boss for working with the vigilante.
Quentin is in prison. Laurel visits him, and he denies all knowledge of the Arrow's and the Canary's identity. Later, a vengeful prisoner, blaming him and the Arrow for his arrest, manages to break into his cell and beat him up.
While visiting Quentin in the prison hospital, Laurel tells him she knows who the Arrow is, at which point he stops her and says he does not want to know. He says that knowing the Arrow's identity would compromise the Arrow's mission, that the Arrow is more important to Starling City than "the man under the hood," and that doing some jail time is the least he can do for the Arrow. Laurel later manages to get him released from prison and the charges against him dropped.
Quentin is reinstated to Detective after Slade's army attacks the city to help take charge of coordination against the Army and allowed by Frank Pike to call in The Arrow.
Quentin tries to rally the SCPD to stop Slade's army. After a fight with one of Slade's supermen, he was thrown across a room. Later, he is shown to have collapsed on the ground and started throwing up blood. It is revealed he has internal bleeding puncturing his lung, as he is coughing up blood and cannot breathe.
Time in a coma
For some weeks following his collapse, Quentin was placed into a medically-induced coma.[21] He stayed like this until he was visited by his daughter, Sara, somehow causing him to wake up, to the surprise of both of his daughters.[22]
Promotion to Captain
Quentin was eventually promoted to captain in the SCPD.[23]
Quentin publicly declared that the anti-vigilante task force had been disbanded. He had apparently developed a chronic heart condition as a result of the injuries he suffered fighting Slade's army, which required him to take medication. However, he still continued to personally help the Arrow hunt down criminals, which resulted in him being sent to the hospital.[23]
Quentin was kept unaware of Sara's death at Laurel's insistence, as Quentin later called The Arrow to inform him about a series of murders using arrows. After Laurel was nearly killed by Simon Lacroix, Quentin went to see that she was fine and told her not to put herself in harms way anymore.[24]
Quentin attended an AA meeting with Laurel where he listens to a girl who was being abused by her boyfriend. Laurel wanted to help her but he told her not to. Laurel ignored his advice and ended up in the hospital. Quentin went to see her and once again to tell her to stop putting herself in harm's way.[25]
Quentin's ex-wife Dinah returned to Starling City for Christmas and covered for Sara when Dinah asked about where she was. Oliver later dropped of several criminals for arrest jokingly Quentin accepted it as a Christmas present.[26]
Quentin contacted Team Arrow to give them information on Danny Brickwell that could help them take him into custody. Roy as Arsenal came to pick up the info and tried to keep his identity concealed but failed as he was able to deduct his identity by remembering they're past experiences. After the Glades riot, Quentin led the police force back into The Glades where he ran into Sin where he discovered that The Canary was no longer Sara.[27]
Quentin grieved at Sara's tombstone. When his daughter came by, he unleashed his anger toward Laurel and went to an alcoholic anonymous meeting.[28]
Oliver (under the guise of the Arrow) told Quentin that he ran into a new player and needed his help, however, Quentin refused to help him, and revealed that he knows that the Arrow knew Sara was dead and lied to him about it, he also stated that he was done with the Arrow.[29]
Quentin was at a press conference, addressing the media regarding whether or not the Arrow has started killing again, later at the mayor's office, he got into an argument with Laurel, regarding if the Arrow was being set-up. At another meeting, Lance again argued against the Arrow, fighting with his daughter. The meeting was interrupted when the mayor Celia Castle was murdered by an imposter Arrow, who went on to critically injure Ray Palmer.[30]
Quentin, saw the Arrow (unknown to him it was an impostor) escape after mayor Celia Castle's death. Quentin reinstated the Vigilante Task Force and started a manhunt for the Arrow. Quentin is later captured by Maseo Yamashiro and brought to Ra's al Ghul, the latter revealed that Sara was on Lian Yu with Oliver and reveals that Oliver is the Arrow, at first Quentin didn't believe Ra's, but he soon realized that Ra's is telling the truth. Quentin announced the news on television, leading to Oliver turning himself in at the police station. During the prison transport, Quentin verbally released all his anger on Oliver and blamed him for the city and his family's problems. In order to save Oliver, Roy dressed as the Arrow, stopped Oliver's transport van and gave himself up to the police, insisting that he has been the Arrow all along.[31]
Despite Roy successfully convincing the city he's the Arrow, Quentin still resumed his search for proof that Oliver is the Arrow. He obtained a search warrant for Verdant and uncovered Oliver's hideout, confident that he had him cornered, though he only found Roy's fingerprints. He investigated Thea's apartment for possible evidence as well, warning Thea about the dangers Roy faces in prison. He then visited Roy in prison to try and get him to confess the truth, but Roy refused because he wanted to accept the punishment for the policeman he murdered. Quentin ended the interrogation when he told Roy that he won't make up for it in prison. He later reported to Thea about Roy's supposed death, and when Oliver walked in, once again blames him for the incident.[31]
Quentin assisted Joe West and Cisco Ramon investigate the crash site that resulted in the death of Tess Morgan. While Cisco searched the area with a high-tech scanner, Quentin engaged in small talk with Joe over their daughters. When Cisco announced that he found traces of tachyons just off the road, Quentin was surprised to see the coffee in his cup float in the air. They discovered the true Harrison Wells' corpse at the site, and Joe advised against Quentin reporting it, not wanting to get anyone involved in their dangerous situation. While there, Joe gave Quentin advice regarding his current relationship with Laurel.[32]
When Ra's al Ghul threatened to kill everyone in Starling with the Alpha-Omega bioweapon, Laurel came to him and asked for his help which he gave. When Oliver faced Ra's he was with the sniper team that was trying to kill him. Quentin was able to save Oliver's life by warning Felicity, hinting that he still had some respect for Oliver.
