Green Arrow and Daredevil: Can Total Personality Opposites Become Unlikely Friends?

Meet two of my favorite superheroes, Green Arrow, a.k.a Oliver Queen, and Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock, who are so different at the core of their being that it's hard to imagine them as friends. An ESTP and an INFJ personality ... experiencing two completely different realities, one in California and the other in New York, but they might as well live on different planets. 

So why talk about superheroes when exploring personality type? Because superheroes embody our most treasured values and aspirations, and our darkest fears. They are us on steroids, larger than life, and force us to come face to face with who we are and what we really want.  

So let’s visit the nuts and bolts of the Myers and Briggs system in relation to these two heroes and compare.  

Extravert vs Introvert 

Green Arrow is an obvious Extravert. He enjoys the spotlight and gains energy from large crowds, especially at parties in his family’s mansion. He takes charge of throwing the family Christmas party.  He opens a nightclub and is quite at home with the endless attention he gets from being the life of the party. 

Introverted Daredevil is energized by his time alone when he regroups, recharges and contemplates questions of existence like why would God allow for so much evil in Hell's Kitchen? He has a secret life just like Green Arrow, but Daredevil is much more at home with his mind and heart, living in a private world where he gains his strength and finally emerges to kick some bad-guy ass.  

Sensing vs Intuition  

Green Arrow is a Sensor and is always in the moment. He loves loud music and witty, boisterous conversations at a party. And, well, we can’t leave out that he gets his fill of the ladies, if you know what I mean. He’s hands on and lives outside of himself, grounded in the physical world.  

Daredevil is not that guy. In fact, he is blind, which highlights his independence from his physical senses. While his hearing is sharply honed, he relies on his inner compass to connect the dots in any given situation, and this is what makes his Intuition such a powerful weapon. He gains information by reading patterns in people and in situations, and he is grounded in this insight.  

Thinking vs Feeling  

Green Arrow cares deeply about his friends and family, but it’s his Thinking function that takes over when a quick decision needs to be made. He once left his shot-and-bleeding mother on the pavement to chase the shooter because he knew that catching him would do more good. He got in a lot of trouble with his sister for that! 

Daredevil, a Feeler, is constantly tortured by his values and the belief that he could do more harm than good. This is first and foremost on his mind anytime he fights the evil doers. What is the right thing to do in the moment? Is it to honor his no-kill code, or throw Foggy’s killer off the roof in the hope that he dies a bloody, painful death on the sidewalk?  His Feeling function usually decides.  

Judging vs Perceiving 

Green Arrow is a Perceiver. He can change direction in an instant as he wields his bow and arrow, quickly navigating a room full of villains as they scatter like rats. He is flexible and adaptable; he easily works the scene as it unfolds and new circumstances arise. 

As a Judger, daredevil is more ordered, methodical. Of course, when you’re kicking the assess of criminals you have to think on your feet, but in fight scenes, you can see him deliberating each move and each blow, using the deeply ingrained mental processes afforded by his martial arts training.  

Emotional Stability and Neuroticism

If those differences aren’t enough for you, let’s talk about emotional stability, which is part of the Neuroticism trait in the Big Five model. The Myers and Briggs personality system maps—broadly and imperfectly—onto the Big Five system, but it doesn’t explicitly address the “Neuroticism” trait found in the Big Five. The creators of Myers and Briggs, Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs, deliberately left out this dimension, believing it was less useful for personal growth and understanding. They wanted to focus on how people process information and make decisions, rather than their experience of negative emotions like anxiety, moodiness and self-doubt. 

Green Arrow (Low Neuroticism)

People low in Neuroticism are more self-assured and emotionally stable. It’s easy to spot Green Arrow’s confidence, sometimes bordering on arrogance. But this doesn’t mean he has no regrets. He never forgets that he took his girlfriend’s sister on a pleasure cruise (jerk) and consequently she died when the boat sank. Still, people with low Neuroticism don’t dwell on past mistakes and are better at keeping worry and self-doubt at bay. So the pugnacious Ollie continues as a brash, opinionated and in-your-face guy, moving forward and leaving the past in the past in order to save his city.

