7 Arrowverse Villains That Were Right (& #3 Actually Won)

A typical day for a hero in the Arrowverse involves visiting headquarters and chopping it up with teammates before a generic villain starts causing problems. At that point, it’s time to suit up and get to work. However, whether the hero knows it or not, there’s usually some evildoer working behind the scenes to ruin their lives. Barry Allen learns that the hard way in The Flash when he discovers that his mentor, Harrison Wells, is the evil speedster he’s been searching for. An intense conversation reveals that Wells, who is actually a man from the future, Eobard Thawne, hates The Flash because he ruined his reputation.

A villain driven by hatred can be effective, especially when their actions are so intense that they consider killing mothers. But it’s always preferable when there’s some truth behind the evil actions. Here are seven villains from the Arrowverse that were actually right.

7) Astra Logue

When Constantine starts living on the Waverider, the Legends get a magical edge. That comes in handy when Astra Logue releases souls from Hell onto Earth, looking to get revenge on Constantine. The warlock has it coming, though, because she ends up in the abyss when he screws up an exorcism. While Astra eventually sees the error of her ways, the start of her evil journey isn’t without basis.

6) Gary Green

Unlike Constantine, who gets the red carpet thrown down for him by the Legends, Gary Green has a tough time fitting in with the time travelers. They constantly rag on him for being incompetent, which bruises his ego. Eventually, Gary crosses the line and begins to embrace dark magic, seeking to prove the Legends wrong about him. His villain arc doesn’t work out, but he has every right to be upset with the Waverider’s crew.

5) Astra

Not to be confused with Legends of Tomorrow‘s Astra, Supergirl has its own character with the name that causes plenty of problems on Earth-38. She foresaw Krypton’s destruction and tried to warn the government, but no one took her seriously. The next logical step for Astra was to commit serious crimes and force people to listen. After arriving on Supergirl’s planet, she tries pulling the same stunt, claiming she wants to ensure humanity’s survival.

4) Savitar

Another mystery speedster shows up in The Flash Season 3 and claims to be the god of speed. Barry eventually realizes that he’s not dealing with a deity but another version of himself, a time remnant that an alternate version of Team Flash created. Savitar was unfairly treated like an outcast by his friends, pushing him down a dark path that almost ends in Iris West’s death.

3) Prometheus

Oliver Queen leaves a trail of bodies wherever he goes, and that comes back to bite him in Arrow Season 5. The villain Prometheus begins targeting people close to the Green Arrow and eventually reveals he’s Adrian Chase, the son of one of Oliver’s victims. To expose the titular hero as a cold-blooded killer, Proemtheus tortures and kills. He even goes as far as to kill the mother of Oliver’s child by blowing up Lian Yu.

2) The Thinker

The first non-speedster Big Bad that Barry faces off against is Clifford DeVoe, aka The Thinker. Rather than having a beef with The Flash, DeVoe’s aim is to make humanity less reliant on technology. His heart is in the right place, but his twisted mind makes him do some very dark things, including nearly killing a group of metahumans.

1) Emiko Queen

Oliver is shocked to learn that he has a half-sister named Emiko in Arrow Season 7. But the family reunion takes a turn when Emiko betrays Team Arrow and begins her quest for revenge. It turns out she’s resentful of the fact that her father, Robert Queen, left her and her mother to fend for themselves while Oliver got to play hero. Oliver eventually gets to set things right when he brings Emiko back to life after “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” providing her with the second chance she always deserved.

The Arrowverse shows are streaming on Netflix.

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