Star City
Sometime after the Alpha-Omega incident, Quentin was approached by Damien Darhk. Lance began working with Darhk, believing that Darhk could help the faltering Starling City (which was renamed Star City to honor Ray Palmer, who died in an office explosion). Quentin was kept unaware of Darhk's true motives, or that Darhk was responsible for the sudden emergence of armed robbers terrorizing Star City, which earned the press nickname of "Ghosts."[33]
Lance was made a part of the city council to run Star City in the absence of a mayor. Aside from the pressures of trying to reinvigorate his home, Quentin struggled with handling the Ghosts. Eventually, Darhk made his presence known to the council, and explained his plans to let the city die. Darhk then went on to kill three of the council members, and then staging an assassination attempt on Quentin in order to hide their partnership. While Quentin was "saved" by Black Canary, he was shot in the shoulder. Some time later, Laurel came to her father, with evidence that the Ghosts had stolen cluster bombs from Kord Industries. While at the soon-to-be-reopened railway to Central City, Lance ran into Oliver Queen, and took the opportunity to blame him for Star City's condition, claiming that his presence created monsters. Quentin later confronted Darhk about his true agenda. Darhk reminded Lance he had no choice but to work with him and demanded information on the new "Green Arrow."[33]
When Madison Danforth, the daughter of potential mayoral candidate Jessica Danforth was kidnapped, Lance immediately suspected Darhk. After furiously attempting to end his alliance with Darhk, Quentin was given Danforth's location, as well as a warning to mind his tone. Deciding to accept an offer for help, Quentin gave Oliver the location.[34]
Days later when two police detectives were found shot dead, Lance found himself angry that finding out who the murderers were was not the SCPD's top priority. He then ran into Oliver Queen who told him that he would be running for mayor although Lance was not very supportive of this noting the fates of the other mayors. He then received a text from Laurel and told Oliver to have his team examine the evidence. Following Laurel Lance, he found Sara alive but chained up and in a feral state although Laurel assured him that she just needed some time for her senses to come back to her. Later at the police station, Oliver revealed to Lance that his detectives were killed by cops, a fact that surprised Lance. Oliver told Lance his plan to lure the cops out with drugs he procured and told Lance to spread the word.
When the cops arrived, Lance and Team Arrow attacked them but the officers escaped. As they escaped, Lance realized that they were part of the Anti-Vigilante task force that Lance had reinstated when he was trying to capture Oliver. At the Arrowcave, the leader was revealed as Liza Warner one of the original recruits. Later, Lance went to Damien for advice for how to fix Sara; however, Damian only offered the advice that he put Sara out of her misery. Later back at his house, Lance found Oliver there who revealed to him he knew he was working with Damien Darhk. Lance defended himself saying Oliver had no right to judge him only for Oliver to point out that until now Lance was always the one that was more righteous.
Lance explained that Damien came to him as a man who simply wanted to help Star City but by the time that he found out what type of person he was that Damian threatened Laurel. Oliver pointed out that Laurel could defend herself although when Lance tried to bring up Sara, Oliver accused Lance of hiding behind his daughters and that both Laurel and Sara would be ashamed of what he was doing. Oliver then told Lance that he was the reason he was running for mayor because he wanted Lance to see what true man he was and left. Lance went to the warehouse where Sara was imprisoned and was tearfully about to shoot her dead until Laurel talked him out of it.
Later, at Laurel's apartment, Lance was captured by Liza and the group. Lance was forced to unlock the drug warehouse where he was tied up. Team Arrow arrived and defeated the task force however Warner managed to hold Green Arrow hostage only for Lance to talk her out of it. Later at his house, Oliver thanked Lance for saving him. Lance told him he meant what he said to Warner and that he would turn himself in only for Oliver to tell him that they needed someone close to Darhk and convinced him to work as a spy for the team.[3]
Quentin was on scene to investigate some murders committed by Sara in her feral state. Laurel arrived and told him that Sara got loose. While he told Laurel that he wasn't proud of pointing a gun at her, he claimed that maybe he should have to prevent her murder spree. He was later summoned by Damien and tasked with putting a device into a federal server farm. Quentin brought it to the Arrowcave where Felicity analyzed it and identified it as a device designed to erase data. Oliver had Quentin work with Diggle which Diggle didn't take too well because of H.I.V.E.'s involvement in Andy's murder but agreed to work with Quentin. They broke into the server farm and installed the device watching as the device erased files on people.
