Arrow: Ranking Every Character From Worst To Best
15. Malcolm Merlyn
If this list were to rank Malcolm Merlyn based on his Season 1 contributions alone, he would have been an instant Top 5. With that, let's focus on the positive.
As the Dark Archer (and the master manipulator behind The Undertaking), Merlyn was, without a doubt, one of the greatest villains to ever grace the Arrowverse with his presence. He was the first 'Big Bad' Oliver encountered during his vigilante escapades and proved to be a formidable adversary, worthy of carrying the first season. And his emotional motivations for doing so made him one of the show's most engaging characters.
Unfortunately, he remained part of the show after he had been 'killed' in the Season 1 finale and, although his reduced role in Season 2 was promising, he quickly became a parody of himself - popping up to either help Team Arrow or stab them in the back for absolutely no reason. And anytime things got remotely physical, he was defeated with ease.
As a result, he quickly became a pale, corny imitation of the terrifying Dark Archer that he once was.