James Edlund

"I know! I was supposed to protect them! Isn't that a man's job to protect his family? Isn't that why we have guns? [...] We’re all angry! We’re all so angry! All the time. So why shouldn't I use this? Why shouldn’t I kill everyone, put us all out of our damn misery?"

- Edlund reveals his anger and motivation to Oliver

James Edlund is a villain in the fifth season of Arrow.

Past
James Edlund had a wife and two daughters, six and nine years old, who were all killed in a mass shooting in a mall. After losing his family, Edlund blamed both the city, who failed to push through a law on gun regulation months earlier, and himself as he was unable to save his family.

Eventually, Edlund could not live with the pain anymore and decided to punish the city for their failure. He also told himself that he was doing the world a favor, as he was putting those he killed out of their perpetual state of misery and anger.

Taking revenge
After arming up, Edlund enters the mayor's office at city hall, gaining entrance due to his disguise as a technician. He then starts shooting up the office, blindly shooting at anyone who moves. Although Rene Ramirez manages to get his gun and fire at Edlund, Edlund survives due to his kevlar. During the shooting, Edlund has a clear shot at mayor Oliver Queen but leaves him unharmed. Edlund flees the scene before the police arrive. His attack leave five dead and twenty-four injured - two of them later die of their wounds.

The actions of Edlund cause the SCPD to search him and also attract media coverage. Although no one is really sure about Edlund's real target, both an attack on Oliver's life and connections to the Bertinelli crime family are possible motives.

As Quentin Lance managed to see Edlund's face before he put on his mask, he is able to indentify him and Team Arrow learns of his identity. When Rene and Curtis Holt investigate Edlund's support group, they find out that Edlund used to live at a friend's place. Heading there, the two do not find Edlund but plans and maps of the Starling General Hospital. Realizing that this must be Edlund's next target, the two warn Oliver immediately. Oliver rushes to the hospital but decides to solve the problem as Mayor Queen, not as the Green Arrow.

At the hospital, Oliver confronts Edlund, who again does not shoot Oliver. Oliver realizes that Edlund needs him alive to pass the gun registration law. When a SWAT team turns up, Oliver prevents them from shooting Edlund and then manages to convince Edlund that killing others will neither make his pain go away nor will it be the right reaction to Edlund's grief. Realizing the truth of Oliver's words, Edlund intends to shoot himself for the deaths he has caused but Oliver talks him out of that as well, reminding Edlund that his family would not have wanted that. Edlund hands his gun over to Oliver and is immediately apprehended by the SWAT team.