Arrow guide to villains

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Who's the real villain here?

Before the CW super series Arrow heads into its sixth season, EW has compiled a list of every major villain that's gone up against Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell).

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Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman)

The man responsible for landing Oliver on the island in the first place, Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), initially aimed to destroy the Glades, and eventually went on to be a sometimes-ally, sometimes-enemy to Team Arrow.

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China White (Kelly Hu)

China White (Kelly Hu), the hired assassin from the Triad initially attempted to kill Laurel (Katie Cassidy) back in season 1.

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Deadshot (Michael Rowe)

Keep Your Enemies Closer — Diyah Pera/The CW

The hired hitman, Deadshot (Michael Rowe), went on to become a member of Amanda Waller's (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) Suicide Squad.

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Edward Fyers (Sebastian Dunn)

The commander of a mercenary unit, Edward Fyers (Sebastian Dunn), was hired by Amanda Waller to kill China White but made Oliver's early days on the island a living hell.

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Royal Flush Gang

Led by the King (Currie Graham), the Royal Flush Gang robbed banks in Starling City, forcing Oliver to divert his attention from the infamous List for the first time.

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The Huntress (Jessica De Gouw)

Helena Bertinelli (Jessica De Gouw), the daughter of high-profile mobster Frank Bertinelli (Jeffrey Nordling), brought her own form of vigilante justice after her dear old dad killed her fiancé.

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Frank Bertinelli (Jeffrey Nordling)

The head of the Bertinelli crime family, Frank Bertinelli, had the fiancé of his daughter Helena murdered.

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Firefly (Andrew Dunbar)

The former firefighter Firefly (Andrew Dunbar) was disfigured in a fire and hunted down those who left him for dead.

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Theodore Graynor (Ben Browder)

Diggle's (David Ramsey) former commanding officer, Theodore Graynor (Ben Browder), used a private security firm—Blackhawk Security—to rob armored cars.

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The Count (Seth Gabel, Peter Stormare)

seth-gabel-stormare — Katie Yu/The CW; Diyah Pera/The CW

The first Count (Seth Gabel) was a deadly and eccentric drug dealer behind the creation of the drug Vertigo. His successor, Werner Zytle (Peter Stormare), modified and weaponized the drug to cause victims to experience their deepest fears.

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Cyrus Vanch (David Anders)

Cyrus Vanch (David Anders) was a member of the Renegades and kidnapped Laurel.

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Billy Wintergreen (Jeffrey C. Robinson)

Initially believed to be Deathstroke (Manu Bennett), Wintergreen (Jeffrey C. Robinson) was a former ASIS member alongside Slade Wilson (Bennett) who went to work for Fyers on the island.

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The Dodger (James Callis)

This international jewel thief's (James Callis) signature move was to take a hostage by attaching a bomb collar to them.

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Joseph Falk (Christopher Redman)

Christopher Redman as Joseph Falk — The CW

This rogue vigilante targeted those he believed wronged the Glades, including Roy Harper (Colton Haynes).

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Mr. Blank (J. August Richards)

The hired assassin Mr. Blank (J. August Richards) nearly killed Laurel in season 1.

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Deathstroke (Manu Bennett)

Oliver's former island ally Deathstroke turned into a major villain in season 2 after being injected with super soldier serum Mirakuru and blaming Oliver for the death of Shado (Celina Shade).

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Isabel Rochev (Summer Glau)

Purporting to be a businessperson aiming to take over Queen Consolidated, Isabel (Summer Glau) was eventually revealed to be Ravager, who was working for Deathstroke.

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Brother Blood (Kevin Alejandro)

A mayoral candidate and friend to Oliver, Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro) was revealed to be working with Deathstroke to help create Mirakuru-infused super-soldiers.

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Dollmaker (Michael Eklund)

The serial killer Dollmaker—who escaped prison during the Undertaking—aimed to get revenge on Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) by attempting to kill Laurel.

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The Mayor (Clé Bennett)

The gang leader known as the Mayor (Clé Bennett) flooded the city with guns in the wake of the Undertaking.

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Al-Owal (David Negahban)

This member of the League of Assassins was charged with bringing Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) back to Ra's al Ghul (Matt Nable).

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Anthony Ivo (Dylan Neal)

The doctor on the Amazo was looking for the Mirakuru super-serum in a bid to save his wife.

