Arsenal Timeline
This timeline is designed to detail the exploits of Arsenal (Roy Harper) throughout different eras of comic book history. These summaries are here to help make reading about Arsenal easier. For more information regarding our timeline project, see our about page here.
This timeline is heavily based on our “Arsenal Reading Order“. Non-indented sections correspond with Arsenal’s “Essential” storyline while indented sections correspond with Arsenal’s “Extra” storyline. Make sure to check out our reading order here for more information.
New 52
With the beginning of the New 52, the DC Universe’s continuity was restarted. Most of Arsenal’s history is wiped out, though his history of substance abuse and pieces of his tutelage under Green Arrow remain intact. He starts the New 52 operating as an outlaw, unsure which direction life will take him next.
Also be sure to view the New 52 era of our “Arsenal Reading Order“.
REDemption
Arsenal has been recently captured by a military group and is going to be executed. However, his old friend Jason Todd comes to rescue him. Jason introduces Roy to Jason’s new friend, Starfire. Roy quickly beings a sexual relationship with Starfire. The three friends then form a tentative alliance and agree to accompany one another on adventures.
This leads Roy to accompany Jason on a mission to hunt down an ancient evil called the Untitled. The warrior monks who trained Jason were all recently killed by the Untitled and Jason wants to know why. Their investigation leads them to a small town in Colorado. While there, Roy and Starfire are attacked by a creature named Crux. Crux used to be a man, however, when his parents were killed by a crashing alien spaceship, he swore vengeance against aliens and used technology to enhance his own biology. Roy and Starfire defeat the monster and steal his ship, which they use to chart off on their next adventure.
This storyline extends through issues #1-7 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1: REDemption (Review).
Night of the Owls
Arsenal and the Outlaws return to Gotham to save a children’s hospital from Suzie Su, a targeting the hospital to draw out Red Hood. After the Outlaws quickly defeat her, she comes face to face with Jason Todd and admits that she’ll never stop coming after him. Jason responds by shooting her in the head.
Shortly after, the Outlaws pick up a radio signal from Alfred Pennyworth, who is asking for help in fighting the Court of the Owls. Starfire and Roy help by fighting Mr. Freeze, who regrets the work he did to help the Court. Meanwhile, Jason kills one of the Court’s Talons.
This storyline extends through issues #8-9 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 2: The Starfire (Review).
The Starfire
Starfire and Roy Harper are spending a quiet night together while Jason Todd goes on a date with a girl named Isabel. Their peaceful night soon ends when a giant alien, and old friend of Starfire, appears and asks Starfire for help. Starfire accepts and the Outlaws teleport onto the alien’s ship, accidentally bringing Isabel with them. When there, they learn that this ship’s crew used to be under Starfire’s command and that they are all close friends. They came to her because Starfire’s home planet is under attack by hostile aliens, called the Blight.
At first, Starfire is unsure if she wants to help her home planet, since they were the ones who sold her into slavery in order to achieve planetary peace. However, her growing feelings for Roy help soften her heart and she decides to rescues her sister, Komand’r, from Blight imprisonment. From here, they wage a short, but intense, war on the Blight. In the end, Starfire kills the Blight’s leader and frees the planet of Tamaran. The Outlaws head back to Earth, Starfire has a short talk with Superman, and Isabel is attacked by the Joker.
This storyline extends through issues #10-14 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 2: The Starfire (Review).
Death of the Family
Roy Harper and Starfire are beginning to deepen their relationship and have really begun to care for one another. However, their peaceful time together is cut short when they learn that Jason Todd has been captured by the Joker, who is also in the process of creating havoc throughout Gotham City. They quickly leave the island and head to Gotham, where they are forced to team up with the Teen Titans.
The team-up is successful and the heroes are able to drive back Joker’s forces. Arsenal even displays an impressive level of leadership while working with the Titans. He finds this even more impressive since just a short time ago he was being forced into Alcoholics Anonymous by Killer Croc. Eventually, Roy and Starfire meet back up with Jason, who has gone through an ordeal at Joker’s hand. The Outlaws make a brief stop at Wayne Manor, where Roy plays catch with Damian Wayne. While there, Jason is briefly incapacitated by a trap Joker left in his helmet.
This storyline extends through issues #15-18 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1 and issue #16 of Teen Titans Vol. 4. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review).
The League of Assassins
Jason Todd has voluntarily wiped nearly all of his memories, which Roy Harper and Starfire learn was done so that Jason could forget about the Joker. Roy also learns that Starfire has a perfect memory but that she chooses to forget her past in order to avoid the pain. Roy is heartbroken that one of his friends would forget all about their time together and the other would lie to him. This sadness is amplified when Roy’s old mentor, Green Arrow, comes to visit. It brings up memories of their time together, when Roy made weapons for Green Arrow but was never allowed to go on adventures with him. However, the two part ways on good terms. Soon afterword, Jason is taken by the League of Assassins and Roy is forced to work with the Untitled to free him.
