Arrow: 10 Best Characters Who Only Appeared In One Episode
These characters only needed one episode to make a strong impression.
Back in 2012, few could have predicted just how expansive Arrow (and later, the Arrowverse) would become. Back then, it seemed like it was going to be a reimagining of the Green Arrow ala the Dark Knight trilogy, but it grew to become its own entity with a myriad of characters, storylines and worlds.
Alongside Oliver Queen, Arrow shined a spotlight on DC Comics characters such as Malcolm Merlyn and Roy Harper, and added the likes of John Diggle and Felicity Smoak fully to DC lore. They bounced off of Oliver in various ways that helped develop him, themselves and the show as a whole for eight seasons.
But what about the characters who did not prominently feature in the series? Although lacking the same kind of notoriety as a main or recurring character, they still added their own flair to the show's proceedings and furthered the plot as necessary.
From comics characters making fleeting but memorable appearances, to new creations making a strong case for their addition to the comics, Arrow had its fair share of wonderful characters outside of the established cast.
10. Aviva Metula/Shadow Thief
Due to its episodic format, Arrow saw obscure DC characters get the live-action treatment, and among them was Shadow Thief. The series chose to focus on the Aviva Metula version for its seventh season, and her backstory served that season's more grounded tone to some extent.
A former Mossad agent, Metula was renowned for her fighting prowess, her stealth and thieving skill. These attributes, coupled with her stealth-focused suit, made her the perfect mercenary for covert but high profile assassinations and thefts.
She eventually allied herself with Ricardo Diaz and the Laurel Lance of Earth-2 during the former's gradual takeover of Star City. Little over a year later, Metula returned to the city and goes on a crime spree with a now embattled Laurel.
Fortunately, Sara Lance, Dinah Drake and Felicity were able to convince Laurel to abandon her destructive path, a decision that led to Aviva setting off an explosive to secure her escape.
Her skillset and complete disregard for her partners (i.e. Laurel) helped solidify her guest spot on the series as one of the more well-done ones in the show's run.