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Cyrus Gold (Graham Shiels)

Brother Blood's first successful Mirakuru test subject became his greatest enforcer—the character is the human alter ego of comics villain Solomon Grundy.

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Shrapnel (Sean Maher)

The anti-government bomber Shrapnel (Sean Maher) eventually became a member of Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad—well, until she detonated the failsafe bomb implanted in his head when he tried to escape.

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Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White)

An ally of China White, Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White) aimed to kill the Green Arrow but eventually became a member of the Suicide Squad.

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Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law)

The youngest daughter of Ra's al Ghul, Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law), was a former enemy—she tried to bring her lover Sara back to the League by force—who eventually aligned with Team Arrow when Oliver feigned becoming a member of the League of Assassins in a bid to take down Ra's al Ghul.

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Clock King (Robert Knepper)

William Tockman the Clock King (Robert Knepper) was a bank robber who used his timed hacking skills to commit his crimes.

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Simon Lacroix (Matt Ward)

The vigilante archer known as Komodo was initially believed to have killed Sara.

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Mark Shaw (David Cubitt)

While Team Arrow tracks Thea (Willa Holland) to Corto Maltese, Diggle and Oliver are charged with locating missing agent Mark Shaw (David Cubitt), who had actually betrayed A.R.G.U.S.

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Cooper Seldon (Nolan Gerard Funk)

The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak — Cate Cameron/The CW

Cooper—Felicity's (Emily Bett Rickards) ex-boyfriend and a computer hacker—was a cyber-terrorist who attacked Starling City.

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Isaac Stanzler (Nathan Mitchell)

Nathan Mitchell as Isaac Stanzler — The CW

The former protégé of the vigilante Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez), a.k.a. Wildcat, went wild after beating a drug dealer to death.

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Cupid (Amy Gumenick)

The former S.W.A.T. team member was saved by Arrow during the Undertaking, leading her to form an unhealthy obsession with him. She eventually joined the Suicide Squad and developed a crush on Deadshot.

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Captain Boomerang (Nick E. Tarabay)

The Brave and the Bold — Cate Cameron/The CW

Digger Harkness, a.k.a. Captain Boomerang (Nick E. Tarabay), was a mercenary and member of the Suicide Squad who aligned with Prometheus.

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Ra's al Ghul (Matt Nable)

My Name is Oliver Queen — Cate Cameron/The CW

The ruthless leader of the League of Assassins aimed to destroy Starling City with a bioweapon but was foiled by Oliver.

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Danny Brickwell (Vinnie Jones)

The mobster Danny Brickwell (Vinnie Jones), with near superhuman strength aimed to take over the Glades in the wake of the Arrow's disappearance in season 3. He was also responsible for the death of Malcolm Merlyn's wife.

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Chase (Austin Butler)

The League of Assassins informant Chase (Austin Butler) infiltrated Thea's life under the guise of being the new DJ at Verdant.

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General Matthew Shrieve (Marc Singer)

The corrupt Army general Matthew Shrieve (Marc Singer) unleashed a bioweapon in Hong Kong in a bid to bring about China's downfall.

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Maseo Yamashiro (Karl Yune)

Initially forced to take Oliver in by Amanda Waller in Hong Kong, Maseo (Karl Yune) became an ally in flashbacks. But in the wake of his son's death, Maseo joined the League of Assassins and became an enemy to Oliver known as Sarab, framing the Arrow for murder so he'd take Ra's al Ghul's offer to become the new Head of the Demon.

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Jake Simmons (Doug Jones)

The metahuman with the power to absorb electricity robbed banks while the Arrow—then believed to be Roy Harper—was incarcerated.

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Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough)

A former member of the League of Assassins, Damien (Neal McDonough) was the sadistic leader of H.I.V.E., who planned to create a nuclear holocaust in order to rule the postapocalyptic world. Oh, and he also killed Laurel Lance.

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Murmur (Adrian Glynn McMorran)

Michael Amar, a man with his mouth sewn shut, and his crew terrorized Starling City in season 3, eventually aligning with Damien Darhk in jail to lead a prison riot that resulted in Laurel Lance's death.

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Lonnie Machin (Alexander Calvert)

Otherwise known as Anarky, the former mob enforcer was enlisted by H.I.V.E. to prevent Queen family friend Jessica Danforth (Jeri Ryan) from running for mayor but became hellbent on destroying both H.I.V.E. and the Green Arrow.