Soon an alarm tripped and two security guards spotted them. Quentin hit John and pretended to arrest him. Afterwards, Quentin confronted Damien about erasing Andy's record, but Damien refused to reveal why. Quentin later joined Team Arrow when John Constantine is called in to perform a ritual of restoring Sara's soul to her body. He saw Sara wake up after the ritual and hugged Sara. Afterwards, he went to Diggle's apartment and gave him a file from Darhk about Andy.[35]
When Team Arrow discovered that Ray Palmer was alive and held hostage by H.I.V.E., Quentin helped by summoning Damien for a meeting so that they could track where he was hiding.[36]
Quentin was summoned by Damien Darhk because he suspected Quentin of setting up the meeting last week to have him followed by the Green Arrow's team. As Damien left, Quentin noticed a note on Damien's desk saying "Starling Dock Slip 52." He later relayed this information to Oliver at a police gala.[37]
At the Queen campaign holiday party, Quentin and Donna attended together. After Thea, Diggle, and Felicity were kidnapped, Laurel confronted her father about a tip that Quentin was working for Damien. Laurel didn't take it too well, but Quentin told her that Damien threatened her and that he had been making up for his mistake by working with Oliver for the past month. He met with Laurel and Oliver at the Arrowcave. Along with Malcolm, they planned their next moves. Laurel took him aside and told him that she doesn't need him working for Darhk to protect her.[38]
Oliver approached Quentin, asking for him to give up the location of his meetings with Damien Darhk, knowing that it would compromise his position as Damien's informant. Quentin gave it up and asked Oliver if he was dropping bodies again. Oliver told him he was just going kill Damien. At the hospital, Laurel and Thea then walked in on Quentin and Donna. Laurel told him she was okay with him seeing Donna and informed her father of Oliver's raid on Damien's hideout. Laurel knew that Quentin must have provided Oliver the location but reiterated to him that she didn't need his protection.[39]
After Malcolm Merlyn and Nyssa al Ghul's League factions went to civil war with each other, their violence spilled into Star City's streets. Quentin was on scene to investigate bodies that had been dropped and told Oliver that he needed to do something about it. The day after, Quentin came to Palmer Tech to arrest Noah Kuttler after Felicity turned him in to the police.[40]
Laurel checked in with Quentin at the precinct. He received a call of a possible break-in and Laurel decided to accompany him to the crime scene. Once he was in the building, the structure began collapsing around them. Quentin and Laurel barely escaped and had their wounds tended to by John in the bunker. Later, he and Donna broke things off because she could sense that he was keeping secrets from her. Confined to the bunker, he asked Oliver how he could maintain his double life full of secrets for four years to which Oliver told him that he keeps secrets in order to protect those he loves most. Quentin later appeared on site of the debate hall to arrest the Demolition Team, responsible for his near-death earlier. Felicity later invited Quentin to their engagement party hoping that Quentin and Donna could patch things up, which they did.[41]
Laurel went to Quentin to get the SCPD's help in locating Oliver's son William after he was taken by Damien Darhk. Quentin could tell that the business with Samantha and William bothered her since Oliver had cheated on Laurel with Samantha. After the team failed in rescuing William, Mari McCabe and Quentin postulated that Darhk drew his magic from an idol that Quentin had seen in his hideout and drew a sketch for Mari. Quentin's drawing was able to help Mari identify it as a Khushu Idol.[42]
Quentin called Team Arrow letting them know that Carrie Cutter was back in town. After Damien's attorney was successful in providing a case against the court's allegations on Darhk, Quentin agreed to testify at the risk of losing his job and making him a target for H.I.V.E. Quentin testified under Laurel's cross-examination to being an informant for Damien that was forced to give him information and do errands for him under duress of threats against his daughter. Due to his testimony, Laurel was successful in convincing Judge Sakow to order Damien imprisoned without bail.[43]
After Damien Darhk started a prison riot, Quentin makes his move, trying to gain control over the situation and encourage the actions of the police. His actions became too straight and he sedate one of the policemen. For this, he was handcuffed in the police station. When he asked about the situation in the prison, the police officer replied that, "vigilante in black leather" is wounded. It's shocks Quentin, and he asks to release him under a promise of re-arrest. He also asked to connect him with Lieutenant Pike to get permission from him personally. Finally, he is authorized and rushes to the hospital, but too late.
Faced with Oliver in the hallway, he sees an incredible shock, disbelief and pain-filled face of Green Arrow. Realizing that his worst nightmare came true, he silently slips down, unable to stay on his feet. Quentin unable to deal with the loss of his daughter, attempted to have her brought back to life through the Lazarus Pit, but was shocked to discover that Nyssa had already destroyed it when Sara had been brought back. Quentin though was not deterred and continued to look for any way to bring Laurel back, but he was finally convinced by Oliver that Laurel couldn't be brought back, destroying him. Quentin would then help Oliver deal with Dahrk, which ended with Dahrk's death.
Falling off the wagon
After a few months leaving Star City, he returned and had a break up with Donna Smoak. He is approached by Oliver Queen to attend the Laurel Lance memorial ceremony. Later on, he gives Oliver personnel files of a police officer that he had trained who could help him rescue the kidnapped Councillors.
Quentin meets Dinah Drake.
Afterward, he is seen grieving Laurel's death and drinking heavily. Thea offers him the Deputy Mayor position and in exchange. he would stop drinking. During this time, he continues drinking which causing him to have blackouts. One instance he was manipulated into believing he was Prometheus after the latter's throwing star was found on his table.[44] Realizing what is happening he decided to quit as Deputy Mayor, Thea though refused to abandon him and took him to rehab, stating that it is what Laurel would have wanted for him. Quentin would remain in rehab for several months before finally returning sober and back to 100%. Quentin and Rene Ramirez became friends and both worked together in helping Rene be reunited with his daughter. He also made friends with Dinah Drake.
Meeting Laurel's Earth-2 counterpart
When Prometheus was revealed to be Adrian Chase and had escaped police custody, Quentin and Thea were put into protected custody, at the safe house, he and Thea discovered an intruder and when he confronted her, he was shocked to discover Laurel, but she was not the Laurel that he knew but her doppelganger from Earth-Two, he and Thea were knocked out by Evelyn Sharp and locked up. Quentin and Laurel talked where she showed remorse for locking him up, Quentin discovered that she was different from his daughter as she is a villain than a hero and has been working with Adrian. During a climactic battle on Lian Yu, Quentin would knock out Laurel before she could kill Dinah. When Chase killed himself setting off a chain reaction of explosions leading to the death of Samantha Clayton, Quentin and Dinah investigated the temple, where they encountered Laurel. Laurel was about to kill Dinah, in which Quentin instinctively shoots her and believed that he had killed her, wrecking him with guilt.
