“ | I told you I wasn't a criminal...but I also told you I was desperate! | „ |
~ Lisa to Lance, with the Green Arrow as hostage. |
Liza Warner is a minor villain in the fourth and fifth season of Arrow.
Warner is the corrupt leader of the Rogue Anti-Vigilante Task Force which she now uses to intercept drug deals and sell the drugs herself. After her group is dismantled and Warner is captured by the Green Arrow and her former superior Quentin Lance, she is imprisoned at Iron Heights.
She was portrayed by Rutina Wesley.
Biography[]
Past[]
Having studied Criminology at the Starling City university she became a cop. In 2012 she became part of the Task Force that was created to take down the vigilante archer known as The Hood.
Criminal Activities[]
At some point she and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force stopped believing that Star City could still be saved. To be able to provide for their families they intercepted drug deals and later sell the drugs themselves.
At one occasion they arrive at a deal and kill all the dealers, however they are disturbed when two police detectives arrive after they got a tip. Believing the Task Force to be on their side, the detectives put down their guns and are immediately shot by Liza. On the ground one of them manages to return fire and shoots off Liza's walkie talkie before she kills him.
After the bodies have been found the Green Arrow and his team use the SIM card from the walkie to triangulate Liza's location. The card leads them to an address where they find the armory of the Task Force. Having found out that the killers are no gang members but policemen, Oliver informs Captain Lance and tells him that they will stage a drug deal to capture Liza. Lance demands to be present too, as it are cops who are responsible. At the deal, a fight erupts when the Task Force arrives. Liza fights Laurel and is able to defeat her but is shot into the shoulder by Arrow. The Task Force retreats with the drugs but Lance is able to get a glimpse at Liza and recognizes her.
After the escape the Task Force plans what to do with Lance as he knows that they are cops. Some members plan to kill him but Liza states that they are no criminals who kill fellow policemen in cold blood. When one member says that Lance will still be a problem Liza responds that he is the answer.
They capture Lance when he leaves Laurel's apartment and use him to gain entrance to the facility where the GCPD stores the taken drugs before destroying them. They plan to steal the drugs form there and to leave town afterwards but Team Arrow intervenes. The Green Arrow manages to tie Liza up but she secretly cuts herself free and stabs him into the side before using a garotte to take him hostage, telling Lance that she will sever his spinal cord if he moves. However, Lance is able to talk her out of it and she surrenders herself. She is then arrested by Lance.
Prison Break[]
During a prison transfer, Liza and fellow inmates Carrie Cutter and China White hijack the bus. While Carrie distracts the prison guard, Liza sneaks up on him from behind and breaks his neck with her cuffs. After they have expelled all other prisoners from the bus, the trio drives it to Star City as they all have a debt to settle with the Green Arrow. The three form a team under Warner's leadership.
Together with China, Liza and Carrie head to a triad hide out and murder China's former associates. They then interrogate one survivor for a specific storage. Oliver and his team later find out that the depository is the one hundred million dollars the deceased crime lord Tobias Church gained during his AmerTek deal.
When the trio attacks a warehouse in search for the depository, they are ambushed by the Green Arrow and Quentin Lance. Claiming that she owes Quentin some payback, Liza aims her rifle at him but is shot into the shoulder by Oliver. In the resulting fight, Liza flees while China and Carrie attack Oliver. Liza is pursued by Lance who eventually corners her. Although he orders Liza to surrender, she replies that she will not make the mistake of listening to Lance again. When he inquires what exactly Liza means, Liza confronts Quentin with the fact that he worked for Damien Darhk. She fires at Quentin who is forced to take cover and escapes.
When the warehouse search has yielded no results, the trio attacks some members of the Bertinelli crime family. After murdering one and leaving two in critical condition, Warner orders the remaining survivor to lead the three to Church's stash. When Carrie ask whether they should worry about the Green Arrow, Warner claims that Oliver is not a threat because the ACU is still hunting him.
Both Oliver and his team and the ACU track down the trio to the Starling City cemetery where they find Church's stash inside one of the graves. However, once they leave the crypt with as much money as they can carry, they are ambushed by Oliver's team. Liza remains unperturbed and reveals that she hasn't been taking the money to flee the city but intends to use it to buy the loyalties of Star Cities crime families. Indeed, a horde of Star City's criminal empires turn up moments later and attack the Green Arrow and his team on Liza's orders. During the fight, Liza assists Carrie in fighting Wild Dog but is eventually overpowered when the ACU arrives and arrests the three villains.
Liza is brought into the SCPD where Lance leads the interrogation. Although Warner remains defiant, Lance stands up to her, fully acknowledging what he has done.
Personality[]
Liza was a highly motivated cop. However as the city got wasted she lost her faith in the city and started a criminal gang with the goal of making money by taking it from criminal gangs.
Skills[]
As a former police officer and member of the Task Force Liza had received highly advanced training. Her fighting skills allowed her to easily defeat The Black Canary in hand to hand combat. A expert with knives and firearms she was able to injure the Green Arrow with a throwing knife and take him hostage.