Arrow: 8 Plot Threads That Need Resolving In Season 4

By James Hunt /

5. Merlyn As Ra€™s Al Ghul

Malcolm Merlyn, the big bid of season 1, returned to the fold on a more permanent basis in season 3, after a brief return at the end of the second season. It was a less villainous role for John Barrowman, albeit in keeping with what we knew of the character, as he tried to have some sort of relationship with his daughter despite drugging her and using her to murderous ends, while he and Team Arrow reluctantly worked together to stop Ra€™s al Ghul. While a lot of the Ra€™s arc centred on Oliver being the heir to the Demon€™s Head, the season ended showing us that it was instead Merlyn who assumed the role as the leader of the League. With the former Ra€™s out of the equation, it€™s assumed that Oliver€™s struggles with the League are over, but how will they factor into things now with Merlyn at the helm? You€™d imagine that the show would want to keep him around and use him as much as possible, and the fact they showed him becoming Ra€™s suggests they€™ll have some plans for him, but it€™s not yet clear what they will be.