30 greatest Arrowverse villains, ranked

23. Count Vertigo

Another example of an excellent villain from early Arrow. The Count got his name because he used a double syringe to administer Vertigo into his victim’s neck (and let’s be honest, it’s a lot cooler than Cecil Adams). In order to perfect the formula for Vertigo, the Count killed between 50 and 60 people, all of whom died of an overdose.

He came onto Oliver Queen’s radar after Thea had been given Vertigo and he decided to take a break from crossing names off his father’s list and instead, go on a personal vendetta. Because of the success of his drug, the Count gained a number of followers and when Oliver came looking, they all came to his aid.

Once Oliver came face to face with the Count, he decided that the best way to beat him was to give him an overdose of Vertigo. Somehow, the Count survived this, but he was declared insane and sent to a mental hospital.

He still managed to leave a legacy, even while receiving treatment in the mental hospital. One of his doctors, Doctor Webb, started selling Vertigo on the street and framed the Count for it. Oliver was able to defeat the doctor but he wasn’t the only person to take on the legacy of Count Vertigo. A drug dealer named Werner Zytle also took on the mantle and created his own Vertigo formula.