Arrow: 5 Times The Series Used Green Arrow’s Rogues (& 5 Times It Used Other DC Villains)

Arrow, the show that started the Arrowverse, was not limited to just using Green Arrow’s Rogues; the series also looked to other DC villains.

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There’s a sad truth about superheroes and their rogue galleries. The fact is that sometimes, certain heroes don’t have that many villains. Now, this isn’t usually a problem (if anything it benefits the hero) but when adapting that hero, like someone as iconic as the Green Arrow, to a TV series, some creative licenses will be taken.

As it is with the CW series Arrow that jumpstarted the Arrowverse and gave the Green Arrow a new, gritty feel, he was given a boost with his villains. Although it could be argued Oliver Queen was a villain himself but that’s another discussion altogether. While a few were from his own gallery, some of the impactful ones came from other heroes usually, Batman.

10 His Rogues Gallery: Brick

It seems as if most superheroes have a typical, by the books underworld kingpin who’s intent on reclaiming the underworld for some nefarious reason. For the Green Arrow, that title belongs to Danny Brickwell, known as Brick.

Equipped with near superhuman durability, Brick was a vicious criminal dead-set on taking over the Glades, Brick is a common foe of the Green Arrow in the comics while in the show, he was severely underused, only appeared a few times over season three, four, and seven before his untimely death.

9 Other: Firefly

The number of Batman-related villains who appear in the Arrowverse as a whole is somewhat ridiculous. Even before Batwoman, Batman baddies were popping up all over, with some being used as one-off characters like Firefly.

A batman rogue obsessed with fire, Firefly was reworked to fit the world of Arrow, made out to be a former firefighter named Garfield Lynns out for revenge against his former crew. The madman has a firefly tattoo, reinforcing his comic connections Even with his one-time appearance, Arrow’s version of Firefly was an interesting addition.

8 His Rogues Gallery: China White

Recurring characters are always fun to see in shows, especially villains. It adds to the villain of the week vibe that somewhat shows gave off. While Oliver faced down a decent number, one happened to be China White, one of his own.

White, a recent rogue who appeared in the 2007 comic “Green Arrow: Year One” White was the leader of a drug crime group who faced off against Oliver in his early years. As such, White was one of the first villains the Hood faced off against in season one.

7 Other: Captain Boomerang

Crossover episodes are amazing. That’s the only real word for letting two heroes team-up to take on some deranged villain and tv-shows take on that comic trait. So it was interesting when Green Arrow and the Flash took on Captain Boomerang.

Even though Boomerang, a former ARGUS agent who utilized lethal boomerangs to kill his foes(a mix of being comic accurate and taking some liberties), is a Flash villain, he ended up appearing in Arrow twice, once for the crossover, then again when Oliver fought Prometheus on Lian Yu.

6 His Rogues Gallery: Edward Fyers

“Five years in Hell”. Those are some of the many words audiences always heard in the opening of Arrow. The five-year journey was one of the highlights of the series and gave the show a chance to dive into villains like Edward Fyers.

While in the comics Fryes was an FBI agent who became a reluctant ally of Oliver, the Edward Fyers in the show is a mercenary intent on crippling China’s economy. It was a departure from the comics but one that allowed Fyers to become a great villain.

5 Other: Dr. Anthony Ivo

One of the reasons why Arrow was such a good series was how it handled the themes. While Green Arrow can be seen as a goofy hero, the series gave him a grounded look and affected villains like Anthony Ivo.

Anthony Ivo in the comics was a scientist who created a robot named Amazo that could replicate the Justice Leagues’ powers. The Ivo of the Arrowverse was simplified, a man intent on finding the Mirakuru drug for his dying wife. Amazo was still used, as the name of Ivo’s ship.

4 His Rogues Gallery: Dark Archer/Malcolm Merlyn

Heroes need a mirror version of themselves. Someone who can evoke the darkest parts of them that they fear becoming. For Green Arrow, that dark mirror is Malcolm Merlyn, otherwise known as the Dark Archer.

Although it’s not a very inspired name, the Dark Archer tormented Oliver and Star City throughout the comics, and season one where Malcolm gave the series one of the best fight scenes, proving himself a match for the Green Arrow, one of the Arrowverse’s best hand-to-hand male combatants. Unlike the comics, though, Merlyn became somewhat of an anti-hero as the show progressed, doing what he needed to ensure the safety of his daughter Thea. Even if it meant dying in the process.

3 Other: Brother Blood

Whenever one’s mind travels to Teen Titan villains, the first few baddies to leap into their minds are the assassin Deathstroke or the demon Trigon. Yet there’s more out there than just assassins and demons, enemies along the lines of Brother Blood.

A villainous priest intent on obtaining ultimate power in the comics, Blood was the alderman of Starling City in season two, one of the show’s best seasons rivaled only by five, under the name Sebastian Blood who was secretly aligned with Deathstroke. Blood was quite the adversary for Oliver and is considered to be one of the show’s best villains

2 His Rogues Gallery: Count Vertigo

A name can be a thousand words and a name like Count Vertigo is one no Green Arrow fan forgets. In comics, Vertigo was the heir to a European nation with the ability to control ones balance. TV-wise, though, Count Vertigo was different.

Rather than being the heir to a nation, the Count was a drug dealer who created a drug called Vertigo that had similar effects to his power. Although the Count was killed by Oliver in season two, the mantle was picked up by another, Werner Zytle.

1 Other: The Al Ghuls

Now, some villains share the same name, the same mantel. But the name Al Ghul is more than just a mantel. It’s the name of a family, one of DC’s most dangerous and vicious.

Any Batman fan worth their salt know the name Ra’s Al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows, a brutal organization intent on “changing the world”. However, the show didn’t just bring Ra’s in but his daughters, Talia and Nyssa as well, with Talia being an enemy to Oliver while Nyssa, another of the Arrowverse’s best female fighters was a reluctant ally as well as Oliver’s wife.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/when-arrowverse-used-green-arrow-rogues-other-dc-villains/