The inaugural Arrowverse series, Arrow, is coming to an end after its eighth season, which is currently filming. Over the course of its first seven seasons, the DC TV series pit Oliver Queen against many formidable villains for the fate of Star City, pushing Green Arrow to limits physically, morally and mentally.
Before the show begins its final orbit, CBR is taking a look back at how the show transformed villains from Green Arrow's rogues gallery and the rest of the DC Universe into some of the show's major antagonists.
Deathstroke
The primary antagonist of Arrow Season 2 was Slade Wilson, who's better known as the super-assassin Deathstroke in comics. While he was initially one of the core villains in Marv Wolfman and George Perez's seminal New Teen Titans run, Slade has become an enemy for Green Arrow, the Justice League and the rest of the DC Universe.
In the show, Slade was reimagined as a former Australian special forces commando stranded on the remote island of Lian Yu with Oliver Queen five years before the start of the series. While helping Oliver survive and training him in combat skills to battle the mercenaries on the island, the two become friends though their relationship is strained by their mutual attraction to a young named Shado.
While Oliver saves a gravely wounded Slade with an experimental serum that gives him a measure of superhuman strength, the soldier blames Oliver for Shado's death leading to the end of their friendship. Taking on the name Deathstroke, Slade systemically begins to dismantle Oliver's personal and professional life while leading a private army empowered by the serum in an attempt to destroy Starling City. Oliver and his allies defeat Slade by removing the effects of the serum from his system and he would later reconcile with his former friend by helping him find his long-lost son William.
Merlyn
Green Arrow's longtime nemesis, Arthur King, was created by Mike Friedrich, Neal Adams and Dick Dillin in Justice League of America #94. Better known as Merlyn the Dark Archer, was reimagined as a family friend and business partner of the Queens named Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm planned to destroy a part of Starling City, known as the Glades, to take advantage of the devastation and arranged for Robert Queen's yacht to be bombed, with Oliver on board, after Robert pulled out of the plan. Malcolm's plot proved successful though led to the death of his son and Oliver's best friend Tommy.
Much like his comic book counterpart, Merlyn was affiliated with League of Assassins. He was also the secret father of Oliver's sister Thea and went on to serve as a recurring antagonist to the heroes of the Arrowverse. After temporarily replacing Ra's al Ghul as the new leader of the League, Malcolm would be ousted by Oliver and Nyssa al Ghul only to join forces with Damien Darhk in revenge. After learning the scope of Damian's plans, Malcolm would betray him and lead his own offshoot of the League.
Damien Darhk
Damien Darhk is first mentioned by Ra's al Ghul in Arrow Season 3 as a former ally turned bitter enemy of the League of Assassins. Through magical artifacts and stealing the waters of a Lazarus Pit, Damien has effectively become immortal, and he was also telekinetic and could drain his victims' life force. Responsible for the death of Laurel Lance and an entire city, Damien is eventually killed by Oliver.
Damien would be resurrected during Legends of Tomorrow and reunited with his daughter Nora in order free Mallus from his extra-dimensional prison. After learning Mallus' sinister designs for Nora, Damien opposed him, only to be killed for good.
Despite his prominent role in the Arrowverse, Darhk's comic book counterpart is a minor Teen Titans villain who only used technology to make himself appear to be a magical being after he was created by Devin Grayson and Mark Buckingham.
Richard Dragon
Taking a cue from the New 52 iteration of the character by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, martial arts master Richard Dragon is reimagined as crime lord Ricardo Diaz in Season 6. Initially working with hi-tech mastermind Cayden James, Diaz is revealed to have quietly taken over Star City's police force, legal system, and politicians through strong-handed means. Put on a collision course with Team Arrow, Oliver is forced to public with his vigilante identity to gain the FBI's assistance in taking him down.
Season 7 had Diaz specifically target Oliver and his family in revenge, hiring the Longbow Hunters and giving himself superhuman strength through an experimental drug. Eventually, Diaz is betrayed by the Ninth Circle whom he hired the Longbow Hunters through and killed by Oliver's secret half-sister Emiko Queen.
Returning Tuesday, October 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Colton Haynes as Arsenal and Katie Cassidy as Black Siren.
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