Quentin drops his guard against Black Siren
Six months later, Quentin discovered that Laurel had survived her gunshot and has caused trouble in Star City, Quentin admitted the truth to Oliver that he had shot Laurel and has shown great remorse for it. He later caught up with her, but she used the guilt and remorse of shooting her to make him drop his weapon. It would be later revealed that she has been working with Cayden James, and she captured him to force Team Arrow to trade for him. Quentin conversed with Laurel and discovered that his doppelganger on Earth-Two died when shewas thirteen, he discovered that they both got the same kind of cake for their daughter's birthday.
When Laurel is ordered to kill Quentin, she freed him instead which shocked him. She began stalking him in secret which he quickly caught on to and he then spent the next few months attempting to get her to turn over to the light and reminding her of the good person she was back on Earth-2 before his and Oliver's counterparts deaths and obtaining her powers; such as luring her into a room with Thea's help where he played a videos and displayed pictures of his Laurel (as both herself and as the Black Canary) and their family while telling her he sees a light and a hero in her and she just has to see it to which actually made her tear up a bit to the point where she got upset and destroyed the projector with her scream.
Kidnapping and tending to Laurel after she was hurt by Dinah Drake while having a private heart-to-heart talk with her about the father-figures in her life which made her realize that they both have more in common with their counterparts than she thought as well as making her curious to hear about hers, and defending her with Team Arrow's help from Dinah's New Team Arrow. Though he was unsuccessful at the time in truly getting her to turn over a new leaf, he did manage to get her to develop a mutual genuine father-daughter affection for him and to no longer hate her counterpart. He was initially angry when she unexpectedly revealed herself to the public pretending to be his Laurel, alive and held captive for 2 years by H.I.V.E., though he and the rest of Team Arrow decided to go along with it and allowed her to live with him in his apartment. She also began referring to him when speaking to others as “my father”. After finding out she never had a real job, he gave her his Laurel's old books to study to try and help her develop a life for herself away from villainy.
Becoming the new Mayor of Star City
When Oliver got impeached, Quentin immediately got promoted from deputy mayor to mayor with his predecessor warning him that he wouldn't be really in charge of running a city if he let Ricardo Diaz or his followers control him. When Quentin found out Laurel was working with Diaz despite her supposed new start away from villainy, he was enraged even when she told him that the only reason why was to protect herself and Quentin as well as being terrified of Diaz, accusing her of being worse than Diaz for using a father's grief against him and told her to pack up and leave his apartment.
After calming down and realizing Laurel was telling him the truth, Quentin told her that he believed her and was sorry for what he said, explaining to her it would be hypocritical to judge her for doing bad things for the right reasons (which in her case was protecting them both), as he had done the same working with Damien Darhk to protect his Laurel. He asked why she was so terrified of him and she told him how she had worked with a bunch of bad people who were filled with hate but Diaz was worse than that and she'd watched him burn a man alive over a childhood grudge. He promised to protect her even though she appeared skeptical he could and she in turn agreed that they’d protect each other. He and Oliver ultimately were relieved and shocked respectively after Laurel took him up on his advice to stand up to Diaz by betraying him and testifying in court that Oliver wasn't the Green Arrow even after Diaz had threatened her not to, with her telling Quentin that he got her change her mind and she knew what to do thanks to him after Quentin advised her not to stay in town to protect herself.
Death
After learning the woman who he came to seeing as a daughter (and in turn she came to see him truly as a father) was captured by Diaz after she attempted to take him down herself, Quentin prioritized rescuing her. He was enraged that Oliver had told FBI agent Samanda Watson (who was helping them liberate the city from Diaz), Laurel's true identity and that she wasn't really his daughter while prioritizing catching Diaz over saving Laurel, telling him that his way of prioritizing catching the bad guy while simply insisting they can protect his daughter is what got their Laurel killed in the first place while questioning Oliver if he'd be trying to get Diaz over saving Laurel if it was their Laurel.
He later made amends with Oliver and during a discussion about how far they've come with their friendship subtly mentioned he had a pace maker and went rogue against the FBI and Team Arrow's plan to use him in a sting operation to catch Diaz during the operation, turning himself into Diaz (knowing they’d be able to track his pace maker which Diaz was unaware of when he had him patted down) stating he wanted to see Laurel and was taken to her. Diaz immediately offered her to let her go in exchange for getting the FBI out of the city and threatened to shoot Laurel (who was forced to wear a power-dampening collar) in 5 seconds, with her telling him not to let him have the city and betting her life that Diaz was bluffing. Diaz gave Quentin five seconds then attempted to shoot her, though Quentin jumped in front of the bullet for her and Laurel stood guard over him and teared up while desperately attempting to comfort him and keep him from falling unconscious, calling him "dad" for the first time despite having only referred to him as "her father" when speaking to others in the past.
