WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5.

In the latest season of Legends of Tomorrow, longtime Arrowverse villain Damien Darhk committed suicide after redeeming himself in the eyes of his daughter, Nora, and her boyfriend, Ray Palmer. While Damien has died previously on multiple occasions, this death seems to be the final chapter for a character that has grown immensely from his first appearance. And if this really is the end for Damien Darhk, what a fitting note to end on.

Damien Darhk first appeared as a villain in Season 4 of Arrow. Darhk was a master of the dark arts and a former member of the League of Assassins. He and Ra's al Ghul were best friends with differing beliefs on how the League should be run. When Ra's was ordered to kill Damien, he hesitated, and Darhk fled from the League taking a sample of the Lazurus Pit. Darhk and his followers formed their own organization called H.I.V.E. Unlike the League who hunted down truly dangerous people, Darhk's organization was much more brutal, and he plotted to reshape the world.

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Damien's actions brought him to Star City where he encountered the emerald archer Oliver Queen. Darhk was a cunning villain, and he brought Star City down to the brink of devastation. He further cemented his status as a villain when he killed Oliver's ex-girlfriend, Laurel Lance. Oliver ultimately got his revenge by killing Darhk, but this wasn't the end for the character, shockingly enough.

Arrow Damien Darhk Laurel Lance Black Canary

 

He later appeared in Legends of Tomorrow, and his character was explored to a much greater degree than it was in Arrow. Due to the Lazurus Pit sample, Darhk had lived a life longer than any normal human while maintaining his youth. His character was a perfect fit for a show about time travel, and he became the lynchpin for a lot of exciting episodes.

The dynamic between Darhk and Sara Lance was especially interesting because Sara wanted revenge on a dead man who hadn't killed her sister yet. This led to a lot of humorous scenes between the two, and Darhk was quickly becoming a fan-favorite character. When Sara told Darhk the knowledge of his impending death, he desperately tried to alter his fate, but he was stopped and was ultimately spared by Sara.

When Darhk was revived for Season 3 of Legends of Tomorrow, fans saw another side of him as a doting, protective father. A time-traveling Nora spent years into her adulthood worshiping a demon known as Mallus in an effort to bring her father back to life. Once he returned, they immediately teamed up and caused countless problems for the Legends. Yet, when Nora is in danger of transforming into Mallus, Darhk allies with the Legends and sacrifices himself to save her. Despite implicitly enjoying being evil, Darhk values his daughter's wellbeing and happiness above all.

 

Darhk's sacrifice, however, didn't wipe away all the misdeeds he'd done in the past, and he was doomed to Hell. He returned to Earth as an encore by Astra in Season 5 Episode 6, "Mr. Parker’s Cul-De-Sac." Encores are resurrected evil souls meant to slaughter and damn more souls to hell, yet Darhk was more preoccupied with seeing Nora again who had reconciled with the Legends and became a fairy godmother. After a few misunderstandings and hijinks, Damien finally accepts Nora and her relationship with Ray Palmer. And rather than returning to Astra as her servant, he stabs himself with the hellsword and fades away into oblivion.

Darhk's death is a fine ending for the character who initially started out as an evil madman and ended up being sort of an antihero and a doting father. With the announcement that this season is the last season for Courtney Ford and Brandon Routh, there's no better ending for the character of Damien Darhk.

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