Arrow Season 4: 9 Characters Who Need To Die
6. Malcolm Merlyn
The big bad of Season 1, viewers were led to believe that he was killed in the season finale. However, he returned towards the end of Season 2 to save Thea, and was a recurring character throughout season 3.
He taught Thea how to fight and shoot an arrow, and drugged her so she would kill Sara Lance. Same old Malcolm, it seemed. However, with Team Arrow needing help against the League of Assassins, he actually stepped in and they formed an uneasy truce to help combat Ra’s al Ghul. At the end of the season, he was made the new Demon’s Head.
The thought of Merlyn controlling an army of deadly assassins is an interesting one, because his true motives still aren’t very clear, and you never quite know which side he’s on. He could return again as a foe for Oliver, but could just as easily help him out once more.
That he is now Ra’s, though, means there isn’t anywhere else for his character to go, nothing left to achieve. He’s likely to face challenges, such as from Nyssa, but he’s already been through the full cycle of father, villain, father again, reluctant hero, and now Ra’s al Ghul. It may be that the only thing really left for him is death.