Diaz told her by shooting him where he did she had enough time to get Quentin to get the FBI to leave the city, claiming he had given him mercy similar to the dog in a movie that he asked her the name of. An enraged Laurel told Diaz she was gonna kill him then spotted up to him and stared him down defiantly as Diaz told Quentin he was just gonna shoot her now in front of him, with Quentin pleading him not to. As he was about to kill her in front of him, Oliver, Team Arrow, and the FBI arrived, forcing Diaz to flee. Oliver called out to Quentin and saw him critically wounded with Laurel tending to him. Dinah told him to get Diaz and he shot the lock off their cell. Dinah arrived and to Laurel's shock, she freed her from her power-dampening collar rather than attempt to kill her again and together they assisted Quentin in getting him to the paramedics outside while fending off Diaz's men.
After getting him to safety, Laurel ran back inside to the roof where Oliver and Diaz were at a stand-off, and attempted to kill Diaz (after telling him the name of the movie he asked her for earlier was Old Yeller) by blasting him off the roof with her sonic scream, though he survived the fall into the water below and escaped, much to Oliver's rage as he knew he'd survive though Laurel believed she'd killed him. At the hospital, Quentin spoke with Rene before speaking to Oliver. He asked Oliver if they'd caught Diaz and Oliver told him he got away but they'll get him, then avoided telling him that Laurel inadvertently allowed him to get away in her attempt to kill him when Quentin asked how.
Oliver revealed to him his deal with the FBI and though satisfied they were taking back the city from Diaz for them, was disapproving of Oliver agreeing to turn himself in. Oliver finally accepted this Laurel as Quentin's daughter after having previously denied it several times and witnessing the true father-daughter love between them, as well as complimenting Quentin on being a really good father and the example he used to parent his own son. He thanked Oliver for everything he had done, with Oliver in turn smiling and telling him they'll be waiting for him when he's out of surgery.
Despite being expected to make it, Dr. Elisa Schwartz later informed everyone that he didn't survive his surgery which and left Laurel, Oliver, Dinah, Rene, Curtis, Diggle, Felicity, and Sara (whom Laurel had called over) devastated. He is last seen dead on his hospital bed as Oliver (at the direction of the FBI) announced to the world he himself is Green Arrow and acknowledged the sacrifices those close to him have made for his crusade, with Sara and Laurel grieving together over Quentin's body.
Mar Novu's alternate reality
In late 2019, nearly a year and a half after Quentin's death, Mar Novu placed Oliver and Laurel in an alternate reality where Quentin survived Ricardo Diaz's attack but would be killed over the course of events that played out, with a time loop in place that reset whenever Quentin died. After several fruitless attempts to save Quentin by Oliver and Laurel, the latter made peace with Quentin, letting him know how much he meant to her, before she was released from the time loop, having completed her mission to make amends with the past. After Oliver was confronted by Lyla, he realized that he needed to accept the inevitability of Quentin's death rather than prevent it, similar to how he had to accept his own upcoming death in the Crisis, a realization that allowed him to complete his own mission and leave the time loop after letting events play out as they were supposed to.[45]
New multiverse
Quentin's demise was averted after Oliver recreated a universe of Earth-Prime during the Crisis in 2019. In this new timeline, he is still the mayor of Star City and also gave a speech at the unveiling of the Green Arrow statue on the night before Oliver's funeral.[46]
After the funeral, Quentin stepped down from his mayoral duties, allowing Rene to succeed him as mayor of Star City.
Erased futures
As revealed by Rip Hunter, in the original timeline where he didn't recruit Sara, she would have returned to Star City to aid Team Arrow in a battle against Damien Darhk, only to be killed alongside Laurel and Quentin.[47]
Legacy
Original multiverse
Before Quentin's death, he had successfully reformed Earth-2 Laurel Lance, the Earth-2 counterpart of his Earth-1 Laurel; whom he saw as his own daughter and in turn came to see him as her own father. Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak and the rest of Team Arrow were left devastated by Quentin's death, as they mourn and grieve over the death of their fallen friend, ally and surrogate father to all of Team Arrow's members.
Laurel and Sara Lance were also just as devastated by Quentin's death, as the two are seen crying and mourned together as they stood over his body; both women had lost their father.
Sometime after Quentin's death, a woman named Emily Pollard succeeded him as the mayor of Star City, but unlike her predecessor; Emily does not care about the welfare of the citizens of Star City, as she only cares about her approval ratings.
A pre-recorded interview of Quentin made its way in the documentary Emerald Archer: The Hood and the Rise of Vigilantism that was illegally made while the anti-vigilante law was active in Star City.
7 months after his death, Quentin's killer Ricardo Diaz was finally brought to justice when the new Green Arrow and John Diggle took him down during Diaz's attempt to use a bomb to destroy all of Star City. However, his death finally got avenged when Diaz was killed by Emiko Adachi.
In late 2019, nearly a year and a half after Quentin's death, Mar Novu placed Oliver and Laurel in an alternate reality where Quentin survived Ricardo Diaz's attack but would be killed over the course of events that played out, with a time loop in place that reset whenever Quentin died. After several fruitless attempts to save Quentin by Oliver and Laurel, the latter made peace with Quentin, letting him know how much he meant to her, before she was released from the time loop, having completed her mission to make amends with the past. After Oliver was confronted by Lyla, he realized that he needed to accept the inevitability of Quentin's death instead of prevent it, similar to how he had to accept his own upcoming death in the crisis, a realization that allowed him to complete his own mission and leave the time loop after letting events play out as they were supposed to.
Personality
- "Well, I'm—I'm conflicted about this, I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm a police officer, duly sworn. I don't condone vigilantes or vigilantism. Once people start taking the law into their own hands, you're on the road to anarchy. But there's worse things out there than anarchy, and sometimes, as much as I hate to admit it... the police aren't enough to deal with it all."