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Baron Reiter (Jimmy Akingbola)

The leader of the secret organization Shadowspire Baron Reiter (Jimmy Akingbola) was determined to gain power, leading to a dogged quest for magic.

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Jeremy Tell (JR Bourne)

A metahuman known as Double Down, Jeremy (JR Bourne) could use his playing card tattoos as projectiles as he hunted down vigilantes in Star City for H.I.V.E.

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Liza Warner (Rutina Wesley)

Also known as Lady Cop, Liza (Rutina Wesley) was the leader of a Rogue Task Force of police officers who targeted drug dealers in order to steal their scores and make a profit.

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Andy Diggle (Eugene Byrd)

Believed dead at the hands of Deadshot, Andy (Eugene Byrd) actually went to work for H.I.V.E., causing the death of Laurel Lance. Subsequently, he was killed by his brother John.

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Vandal Savage (Casper Crump)

The immortal baddie that plagued the Legends of Tomorrow, Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) first appeared in the crossover episode between Arrow and The Flash, where he set his sights on killing Carter Hall (Falk Hentschel) and Kendra Saunders (Ciara Renée) before being reduced to ash by his own Staff—though Malcolm Merlyn helped revive him.

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The Calculator (Tom Amandes)

Noah Kuttler (Tom Amandes) was a cybercriminal and the father of Felicity Smoak. He used Roy Harper to commit his crimes.

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The Demolition Team (Rachel Luttrell, Daniel Cudmore, Marc Trottier)

This team of mercenaries destroys buildings to kill their marks.

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Bug-Eyed Bandit (Emily Kinney)

After escaping Iron Heights, where she was imprisoned by Team Flash, Brie Larvan (Emily Kinney) set her sights on stealing the Palmer Tech microchip that allows Felicity to walk because she has a tumor in her spine that will soon leave her paralyzed.

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Prometheus (Josh Segarra)

Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) was the unhinged son of a corrupt businessperson who was killed by Oliver for being on his infamous List in season 1. Adrian then dedicated his life to systematically destroying Oliver's team, first by getting close to him as the D.A., then by turning the Green Arrow into Public Enemy No. 1, and finally by kidnapping Oliver's son. He subsequently killed himself in order to blow up Lian Yu—on which all of Oliver's friends and family were stranded.

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Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman)

A crime lord who attempted to take over the gangs of Star City, Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) was killed by Prometheus for trying to take out the Green Arrow.

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Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin)

In the wake of Laurel's death, Evelyn (Madison McLaughlin) suited up as the Black Canary to get revenge on H.I.V.E. for killing her parents but eventually joined Team Arrow as Artemis. However, upon learning that Oliver was a killer in his early vigilante days, she turned on the team and began working with Prometheus.

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Konstantin Kovar (Dolph Lundgren)

The corrupt Russian government strongman—Konstantin Kovar (Dolph Lundgren) used his power to bolster his own criminal organization while trying to take out the Bratva—was eventually killed by Oliver on the island.

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Stardust (Cody Rhodes)

Honor Thy Fathers — Robert Falconer/The CW

A former drug dealer who specialized in the creation of the Vertigo-derived drug Stardust, Derek Sampson (Cody Rhodes) was mutated into a superhuman after being thrown into a vat of chemicals.

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Vigilante (Johann Urb)

Vincent Sobel (Johann Urb) as lethal Vigilante targets corrupt individuals.

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The Dominators

During the crossover, a race of telepathic extra-terrestrial beings aimed to invade Earth to squash the growing metahuman population, trapping Oliver & Co. in a Matrix-like construct that depicted life if Oliver never boarded the Queen's Gambit.

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Black Siren (Katie Cassidy)

Laurel Lance's Earth-2 doppelgänger Black Siren (Cassidy, in a second role) was freed from S.T.A.R. Labs' pipeline by Prometheus in order to emotionally attack Oliver and Team Arrow.

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General Walker (Garry Chalk)

The corrupt Army general attempted to frame Diggle for the theft of a WMD.

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Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig)

The eldest daughter of Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig) initially trained Oliver but took up training Adrian Chase upon learning that Ollie killed her father.

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Helix

This group of hackers, led by the mysterious Cayden James (Michael Emerson), supplied Felicity with data in exchange for her help initially on small, yet illegal missions...which eventually evolved into enlisting Felicity to help their leader escape A.R.G.U.S. custody—and if he was an enemy of A.R.G.U.S., his organization probably isn't good.