This leads to an epic battle in the Assassins’ underground city. The Untitled are trying to reach the source of their power, the Well of Sins, which is located at the heart of the city. Jason is able to stop them by taking control of the League. However, Ra’s al Ghul appears and takes the power of the Well for himself. He nearly defeats them all but Jason regains his memories (the loss of which was actually part of a larger plan) and is able to use a technique from his past in order to remove Ra’s al Ghul’s new powers. The storyline ends with Essence taking the power of the Well for herself and using it as a force for good, which involves rebuilding the All-Caste.
This storyline extends through issues #19-27 and Annual #1 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. All of these issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 4: League of Assassins (Review), except for issue #27, which is collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 5: The Big Picture (Review).
The Big Picture
After a brief “vacation”, in which the Outlaws unintentionally became involved in shutting down another criminal, the Outlaws are individually keeping themselves busy. This is interrupted when aliens steal Starfire’s old ship, while Roy Harper is still on board. Roy remains hidden and watches the alien thieves. He learns that they plan on using nanotechnology to unleash a weapon that has the power to destroy an entire planet. He incapacitates the thieves, using various technologies aboard the ship, just in time for his friends, Starfire and Red Hood, to fly nearby in a rescue ship.
The rescue is cut short when Lobo appears and easily takes down Roy. He explains that he will be using the nanotechnology to destroy a sun and use the newly formed black hole as an energy weapon. However, Starfire and Red Hood are able to momentarily distract Lobo. Roy reprograms the nanotechnology to disassemble Lobo and his crew, reassembling them on another ship. The Outlaws return to Earth while Lobo looks at Roy’s tinkering as a potential new weapon.
This storyline extends through issues #28-31 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 5: The Big Picture (Review).
Roy’s Night Out
Roy Harper learns that his friend, Killer Croc, was kidnapped by a Japanese Triad. Roy infiltrates the Triad and even manages to find the leader. However, it turns out that Croc is not there. Instead, a monstrous being named Fangfeng is there instead. Roy frees Fangfeng and returns home to his friends.
This story is told in issue #17 of DC Universe Presents Vol. 1. This issue is collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 5: The Big Picture (Review) or DC Universe Presents Vol. 3: Black Lightning and Blue Devil.
Lost and Found
This storyline starts out with the Outlaws stopping a group of criminals from dropping a nuclear bomb on Washington D.C. After doing so, they spend a brief moment talking as friends before being kidnapped by S.H.A.D.E. Dr. Kirk Langstrom explains that they were kidnapped for altruistic purposes, as S.H.A.D.E. needed to determine why a destroyed spaceship is emitting a message asking for Starfire. Starfire examines the ship and flies away in horror.
With Starfire gone, Roy Harper and Jason Todd examine the ship and find it was filled with slaves looking for Starfire’s help. They track down Starfire and learn she is hunting down her old slave-master, who she now knows is on Earth. She finds him living a normal life and almost kills him but stops when her friends intervene. She leaves the area but the former slave-master kills himself anyway. The storyline ends by showing Starfire passed out from the use of a mysterious drug.
This storyline extends through issues #32-34 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 6: Lost and Found (Review).
Yule be dead for Christmas
Red Hood is trapped in an illusion where he and his friends, Starfire and Roy Harper, are all children. They try to find out the mystery behind Santa’s disappearance and are forced to deal with villains, evil reindeer, and an overbearing Batman. Eventually, Jason is able to break free and discover the entire illusion was created by an alien stranded on Earth as punishment for failing Helspont. He begs Jason to kill him, which Jason does.
This story is told in Annual #2 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. This issue is collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 6: Lost and Found (Review).
Last Call
Roy and Jason find Starfire laying on the beach, passed out from an overdose. They wake her and find her unusually happy. She is also unusually chaotic when the gang goes to track down the criminals behind the attempted Washington D.C. bombing. She becomes so chaotic that she critically burns Roy while attempting to fly away. Starfire drops Roy off at a hospital, where Jason and Green Arrow meet him later. Essence then appears and is able to heal Roy before things get too bad. While still at the hospital, Roy thinks about the rough relationship he and Oliver Queen have had, yet he is still glad to see him and thanks him for his concern.
