The 7 best (and 6 worst) Arrowverse villains

The Arrowverse has presented us with plenty of villains over the years, but which of its big bads stole the show and which ones fell a little short?

Arrow -- "Deathstroke Returns" -- Image AR605b_0253b.jpg -- Pictured: Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- © 2017 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Arrow -- "Deathstroke Returns" -- Image AR605b_0253b.jpg -- Pictured: Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- © 2017 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Arrow, Arrow season 5, Arrowverse
Arrow — “Who Are You?” — Image AR510b_0044b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Green Arrow and Prometheus — Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW — © 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Prometheus

After two disappointing seasons with two disappointing villains, Arrow went back to basics in season 5 with a more grounded villain that held a personal vendetta against the Emerald Archer. The result was absolute perfection.

While Prometheus’ arc was all about the story, the thing that made it work right out of the gate was the fact that he was mysterious. And terrifying. Very, very terrifying. Ra’s Al Ghul lost an air of mystery due to overexposure (and too much talking) while Damien Darhk was corny and delivered far too many monologues to be taken seriously. Prometheus, on the other hand, was a man of few words – and a lot of action.

The twist that he was actually Adrian Chase, the new District Attorney of Star City and close friend of Oliver Queen, was incredible – especially as Chase is actually Vigilante in the comics. But that livened up the storyline further, giving it life that allowed it to function remarkably well across the 22 episode season.

Prometheus’ look was incredible, but his story was even better. That, and the fact that he was an archer allowed him to take part in more basic hand-to-hand fights with Oliver Queen, made him one of the best villains throughout Arrow‘s whole run. Just when we thought the show couldn’t quite manage to produce a strong villain anymore, they gave us this. And it was, without a doubt, one of Arrow‘s very best comebacks!

Verdict: BEST