DC Multiverse’s Green Arrow Connor Hawke Just Misses the Bullseye
I was pretty excited to see we were finally getting a figure based on Connor Hawke, the Green Arrow who was technically my Green Arrow. The TLDR is that the figure is fine, but it’s missing a lot of what makes Connor…well, Connor.
Green Arrow Connor Hawke is the latest Target-exclusive figure in McFarlane Toys‘ long-running (and, potentially, soon-ending) DC Multiverse line. I thought I would have some trouble finding him, so I snapped him up as soon as I saw him. I’ve since seen several others on pegs, so you may not have trouble tracking this one down. It’s also currently available to order on Target’s website if you, unlike me, have no qualms about ordering figures online.
All-New, All-Different Green Arrow
Let’s get into who Connor is first, so you can understand the things I love and hate about this figure. Introduced in Green Arrow #0 and the wake of the Zero Hour event, Connor is a monk living in an ashram where Oliver Queen goes to find himself. Connor is also Ollie’s son, but Ollie dies in a plane explosion before the two have a chance to discuss their connection. With his father dead, Connor takes up the mantle of Green Arrow.
Connor’s the Green Arrow for a good chunk of the ’90s, and there’s some genuinely great tales throughout this era. Of particular note are the crossover tales that played into the legacy aspect of Green Arrow. I recommend checking out “Hard Traveling Heroes: The Next Generation”, which sees Connor on a road trip with Kyle Rayner, the then-current Green Lantern, in a story about their acceptance of the legacy before them and decision to not let it define their relationship, and “Three of a Kind”, which sees Connor, Kyle, and Wally West/The Flash attempt to bond on a vacation cruise that villains soon overrun.
Connor Hawke is a huge deal not just in terms of who he is, but what he represents. Connor was one of the few prominently non-Caucasian heroes in the DC Universe at the time of his debut, being of European, African, and Korean ancestry. He’s initially depicted as having dark skin and shockingly blonde hair, though it’s worth noting that his skin tone has lightened and darkened over the years at the hands of various artists. (When I first started reading comics, I was always confused why Connor looked so much darker on the covers than he did in the book itself!)
DC was also setting up Connor for big things. The five-part “Brotherhood of the Fist” arc crossed over between Green Arrow, Robin, Nightwing, and Detective Comics and established Connor as one of DC’s top martial artists. One has to wonder what the plan was for a Connor who was presented as second only to Lady Shiva, but the book ended just two issues later, so the plot point never comes up again. The next time Connor was back in the spotlight, it was as a supporting character following Oliver’s resurrection.
Connor, like all great ’90s characters, vanished in the wake of Flashpoint and The New 52, at which point Ollie was de-aged significantly. He was brought back into the fold with 2021’s Robin Vol. 3 as a participant in the Lazarus Tournament. Since then, he’s been featured prominently as a supporting character in Green Arrow.
Finally, a Green Arrow For The ’90s Kids
First off, here’s what I love the most: this is a Connor Hawke action figure!
Connor debuted in 1994, when DC lines were like 99% Batman and 1% whoever else they thought they could reuse a mold for. His book ended in 1998, long before the days of massive collector’s lines. So far as I’ve been able to find in my research, there’s only been one prior Connor Hawke figure: a truly atrocious, muscle-bound nightmare for the infamous Total Justice line.
Since then, figures of any Green Arrow, let alone Connor, have been few and far between, despite his perpetual popularity over the past few decades. By the time Mattel’s DC Universe came around, Oliver had already been resurrected, and Connor was largely a supporting player. As a result, Mattel only did a handful of figures, and they were all the same classic Ollie figures. McFarlane only touched the Injustice 2 and Arrow iterations of the character up until its atrociously neon green Longbow Hunters-inspired Green Arrow as part of the McFarlane Digital line-up.
