The Bowman Legacy

There’s been a long history of bow-themed heroes named “The Bowman”

During the ’40s, the first Bowman and his kid sidekick Arrow appeared in Freedom City, using an arsenal of trick arrows to fight crime. Under orders from President Roosevelt, Bowman and Arrow banded together with other heroes, including The Centurion and Doctor Atom as the Liberty League. until the government disbanded the team in 1955.

By the 1960s, the young Arrow left retirement to take up the name Bowman and return to the crimefighting scene with a new Arrow of his own. This Bowman and Arrow were founding members of Freedom League. Bowman and Arrow’s partnership broke up and Arrow retired for a time. Rumors abounded of Arrow’s alcohol problem ^compare

After the second Bowman retired, Arrow came out of retirement himself and became the third Bowman with a a third sidekick Arrow. But it became publicly known that Bowman had a drinking problem. His addiction lead to a series of bad jobs ultimately almost leading to his death (at the hands of Deathstroke) while drinking in costume. Bowman retired in disgrace while Arrow changed his name to Archer and got involved with a team of vigilantes for hire called Force Ops

A few years back, a new Bowman appeared on the scene, first working with Next-Gen and then graduating to the Freedom League. He has stated he hopes to honor the legacy of all the Bowmen, hoping to remind Freedom City and the world of the good Bowman (all the Bowmen) has done and remove the stain surrounding the last Bowman’s retirement.