Matt Nable wasn't particularly bad as Ra's al Ghul, but with the exception of that epic mountaintop fight in the mid-season finale, he never really conveyed the sense of power or danger that you'd expect from the character, and his resulting death in the season finale didn't match his and Oliver's first showdown. Similarly, his League of Assassins, supposedly highly trained and deadly warriors, were easily matched by the likes of Laurel, despite her having just a few weeks of training. It all meant there wasn't as much threat as when you had the unpredictable Malcolm Merlyn, or the flaming ball of rage and insanity that was Slade Wilson. Damien Darhk is confirmed to be the new big-bad, played by Neal McDonough, and hopefully he can bring something quite different to the table. We know thanks to Ra's that he's extremely highly-trained from the League (if that counts for anything), and that he possesses waters from the Lazarus Pit. His character also has genius level intellect, and according to producer Marc Guggenheim he will be "pure evil." Hopefully that malevolence can really bring something different to the table, and cause trouble not just for Oliver but the rest of the team, and that H.I.V.E. - the organisation who work under him - can be stronger and smarter than the League.
NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far.
A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.
