Arrow‘s Oliver Queen isn’t much of a hero before he arrives on Lian Yu, being a party boy who only ever thinks of himself. There’s such a lack of respect for the people around him that he takes his girlfriend’s sister on the Queen’s Gambit, and she’s lost at sea when the ship goes down in the North China Sea. Being on the island teaches Oliver plenty of valuable lessons, including how to kill and survive. However, once he returns to Star City and begins his career as a vigilante, he realizes he can really make a difference at home. Of course, there are a few people who disagree with his methods and would love nothing more than to drive him to an early grave.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Throughout Arrow‘s run, Oliver fights eight Big Bads, and each one finds a way to push his buttons and threaten his loved ones and city. They’re not all cut from the same cloth, though, which means it’s not all that hard to figure out where they rank against one another.
8) The Anti-Monitor
It’s probably unfair to pit the Anti-Monitor against the other villains on this list because he’s more of an Arrowverse bad guy than an Oliver one. However, he’s the focus of Season 8, as the Monitor sends Oliver on a mission to stop his doppelganger from collapsing the multiverse.
The lack of a personal connection makes Oliver’s beef with the Anti-Monitor lackluster, but it’s not all bad. Their fight during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover is epic and allows the Arrowverse’s original hero to utter the words, “You have failed this universe!”
7) Emiko Adachi
Oliver’s father, Robert Queen, keeps plenty of things from his son, but the biggest omission is the existence of Emiko Adachi, his daughter. She lives in The Glades while Oliver lives in a mansion, which makes her resent her half-brother. Once Oliver is in jail in Arrow Season 7, Emiko sees an opening to seek her revenge.
Emiko first acts like she’s Star City’s new hero, operating as the Green Arrow for a time. However, she’s actually working with the Ninth Circle to ruin Oliver’s legacy. Things don’t go the way she hopes, and since her motivations are a bit hard to follow, she can’t hold a candle to some of the other major Arrow villains.
6) Ricardo Diaz
Star City finds itself in a tough spot in Arrow Season 6, and Ricardo Diaz sets up a drug operation to help the public feel more at ease. Even Oliver’s best friend, John Diggle, starts buying from Diaz because his product makes him feel stronger in the field.
Oliver doesn’t like Diaz’s game, so he goes after him hard. It turns out living on the streets of Star City is just as good as a League of Assassins’ education because Diaz gives the Green Arrow a tough time. Their rivalry is solid, but Diaz overstays his welcome by showing up at the beginning of Season 7 and trying once again to ruin Oliver’s life.
5) Damien Darhk
There’s no doubt that Arrow Season 4 is the show’s weakest offering. The story is all over the place, and the characters never make their feelings clear. None of that is Damien Darhk’s fault, though.
Darhk is a former member of the League of Assassins, but he makes magic his calling card. His abilities give Oliver fits, and it takes a lot of work from Team Arrow to bring him down. However, Darhk’s fantastic personality doesn’t go to waste because he returns in Legends of Tomorrow.
4) Malcolm Merlyn
Another Arrow villain to appear on Legends of Tomorrow is Malcolm Merlyn, aka the Dark Archer. When he’s in Star City in Season 1, Merlyn works to destroy The Glades because he believes the area does more harm than good. Oliver catches wind of his plan and has to fight his best friend’s dad.
Since Oliver has known Malcolm since he was a kid, the conflict between the two characters is emotional. It also doesn’t hurt Malcolm’s case that he continues to be a thorn in Oliver’s side by causing issues with the League of Assassins and putting his daughter, Thea Queen, in danger.
3) R’as al Ghul
The whole reason the League of Assassins is so prominent in Arrow is because Ra’s al Ghul wills it. He makes his big movie in Season 3, recruiting Oliver to his cause in exchange for sparing Thea’s life. But that only happens after Oliver loses an intense battle with the Demon’s Head and nearly dies.
While Oliver is being groomed to become the next leader of the League of Assassins, he’s working to find a way to defeat Ra’s. The villain knows this, but he still pursues his target because he thinks he can change him. Ra’s’ hubris leads to his downfall, but he does plenty of damage before he clocks out.
2) Deathstroke
Oliver meets Slade Wilson on Lian Yu, and the mercenary takes the misguided man under his wing. They fight together for over a year before Slade gets Mirakuru in his system and loses his mind. Oliver has to put his friend down, but that’s not the last time he sees him.
Slade shows up in Star City in Season 2 and wants revenge on Oliver. He kills Oliver’s mother and sends Mirakuru soldiers to destroy the city. It takes quick thinking from the titular hero to get the better of Slade, who comes around years later and proves instrumental in taking down the next villain on this list.
1) Prometheus
Like other villains on this list, Adrian Chase blames Oliver for losing a loved one. That’s where the comparisons stop, though, because Chase is the Arrowverse’s biggest hater. He terrorizes Oliver at every turn and has fun while doing it.
Prometheus’ big move is to capture the Green Arrow and make him admit that he enjoys killing. After pulling it off, the villain lets his enemy walk and puts the next part of his plan in motion, which involves forcing everyone to go to Lian Yu. Despite losing his final fight, Chase kills himself to set off a bomb on the island, ensuring that Oliver will remember him forever.
Arrow is streaming now on Netflix.
Do you think the ranking of the Arrow Big Bads is accurate? How would you change things up? Let us know in the comments below!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios. -
Toei Animation