- —Quentin Lance[src]
Before the apparent "death" of Sara Lance, Quentin was a happy and kinder individual, he was strict as he punished Sara for her constantly screw ups and getting in trouble with the law, but he was a loving husband and father, but after the (apparent) death of his younger daughter, Sara; he became an alcoholic and buried himself in his work to the point where his wife, Dinah Lance couldn't handle it, as she left and divorced him, as well as the fact that he publicly embarrass himself and his daughter, Laurel Lance, Quentin eventually sobered up, but he was never the same. When he raised Sara, he was a strict parent on her, but he couldn't control her when she gets herself into a lot of trouble and punish her a lot of times.
Quentin is described as a "gruff, determined city police officer" who believed that true and justice could only come from law and order. He can be arrogant to the point where he think he can go in an individual's house without a search warrant or an arrest warrant when he said, "i have a badge and a gun, that says differently". He initially hated the Hood (later known as the Arrow) because he believed he is strictly a murderer who doesn't answer to anyone but himself; he even once coldly used Laurel as bait, he was a hypocrite in this manner as he threatened to drag him down to hell himself if he scratched Laurel. Despite his occasional abrasiveness, he was not above apologizing or admitting when he was wrong, evidenced by Quentin apologizing to Oliver Queen and warning him against dating Helena Bertinelli, because of how dangerous her family is.
Quentin rarely jumps to conclusions before he gets his facts straight; except when he was emotionally involved in the case. While he reluctantly worked with the Hood occasionally to get solve cases, he still makes it his goal to apprehend him. Possibly the reason why he helped the Arrow is because Quentin knows that the Arrow stands for something, that the police should do, but cannot because they are bound to the law.
Quentin's morals and beliefs center around true, and justice coming from law and order; his beliefs about the Arrow being a menace to Starling City begin to change after being told by the Arrow himself that Malcolm Merlyn plans to destroy the Glades and everyone in it. After being demoted to a beat cop for 5 months following the Undertaking, seeing how powerless the police is in dealing with the various crises in the city and knowing how effective the Arrow is with dealing with them, his beliefs about law and order have changed; while he still holds himself as an enforcer of the law, he now believed that the law isn't omnipotent and that justice should prevail over doing that is strictly legal; as such, he is now more willing to seek extra-legal measures to seek justice and is now pro-Arrow, especially after finding out that the Arrow is now going out of his way to avoid killing his enemies.
Quentin defended the Arrow by asking Laurel if she was just blaming the Arrow when she said it was his fault that Tommy Merlyn died, a statement that later turned out to be true. Quentin also had developed a high opinion of Oliver as well, still unaware that Oliver and the Arrow are one-and-the-same. He chose to remain willfully ignorant of the Arrow's identity, telling Laurel that knowing the identity of the man under the hood would endanger the Arrow and diminish his effectiveness.
Quentin has a sense of justice, honor, and good morals, even during the time when he despised the Arrow; he refused to let him take the heat for a murder the Dark Archer committed, even when his commanding officer, Brian Nudocerdo gave him an order to blame it on the Arrow, even though it resulted in him being taken off the case. Even when he got demoted for associating himself with the Arrow, he never blamed him and continued to work with him, especially after realising that the Arrow is trying to avoid killing unnecessarily.
Over time, Quentin began to realize what the Arrow has to give up in exchange for maintaining his identity a secret while at the same making Starling City a better place; even when Laurel learned that Oliver was the Arrow, Quentin told her to not speak about it and said he would rather spend 18 months in prison than uncover the Arrow's identity for his freedom even though he was attacked by a prisoner who he and the Arrow previously put away. The first thing he did after being promoted to police captain was disband the Anti-Vigilante Task Force so the Arrow could continue his work uninhibited to make his job and life easier.
Quentin is proven to (genuinely) care about the well being of innocent individuals and catching criminals. Even after he was promoted to a police captain, the purpose of which was to remove him from the field because of the medical condition he developed from fighting Slade Wilson's army, he still continued to go on the field to help the Arrow.
Quentin is proven to have a sarcastic sense of humour; when the Arrow told Quentin he had to cut their meeting short because he had to be somewhere, Quentin sarcastically asked if he had a "hot date" (which was actually true) Quentin also sarcastically asked if there was a "spare earthquake machine" after a break-in at Queen Consolidated, but quickly apologised after realising that the joke was inappropriate.
Quentin is very sharp but, at the same time, very dull, as he was able to deduce that Roy Harper is Arsenal based on his clothing patterns and habit, but he wasn't able to tell "Sara" was in fact Laurel based on behavioral differences; however, he was proven to be quite accepting of his daughters' decisions. Although he was mad at Laurel for not telling him she was now a vigilante, he took it pretty well, only mad that Laurel didn't tell him about it.
When Quentin found out from Laurel that Sara is dead, this time for real, he was devastated over his daughter's death. However, unlike before, he was able to handle Sara's death; he (initially) did not become an alcoholic again, although he was tempted to drink a bottle of wine. His relationship with Laurel had become estranged; due to the fact that she knew that Sara was dead for months, but she did not tell him, as Quentin had every right to know that Sara had died (Laurel using the excuse that he literally wouldn't be able to take it because of his medical condition). He was also furious and feels immensely betrayed towards the Arrow for knowing Sara had died but kept it secret from him, and returns to his original "law and order" mindset, deciding that he was done with the Arrow.
