Often times, the hero of a show or film is a strong, male lead character. The one with the muscles, the good looks, and dashing smile. However, sometimes the real hero isn't the one in the front.
In the CW's "Arrow," while Oliver Queen (the Green Arrow) is a hero, in my opinion, Felicity Smoak is the real hero.
She's an IT girl who works at a multibillion dollar company. She graduated from MIT at the top of her class and is insanely smart. I feel like of the shows I've personally watched, she's the first strong female character I've come across who is most like me (minus her intelligence because, let's be real, no one is as smart as Felicity Smoak).
To me, she's the most relatable on the show. She's awkward, quirky, smart and overall just a great character. She has saved Team Arrow on countless occasions with her ability to find information and hack the sources that need to be hacked in a timely manner. She cares so deeply about her work and friends.
Aside from her technology knowledge, she's also the hero for Oliver. After spending five years on a hellish island, Oliver came back completely changed. He went through awful things on the island, and coming back, there was some darkness inside him. Felicity brought him the light he needed to survive back home. She never stopped believing in him and trying to make him better.
In season one episode three, the first time Oliver and Felicity met, it was the first time Oliver had smiled in the series up to that point. She keeps Oliver grounded and sane.
Part of the reason I love Felicity so much is because she's sort of like the underdog. In the real world, she would be overlooked because she's so smart. In the real world, she would be considered "nerdy." However, Felicity Smoak is far from overlooked on Arrow. She ended up with the "popular guy" (Oliver) and as someone who is pretty much overlooked by the entire male population, it was nice to see a strong female character who's really smart get the guy. It was nice to see someone who's extremely intelligent be so important for Team Arrow.
I think it's important for young girls to have more characters like Felicity Smoak on TV and in films because too often young girls are discouraged from liking things like technology and science because they're not professions that are "for girls." Felicity Smoak defies social norms and does so brilliantly.
Even though she isn't running around risking her life every night saving the city, she's still a vital part of the team and a vital person in Oliver's life.
Felicity Smoak, while she may be just an IT girl to some people, is the true hero to me.