So what we have here is the first true Connor Hawke figure in three decades; long, long overdue, to say the least. And I have to admit, for a McFarlane figure, this is a restrained gem. The typical “Toddifications” aren’t quite as apparent here. Connor’s costume was always fairly simple: a green body suit with a brown tunic and a bright green domino mask. There are a few extraneous lines, and his more practical pouch belt is replaced with a metal and gold buckled nightmare, but otherwise, the suit itself is spot-on.
Sculpt-wise, like most other DC Multiverse figures, there’s not a ton of the character in there. Connor always had fairly soft features with a strong jaw, but I feel like you could slap this head on any character and it would fit. The hair is also huge, which is a choice. I’m not entirely sure what depiction that’s supposed to be based on, honestly. He’s had longer and shorter hair over the years, but never a giant flattop. Maybe it’s supposed to look windswept?
What does stand out to me as criminally wrong is Connor’s quiver. He’s got a large, brown sack of a quiver; as best I can tell, it’s a new sculpt (it will be getting some re-use with the upcoming Merlyn figure, announced long after this one hit the pegs). But Connor had a very specific V-shaped quiver in the comics, and the difference stands out here. The quiver accessory also just doesn’t fit, which is why it’s not in every picture I took. I could get the peg to squeeze in sometimes, but it’s just a size or two too large to actually fit comfortably.
Accessory-wise, it’s a paltry offering. Again, the bow appears to be a new sculpt; the previous Green Arrows had different ones entirely. Also included is a bundle of arrows to sit in the quiver. However, like previous Green Arrow figures, there’s no single arrow accessory, so there’s no nocking for this guy.
That’s it for accessories, which is a shame. Connor is begging for a couple of extra hands. He’s one of the greatest martial artists in the DC Universe, and he’s saddled with two trigger fingers and no arrow to nock (plus he can barely get his arms in range to hold the bow without stretching its soft plastic cable to its limit). This figure really needed a pair of fists and/or open hands to complete its posing options.
The Elephant in the Room
I really want to love this figure with no qualms. It’s a great design, and the articulation is shockingly smooth. The usual ratcheting and loose joints aren’t here. The sculpt itself makes great use of layers of material. A wired hood would have been a fun touch, but Connor so rarely wore his hood up that I don’t think it matters. I’m even willing to look past the hair sculpt.
But I can’t look past the elephant in the room: the paint apps on Connor’s head. As I mentioned above, the representation Connor brought into the DCU was really important. His European/Korean/African heritage was incredibly unique and was represented front and center with Connor’s darker skin. Even as it lightened as his appearances went on, he was still drawn with notably darker skin than everyone else around him.
But that’s not represented here. Connor is maybe a shade or two darker than other figures, but if you didn’t know you were looking for that, you’d swear he was a white guy. It’s a shame, because DC Multiverse has not really shied away from diversity that much, has it?
Look, I think the DC Multiverse line will ultimately be remembered as better than it’s perceived at this moment. I’ve spent a long time looking past a lot of the bizarre tweaks and odd decisions, but changing a character’s ethnicity wholesale kind of sucks. I just want the figures to look like the characters they’re meant to represent. And that’s why I have a hard time recommending you pick this one up. I think it’s the best figure McFarlane has done in a long, long time from a purely technical standpoint; I wish all their figures had joints this smooth, and while the accessory offerings are scant, they’re at least unique, and that’s more than most figures get. However, if you want a figure that resembles Connor Hawke, you’ll want to pass on this one or hope a third party releases an alternate head portrait.
6.0 TOTAL SCORE
McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Green Arrow Connor Hawke
0 Out of 5
Based on 0 Users
Sculpting 6
Articulation 7
Paint Apps 5
Accessories 6
Good
Top-notch articulation for DC Multiverse
Sculpting and material mix on body is incredible
Great to see a good representation of a '90s classic!
Less Good
Skin tone is way, way off
Head sculpt lacks resemblence to the character
Lack of accessories make this a meager offering
Bottomline
McFarlane Toys' Green Arrow Connor Hawke brings a character long overdue for a new action figure to the line, but the various DC Multiverse trappings keep this from being truly great.
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