Arrow: Every character ranked from worst to best

14. Tommy Merlyn

One of my favorite characters on Arrow has to be Tommy Merlyn (of course there are others, but he is definitely near the top). I know part of it is because of Colin Donnell, the actor who plays Tommy, but it also has to do with his over all journey.

Tommy Merlyn was one of Oliver Queen’s best friends when they were growing up, and even when Oliver returned from being dead, he was there for his friend. Even when they drifted apart, there was still this spark to their relationship that made it clear that even in death, these two were a perfect pair.

The fact that they brought Tommy Merlyn back in the final season was absolutely exciting for me, even if they had to basically resurrect him from the dead to make that happen.

I think Tommy’s initial journey on the series (which lasted through the first season) is really what helped to make him an impactful character. Not only did he change his life around to prove that he was more than just a party, playboy, but he also changed the course of Oliver’s life.

Tommy’s death was actually a major motivation for convincing Oliver that he needed to become a better hero, and that is enough to make him a must for this list. But when he returned in the final season, his journey continued to prove that this is a character who could grow and change for the positive no matter who his family is/was.