When the Arrow was framed by League of Assassins, Quentin orders a manhunt against him, refusing to acknowledge him being framed saying it wouldn't be happening if "he weren't out there dressed like Robin Hood in the first place"; as noted by Laurel, Quentin was letting his personal feelings towards the Arrow cloud his judgment. When he discovers that Oliver is the Arrow, he blamed Oliver for all his family and the city's problems, and his opinion for Oliver became low again, as he had stated to the latter that he is "no hero, but he is a villain". However, in spite of letting his personal feelings cloud his judgement against Team Arrow, he still held on to some form of moral compass; he sympathised with Roy when he expressed genuine desire to be punished despite Quentin implying he was aware of his Mirakuru-influenced killing of Gabe Vincent the previous year, and never told anyone of the discovery of Harrison Wells' corpse after being warned by Joe West that publicly announcing it could put himself and/or Laurel in danger, despite his job ordinarily requiring him to report such an incident.
Quentin relapsed and had become an alcoholic again, although he tried to downplay it that "it's two drinks a day". However, when called out by Laurel that they're alcoholics, he was told by her that he can continue blaming her, Oliver and the rest of the world if he wanted for Sara's death, but falling off the wagon was on him and now he had a choice to make, keep drinking or make his daughters proud and help save the city during the League of Assassins' biological attack on Starling City. Ultimately choosing the latter, he assists Team Arrow once more and, while his opinion of Oliver was not at all what it once was, he admitted he doesn't want Oliver dead when he was trying to protect the city, as he still has some respect for Oliver left.[48]
6 months later, while keeping Oliver's new identity as "Green Arrow" a secret and willing to work with him again, but simultaneously, Quentin still blamed Oliver for making the city become so dangerous. However, after Oliver discovered his secret alliance with Damien Darhk, he was criticized by Oliver for his action, just as he was acting superior to him; the only reason why he was in an alliance with Damien was because the latter threatened to kill his daughter if he didn't do as he asked.
Quentin had witnessed first hand what Damien was capable of and knew, even with Laurel's newly-improved combat skills, she still would be no match for the master sorcerer; his fears later proved to be correct. He would have turned himself in for atoning his crimes, if Oliver didn't convince him to act as a double agent for him.
Quentin loved Laurel very much to the point that believed that he could make her Earth-2 counterpart more like her even though she stated that she was nothing like her, however, this notion began to cloud his judgement as he often clashed with the team in trying to connect with Earth-2 Laurel. Ultimately, he is proven to be correct as Earth-2 Laurel stood up to Ricardo Diaz and did what was right. In Quentin's final moments, he took a bullet for her, proving that he loved her as much as he loved Earth-1 Laurel.
In the new multiverse, Quentin possessed a similar personality and the same memories as he had prior to his death, with the exception of memories experienced after the time of his death. By this time, Oliver and Quentin had become strong allies, the latter trusting the former so much that he didn't hesitate in believing Oliver when he claimed they were stuck in a time loop (and joked that after all the crazy things he had seen, this was not outside their version of normal) Quentin was also shown to be selfless; in some of the loops, Oliver even told him beforehand what to expect but put his life on the line to help others anyway.
In the final loop, where Oliver realized he needed to say goodbye and accept that fate can't be changed, Quentin revealed that it was his daughters that ultimately allowed him to see the good that Oliver was doing and influenced him to stop attempting to take him down all those years ago; he recognized that Laurel and Sara were both good judges of character and that, therefore; if they trusted Oliver then he should too.Abilities
- "Fast learner."
- —Quentin Lance to Damien Darhk[src]
- High-level intellect/Expert detective/Expert tactician: Quentin's deduction abilities are extreme; just from seeing Sara Lance almost attack someone, he was able to immediately deduce that she was the Canary, he also realized that Roy Harper was Arsenal just because of the red hoodie and that Laurel was the Black Canary just because he knew it wasn't Sara, when he realized that Ricardo Diaz was likely to capture him, he subtly mentioned that he had a pacemaker so that Team Arrow would know to track it later, as a former police detective of the Star City Police Department, Quentin has proven himself a highly skilled detective; unlike most of his co-workers, he rarely jumps to conclusions before he gets his facts straight (except when he was emotionally involved in the case) even when that conclusion would make his job much easier. A prime example was in Deadshot's first appearance; even though he could easily chalk it up to the Hood using guns, he refused to accept the easy way out despite his hatred of the Hood at the time.
- Master of deception: Quentin is an excellent liar, as he was able to not only keep the city unaware that he worked with both the Arrow and Green Arrow (until he was exposed by Slade Wilson and Ricardo Diaz respectively) but he was also able to keep Oliver unaware that he was working with Damien Darhk for weeks. The same is true the other way around, as he was able to remain an adequate mole for Oliver within H.I.V.E.. He also managed to convince Oliver and Thea that he managed to get sober after Laurel's death. This skill even spread to his own daughter, as he managed to fool Laurel into meeting with the Hood to ambush him.
- Explosives expert: Quentin has at least enough training with explosives to use grenades against a Mirakuru-enhanced Ripped.[49]
- "How are you?"
- "Proficient with firearms."
- —Tommy Merlyn and Quentin Lance[src]
- Expert marksman: As a former police detective, Quentin is highly skilled in the use of firearms. He shot and killed an assassin,[14] as well as a member of the League of Assassins.[50]
- Expert hand-to-hand combatant: As a former police captain, Quentin is an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, as he had received training, as all Star City Police Department members do, but he is not as adept in unarmed combat as Oliver, Sara and Laurel Lance respectively. Despite this, he know to take his time during skirmishes to strike where his opponent was most vulnerable, as seen when he managed to subdue a member of the League of Assassins who Oliver and Sara were fighting at the same time. He is also skilled enough to briefly hold his own against a highly trained assassin such as Sarab, but was ultimately bested.
