48 Reasons John Barrowman Is The Greatest 'Arrow' Villain Of Them All

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48 Reasons John Barrowman Is Greatestarrowvillain Them All

Happy birthday, John Barrowman ! The amazing ' Arrow ' actor turns 48 years young today, and we're celebrating the big day by obsessing over one of his greatest characters: Malcolm Merlyn.

Merlyn, sometimes known as the Dark Archer, is easily the best bad guy on 'Arrow,' and that's saying a lot, given all the fantastic foes who have crossed swords and tossed arrows in Oliver Queen's direction over the past three seasons. But all the Deadshots and Deathstrokes in the world can't match Malcolm Merlyn in terms of sheer awesomeness — and here's why:





  1. Let's start with the obvious: Malcolm Merlyn is a bad dude. The CW
  2. But he isn't always a bad dude. The CW
  3. He even cries sometimes. The CW
  4. But more often than not, he's smug. The CW
  5. So smug. The CW
  6. See? Look how smug he is. The CW
  7. The smuggest of the smug mugs. The CW
  8. But sometimes, he's pensive. The CW
  9. Sometimes, he's magical. The CW
  10. Sometimes, he's wise. The CW
  11. And most of the time, he's mean. The CW
  12. But we can forgive him. The CW
  13. Because he's the only one who ever called Oliver by his true name. The CW
  14. And because he brought this little gem into the world. The CW
  15. Sure, Malcolm and Tommy didn't always get along. The CW
  16. Family dinners were awkward. The CW
  17. And Malcolm kinda sorta got Tommy killed. The CW
  18. At least he's halfway responsible for the best early 'Arrow' bromance. The CW
  19. (Seriously. The best.) The CW
  20. Malcolm's also halfway responsible for bringing Thea into this world. The CW
  21. And he's a proud papa. The CW
  22. Even though she tried to kill him once. The CW
  23. Err, twice. The CW
  24. Just kidding, he was totally fine. The CW
  25. But he's trained Thea to be a badass warrior. The CW
  26. Which makes him the coolest dad ever. The CW
  27. Getting his own son killed notwithstanding, but, you know. Details. The CW
  28. Even then, Malcolm is a family man. The CW
  29. Merlyn's so nice, he's even invited Thea's big bro along for some training sessions. The CW
  30. Look at them, John! How cute are they? The CW
  31. Even though Malcolm hasn't always been so nice to Oliver... The CW
  32. ...he knows when he needs to play nice with his adversaries. The CW
  33. And even when he gets his enemies killed… The CW
  34. …he sometimes feels bad about it. The CW
  35. For selfish reasons, naturally. The CW
  36. Seriously, dude. That whole Oliver dying thing? Totally your fault. The CW
  37. Classic Merlyn move. The CW
  38. Sometimes, Malcolm's schemes catch up with him… The CW
  39. ...and he gets the beatdown he deserves. The CW
  40. But no amount of beatdowns will stop Malcolm Merlyn. The CW
  41. Try to shoot him, and you will fail. The CW
  42. Even when it looks like he's surrendering… The CW
  43. …Malcolm always has a plan. The CW
  44. In his eyes, anyone who thinks they're a threat, is really just a pest. The CW
  45. He's a monster, but who cares? The CW
  46. He's our monster. The CW
  47. So, rock on, Dark Archer. The CW
  48. Malcolm Merlyn. So hot right now. The CW