The 9 Saddest Arrowverse Parent Deaths (PHOTOS)
Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan), Arrow
Robert may not have been the best father (just ask Emiko) or a faithful husband, but he made the ultimate sacrifice. Knowing he and Oliver (Stephen Amell) couldn’t both survive following the sinking of the Queen’s Gambit, Robert shot himself in the head to give his son a chance.
Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson), Arrow
Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) planned to make Oliver choose between his mother and sister to parallel the choice he had to make on the island between Sara (Caity Lotz) and Shado (Celina Jade). Oliver wanted Slade to kill him instead.
However, Moira refused to let that happen and sacrificed herself. “Both my children will live,” she told Slade.
Samantha Clayton (Anna Hopkins), Arrow
Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) kidnapped Oliver’s friends and family and brought them to Lian Yu. Though he had the entire island wired with explosives, which went off when he killed himself, only one person died as a result: Samantha, the mother of Oliver’s son.
In her dying moments, she made Oliver promise he’d be William’s father.
Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), Arrow
Quentin suffered quite a bit over the years. He lost Sara (and only found out about her death months later). Then, she was resurrected and went to travel through time. Then, he lost Laurel (Katie Cassidy), only for her evil doppelganger from Earth-2 to appear.
He tried to get through to Earth-2 Laurel, which ultimately led to Diaz (Kirk Acevedo) shooting him. Lance later died of his injuries.
Nora Allen (Michelle Harrison), The Flash
It’s not just that Barry (Grant Gustin) lost his mother as a child, when Eobard Thawne (Matt Letscher) killed her. But he then traveled back in time and saved her, only to realize he couldn’t let that timeline, Flashpoint, continue to exist.
Barry had to ask Eobard to kill her again to restore the timeline. Is there anything more heartbreaking than a hero having to ask a villain to murder his mother?
Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp), The Flash
The team had just begun to relax when Zoom (Teddy Sears) sped in and grabbed Henry. Barry followed him to his childhood home, where he had to watch Zoom kill his father.
“Whatever happens, you have made me the happiest father,” Henry told Barry in his final moments.
Thomas Snow (Kyle Secor), The Flash
The Snow family reunion was brief in “Snow Pack.” Thomas (Kyle Secor) managed to regain control of his body just as his frosty side, Icicle, was prepared to kill Caitlin.
However, Grace Gibbons/Cicada II (Sarah Carter) then showed up to steal a cryo-atomizer Icicle had been using. Caitlin tried to stop her, and Thomas sacrificed himself to save his daughter during the fight.
Martin Stein (Victor Garber), Legends of Tomorrow
Stein wasn’t originally a father, but after the timeline was altered, he returned to the present to find he had a daughter, Lily (Christina Brucato).
During the “Crisis on Earth-X” crossover, Stein was shot and still managed to open the breach back to their Earth. After everyone returned, he died. He told Jax (Franz Drameh) to tell his wife, Clarissa (Isabella Hofmann), and Lily he loved them and thanked him for “the adventure of a lifetime.”
Hank Heywood (Tom Wilson), Legends of Tomorrow
Nate (Nick Zano) and his father didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but they were getting to know each other again through their work at the Time Bureau. However, Hank was also working with Neron, and when he tried to cut ties, the demon killed him.
[Warning: The below and gallery above contain MAJOR spoilers for Season 5, Episode 19 of The Flash, “Snow Pack.”]
In Tuesday’s episode of The Flash, Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) joined the list of superheroes who have lost a parent in a tragic way.
The central heroes of Arrow and The Flash have both seen the death of their parents, but the Queens and Allens aren’t the only families who have suffered losses.
Over the course of seven seasons of Arrow, five seasons of The Flash, and four seasons of Legends of Tomorrow, parents haven’t fared well. Those deaths, whether through sacrifice or not, have often led to some of the saddest scenes on these shows.
Click through the gallery for the Arrowverse parent deaths TV Insider remembers tearfully.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services