Former abilities
- Peak of human physical condition: As a former police captain, Quentin is in top physical condition for a man of his age. Quentin is displayed to be quite fast for a man his age as he was able to keep up with a League of Assassins member and came out on top. He was also able to follow Oliver after he jumped off of a building, but unlike Oliver; he had to steady himself afterward. But after Quentin was injured; by one of Slade Wilson's soldiers, he had developed a chronic heart condition.
Weaknesses
- "He had a coronary artery spasm treatable with medication."
- —Felicity Smoak[src]
- Heart condition: After being attacked; by one of Slade Wilson's soldiers, Quentin has developed a heart condition that; acts up if he strains himself too much. This can possibly be lethal if left untreated. As seen; when he attempted to fight Werner Zytle, this has limited Quentin's ability to fight in the field. Since then, he has mostly been relegated to an informant and does not go out in the field; unless it is absolutely necessary.
Former weaknesses
- Alcoholism: After the assumed death of Quentin's daughter, Sara Lance, he became a alcoholic, with Laurel Lance having to pick him up from the bar all the time, lashing out at Thea Queen and Tommy Merlyn, even his daughter, Laurel while intoxicated at a crime scene. Quentin did get his alcoholism under control going to alcoholic anonymous, talking about his problems and his daughter, Sara returning helped. After Damien Darhk killed his daughter, Laurel, Quentin feeling guilty had a relapse drinking once more. Quentin went to sobriety and returned sober after a few months. Quentin then suffered another relapse after he thought he killed Earth-2 Laurel Lance on Lian Yu trying to protect Dinah Drake, but was snapped out of it by Dinah and has remained sober ever since.
Equipment
- "Guns are a coward's weapon. What are you without your sidearm?"
- "A guy with a spare."
- —Assassin and Quentin Lance[src]
- Guns: Quentin is very proficient in using guns, keeping at least two on him most of the time.
Appearances
Arrow
Blood Rush
- "Mr. Queen Is Unavailable" (voice)
- "Roy to the Rescue" (voice)
The Flash
Season 1
- "Who is Harrison Wells?"
- "Rogue Air" (mentioned)
Season 2
- "Legends of Today" (mentioned)
- "Invincible" (mentioned)
Season 9
- "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To" (mentioned)
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Season 1
Season 2
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
|
Batwoman
Season 1
- "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two" (mentioned)
Comics
Arrow
Arrow: Season 2.5
- "Descent"
- "Awakenings"
Gallery
Promotional images
Arrow
Season 1 |
Season 2 |
Trivia
- Quentin is one of the few characters in Arrow to:
- Make Deadshot miss a target.[10]
- Survive an encounter with the League of Assassins, as well as successfully kill a member of the League.[50]
- Kill a Mirakuru-enhanced soldier without the use of the cure or trick arrows.[49] The only other people to accomplish this feat are Oliver Queen and Malcolm Merlyn.
- Quentin is the fourth character of Arrow within the main cast to die.
- He is also the third main character of Arrow to be brought back to life, along with Moira Queen and Tommy Merlyn.
- Quentin gave Oliver his codename "the Arrow".
- Quentin was the last person in the main cast of Arrow to learn that Oliver is the Arrow. This can be seen as ironic since he is a detective.
- The way that Quentin discovered Oliver's identity from Ra's al Ghul is similar to the way that his daughter, Laurel Lance, discovered it from Slade Wilson.
- Quentin was also the last main character in Arrow to learn of Malcolm Merlyn and Roy Harper survivals of their presumed deaths.
- He enjoys French roast coffee.[51]
- Quentin is a fan of the Starling City Rockets.[52]
- He likes the movie Independence Day.[53]
- Quentin has a pacemaker.[54]
- Rene Ramirez referred to Quentin as "Hoss", a nickname the latter disliked.[55]
- Quentin is the oldest member of Team Arrow.
- During Season 1 of Arrow, Quentin shared some similarities with Jacob Kane in Batwoman.
- Both work in a law enforcement organization.
- Both oppose the presence of vigilantes in their home cities and have a personal vendetta against their respective shows' main protagonist.
- Both have two daughters, one of whom is presumed dead but had actually survived.
- Both have complicated relationships with their surviving daughters due to their differing views.
Behind the scenes
- Unlike Quentin's DC comic counterpart, Larry Lance, who was a keen supporter of the superhero known as Black Canary, Quentin was initially intolerant of vigilantism and thus a vehement antagonist of the Arrow. Eventually Quentin began trusting and working with the Arrow on many occasions after realizing the law cannot always solve everything, especially upon discovering that his daughter, Sara Lance, is the vigilante known as the Canary.
- In Justice League of America #74 (September, 1969), Larry sacrificed himself to save his wife, Dinah Drake—the first Black Canary—from a blast of cosmic energy directed at her by the supervillain Aquarius. Similarly in "Life Sentence", Quentin sacrificed his life in order to save his daughter Laurel Lance's Earth-2 doppelgänger from a bullet fired by Ricardo Diaz.
- In "Broken Dolls", it is revealed that Quentin's middle name is Larry, a homage to his DC comics character.
References
| Other versions of Quentin Lance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Quentin Lance. | ||||
| New multiverse | ||||
| Earth: Prime | ||||
| Original multiverse | ||||
| Earth: 1 • 2 • 16 • X | ||||
| Transmultiversal multiverse | ||||
| Earth: | ||||