Background of the Story — Transformation in the DC World
This story takes place in the world of DC Comics, specifically within the Arrowverse—a universe that includes heroes like Batman, The Flash, and Green Arrow. However, at this point in time, none of those heroes have appeared yet. The world is still ordinary, but corruption is spreading beneath its surface.
1. When It Begins — The Tragedy That Changed a City
The story begins shortly after the tragic sinking of the ship Queen's Gambit. Onboard were Robert Queen, head of Queen Consolidated and one of Star City's wealthiest men, and his son Oliver Queen, a carefree playboy heir. Both are presumed dead after the disaster, leaving the Queen family shattered.
In truth, Oliver survived. He was stranded on the remote island of Lian Yu, where he would one day train and return to Star City as the vigilante known as Green Arrow. But this story begins five years before his return—a time when no heroes yet exist and Star City quietly rots from within.
2. The World Around Them — A City Drowning in Corruption
The setting is Star City, a modern metropolis filled with hidden decay. Politicians, corporations, and criminal syndicates manipulate everything from the shadows. With Robert Queen gone, Queen Consolidated is left leaderless, and every major power in the city is fighting for control.
Among them stands Malcolm Merlyn, head of Merlyn Global Group—a man whose influence and ambition reach deep into the city's dark underworld. Even major names like Wayne Enterprises (run by Bruce Wayne, the future Batman) make brief appearances in this world, showing that this is not an isolated story but part of a much larger DC universe.
3. The Queen Family — What Remains After the Fall
After the shipwreck, only two members of the Queen family remain: Moira Queen, the elegant but secretive matriarch who hides more than she reveals, and Thea Queen, her fifteen-year-old daughter, fragile and grieving the loss of her father and brother.
But there is one secret that even Thea doesn't know: she is not Robert Queen's biological daughter. Her real father is Malcolm Merlyn—her mother's former lover and the same man whose ambition and schemes would one day destroy Star City. That means Thea and Oliver are half-siblings, sharing the same mother (Moira Queen) but having different fathers.
4. Who Is Malcolm Merlyn?
Malcolm Merlyn is a charming, intelligent, and dangerously ambitious man. To the public, he's a successful businessman and philanthropist. In truth, he's a manipulative mastermind who secretly leads The Undertaking—a plan to "cleanse" Star City by destroying it completely.
The irony is cruel: Thea's real father is the very man who caused the death of her adoptive father and pushed her half-brother, Oliver, into years of torment. He is both her greatest danger and her blood relative.
5. For New Readers
In simple terms, the story begins before any superheroes appear. A powerful family collapses, leaving behind a young girl, Thea Queen, who will soon discover that her real father is the man who destroyed her family.
At the same time, a soul from another world awakens inside her—a person who knows the future and refuses to live as a supporting character. Armed with foresight and determination, Thea begins her journey of growth, strength, and self-discovery, determined to shape her own destiny in a world full of corruption, heroes, and monsters.