'Arrow': 4 Reasons Why Quentin Lance Can't Be Prometheus

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Arrow Season 5!

This season, Arrow introduced another villain who seems to be just as good at archery as Oliver Queen. Nicknamed the "Throwing Star Killer" by Star City's media, Prometheus has yet to be unmasked — and that, of course, has fed the speculation for the past couple of months. Many believe that Tommy Merlyn is behind the mask as he might have been resurrected by the Lazarus Pit after his father, Malcolm Merlyn, discovered he had died.

This week, though, Arrow threw out yet another possibility for Prometheus: former SCPD Captain Quentin Lance. It comes as no surprise that the internet immediately came alive with the possibility that such a well-known and loved character could possibly be so villainous. And though they certainly set up the scenario by having Lance awaken with blood on his arm and a throwing star on his table, I have a difficult time believing Lance has transformed into a killer. Here's why:

From Season 1, Quentin Lance has disliked killing, especially when it was The Hood dropping bodies. He showed his disdain for Oliver's methods many times over, and as a former law enforcement officer, it would be difficult for him to lay aside those beliefs. He even had an issue when he realized Oliver was going to kill Damien Darhk. That doesn't sound like a man who could so easily kill, and despite what Lance has endured over the past year, I can't imagine him changing that much as a person.

Lance Has Spent The Past Few Months Drunk

Lance has found solace at the bottom of a bottle again, and it's clear he's been keeping company with whiskey every night. Even if Lance had blackouts, he couldn't be as skilled as Prometheus is while his brain is literally pickled. Anyone who has ever been drunk can testify that you lose inhibitions and the ability to stand up properly. So imagining Lance drunk and skipping around from rooftop to rooftop is a bit of a stretch.

There Has Never Been Any Indication That Lance Is A Skilled Archer

Even if Lance was stone-cold sober, he's not an archer. In fact, we've never even seen him pick up a bow and arrow much less a throwing star. That's an assassin's tool, and though Lance is good with a gun, he isn't trained in the art of war like someone from the League of Assassins. Even though he disappeared from Star City for a few months, and he could have been training, it was clear he spent most of that time drowning his sorrows which he indicated was the cause of his breakup with Donna Smoak. Not to mention, when Lance left the city, he didn't have revenge on his mind.

Lance is still in too much pain to want to undertake a battle he knows he can't win. He's seen what Oliver is capable of, and no amount of training would prepare him to take on the Green Arrow. Beyond that, he leaned on Oliver after Laurel's death, and there was no indication that he blames him for his daughter's death. Why would he when he knows the choice to be Black Canary was Laurel's?

As for the reason Lance awakened with blood on his arm, that's a clear red herring. Prometheus is trying to stir up dissension between Oliver and those he trusts. There's simply no other reason to believe Quentin Lance is Oliver's newest enemy when they've already overcome the ill will they had toward one another.

So, who is Prometheus? We'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the season brings.