A short while later, Jason and Roy team up with Crux, who is now reformed, in order to find Starfire. They find her in a jungle and learn that her drug addiction was a tactic utilized to learn more about the intergalactic drug trade. This puts them at odds with Helspont, who is planning another invasion of Earth, and Starfire’s sister, who is working with Helspont. However, it turns out Starfire’s sister was only pretending to serve Helspont, as she is instrumental in defeating him. After he is dealt with, Starfire goes to space to care for her sister and the Outlaws part ways on good terms. It appears that Roy and Starfire are on a break but have not broken up.
This storyline extends through issues #35-40 of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 7: Last Call (Review).
Open for Business
Red Hood and Arsenal coincidentally cross paths while taking on the same mission together. This rekindles their friendship and the duo decide to work together. While doing so, readers learn that Starfire dumped Roy. Their first task is to accept a job from a government fixer. The two complete the task and Arsenal uses the money to launch their own freelance vigilante business. Red Hood is initially skeptical of the idea but gets on board when he realizes that they can use the business to track down and defeat more criminals. This puts them at odds with a monster who claims to be the living embodiment of evil.
The two fight this monster in Gotham City, where they also run into the new Batman. Arsenal is able to defeat the monster by reversing the process used to create him, which impresses the new Batman. Meanwhile, the enemies Red Hood and Arsenal made in their past join together to kill them. However, unexpected help from Joker’s Daughter puts a stop to their enemies. The storyline ends with Red Hood insisting that they help Joker’s Daughter, because he sees some of his own rage insider her. In addition, throughout this storyline, Arsenal mentions that he feels as if something is missing from his memory.
This storyline extends through DC Sneak Peek: Red Hood/Arsenal and issues #1-6 of Red Hood/Arsenal. These issues are collected in Red Hood/Arsenal Vol. 1: Open for Business (Review).
Titans Hunt
Roy Harper feels as if something is missing from his memory. It bothers him so significantly that he goes to the nearest liquor store and begins drinking, thus ending a long stretch of sobriety. Across the world, Tempest, Gnarrk, Hank Hall, Mal Duncan, Lilith Clay, Donna Troy, and Dick Grayson are experiencing a similar feeling of memory loss. This feeling eventually draws them all together, where they are forced to confront their shared sense of unease. Eventually, memories start to arise and the heroes remember that they used to be on a superhero team together, called the Teen Titans.
This realization draws them all to a mysterious tower out in the woods, which is exactly where the villainous Mister Twister wants them. Twister explains that they fought him there before but were able to lock him away by purging their memories of the experience. This also removed their memories of being a team. However, if they ever came together again, their memories would start to return and Twister would be free. The heroes claim that they are different people now and use this newfound sense of identity to defeat Twister, sending him back through the portal he was trying to open. Now, the former Teen Titans celebrate their victory with their memories intact, though they still feel as if something is missing (it is hinted that this “something” is Wally West).
This storyline extends through issues #1-8 of Titans Hunt Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Titans Hunt (Review).
Harmed and Dangerous
After completing a quick contract in Gotham City, Roy Harper and Joker’s Daughter are kidnapped by lava monsters and dragged into a world underneath the city. There, Joker’s Daughter is forced to confront Charon, a man she disfigured to gain control of the Gotham Underground in the past. However, she shows remorse for her actions and Roy saves her. They quickly regroup with Jason Todd and leave the Underground. Before leaving Roy reminisces about his old team, called Iron Rule. What he doesn’t know is that Jason just faced off against Iron Rule while they were trapped underground.
This storyline extends through issues #7-9 of Red Hood/Arsenal Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood/Arsenal Vol. 2: Dancing with the Devil’s Daughter (Review).
Dancing with the Devil’s Daughter
While Roy and Jason stop a nuclear bomb from going off on a Navy vessel, Joker’s Daughter is being evaluated by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist gives the heroes the green light on Joker’s Daughter and says that she truly seems to want to make amends for her actions. However, the sanity is merely an act to get close to Red Hood. Red Hood reveals that he is now aware of the act and confronts Joker’s Daughter about it. This leads to a fight, in which Jason shoots her.
Meanwhile, Roy has discovered that his old team, Iron Rule, is still alive. They kidnap him and hold a vote online to decide whether they should kill him or not. Joker’s Daughter, who survived the gunshot, is revealed to be their leader. She had them torture Roy so that she could torture Jason. However, Red Hood discovers where they are and shuts down the entire operation. When Roy expresses concern over how this will affect their public reputation, Jason leaves him. He says that Roy has “too much faith in people” and that he doesn’t “have any.”
This storyline extends through issues #10-13 of Red Hood/Arsenal Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Red Hood/Arsenal Vol. 2: Dancing with the Devil’s Daughter (Review).
Rebirth
Coming Soon