Daredevil (High Neuroticism)

People higher in Neuroticism are prone to worry and self-doubt, and they try to keep these feelings at bay by improving themselves. They lean towards perfectionism and spot potential problems that they try to fix right away. The stress they feel from this propels them to action, and they are often driven and eager to achieve. Matt is a classic example of high Neuroticism and sometimes spends too much time in a black well with the inner demons that haunt him. These powerful feelings cause him to be ever more vigilant in his watch over Hell’s Kitchen as he strives more and more to protect the ones he loves.

A Deeper Look 

So at a glance, we can describe these two crime fighters as a doer and a dreamer. But this doesn’t really get at the subjective experience each has in a way that would help them understand each other. What we really need to do is dive deeper into the dominant cognitive function of each of these heroes, which determines how they experience life as this function powers and guides them.  

At the bedrock of who they are, we have Introverted Intuition (Ni) in Daredevil versus Extroverted Sensing (Se) in Green Arrow. This difference is so complete that human beings on opposite sides truly can’t relate or understand each other without help. The two live in different realities and view the world and everything in it with a different lens. 

These cognitive functions define them and can be seen in almost every area of their lives, but let’s consider these three:  their relationships, their process before a fight, and their ultimate end game.   

Relationships  

It’s healthy to have a diverse group of people in your life but let’s face it, we are most drawn to those kindred spirits that share our deepest values.   

This is why Green Arrow has stronger relationships with those who, like him, show physical prowess and mastery in fighting. Felicity and Diggle share his physical skill and help him unleash a healthy dose of kick-ass. They are closest to him emotionally, and they bond through the common goal of saving the city through a hands-on, present-moment means to an end that is indicative of Extraverted Sensing. 

Daredevil, on the other hand, has stronger relationships with those who share his vision for a peaceful, safe city and justice for everyone in it. Karen and Foggy are attorneys, and they fight crime not with their bodies but with their minds and spirits. These people are bonded to him through his dominant function, Introverted Intuition, because they share his deep, visionary aspirations for Hell’s Kitchen, and humanity in general.  

Before a Beat Down 

While both are trained martial artists with elegant skill and poise, they both possess the heart and resilience of a scrappy street fighter. Both are just men with no real superpowers: they rely on their weapons, a bow for Green Arrow and billy club for Daredevil. But what is their process before they use them?  

Well, Green Arrow barely has a process. When the bad guys come, he just gets to work. Extraverted Sensing keeps him in the moment and he reacts without delay, as Shado encourages him, “Get to your senses and don’t think.” She understands his present-moment strength and instructs him, "Don't think of what you have to do, don't consider how to carry it out! The shot will only go smoothly when it takes the archer himself by surprise.” 

Daredevil and Introverted Intuition, now that’s another story.  He is all about that dark pit of analysis and overthinking, and will torture himself before he is violent. In fact, he doesn’t just overanalyze his plan for action, he has to take it to his priest and swim around in it before he takes it to the street: “I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father. I'm asking for forgiveness... for what I'm about to do.” And then of course, he and his bad-ass billy clubs deliver a proper dose of justice.  

Ultimate End Game 

So what does it look like for these two heroes to achieve their ultimate goals? 

The end game for both Green Arrow and Daredevil is to live in a city that no longer needs their vigilante services. But when they dream of that day, they both have very different dreams. Green Arrow fantasizes about a city that is bright, light-hearted and where fun has returned to its residents. Remember his night club? Everyone gets to attend in his safe city, and party all night without worry. 

Daredevil dreams of the day that his city will be a place of fairness and justice for all residents, and a feeling of well-being for everyone will prevail. That hard-working owner of the corner market will not have to worry about being robbed, and families will be safe in their neighborhood homes at night. See the difference? 

The Real Point 

So, do you think I wrote this to talk about comic book superheroes? No, this is just a fun way to talk about a more important point. A point made by Isabel Myers when she, along with her mother Katharine Briggs, decided the world could be a better place if human beings could understand and appreciate each other better. The real point here is that sometimes people see the world so differently that they need help understanding someone else’s point of view. So these two women created the 16-types theory of personality and showed us how to appreciate our differences. Bridges can be built, if only we make even a little bit of effort. Read that again. You too are human and not immune to this struggle.