Malcolm Merlyn was a major antagonist in the Arrowverse series. Malcolm is the husband of the late Rebecca Merlyn, the father of Tommy Merlyn and Thea Queen and the father-in-law of the late Laurel Lance and Roy Harper.
Malcolm was trained by the League of Assassins, becoming a formidable opponent towards Oliver Queen and Team Arrow and occasional ally.
He is the main antagonist of Season 1, and occasional anti-hero in Season 2-4, and a supporting character in season 5 of Arrow, one of the two secondary antagonists of season 2 of Legends Of Tomorrow, and a minor character on The Flash. He is also the main antagonist of the first season of Arrow.
History[]
Background[]
Born Arthur King, Malcolm Merlyn fell in love with a well-intentioned woman, Rebecca, who helped people with those in need, especially in the Glades. The two married and through Rebecca he met and befriended Robert and Moira Queen. They eventually had a son, Thomas, who they nicknamed Tommy. Malcolm was motivated by the death of his wife Rebecca Merlyn to devising a plan known as the Undertaking. This would he would cause a major earthquake to take out the Glades, where his wife was killed.
Personality[]
Flashbacks reveal that Malcolm was not always cold and controlling. He was a loving husband and father, as Rebecca and Tommy were Merlyn's entire world. He even extended a familial love to Thea and Oliver even before discovering the former was his daughter and would go as far as to admit that he loved Oliver like a son even more so than his own blood. After Danny Brickwell murdered his wife in the Glades, Malcolm became a vindictive man who believes that the ends justify the means; and in doing so would be willing to kill a section of Star City's population He believed that if someone had the audacity to kill Rebecca, then that meant they were all guilty. Instead of properly grieving, Malcolm created an undertaking that would destroy the glades and everyone in it. However, in doing so, Malcolm was betraying a code of honor that he had promised to uphold when Ra's al Ghul released him from the League of Assassins.
When Malcolm became the new Ra's al Ghul, he displayed an authoritative demeanor. When Laurel asked him to use the Lazarus Pit to bring back Sara, Malcolm refused. He warned her that they had never used the pit to resurrect a deceased person and it might have horrible consequences. Despite Laurel's insistence, Malcolm firmly declared that he did not have obligations to anyone and that she did not get to make a request like that. In the end, Laurel and Thea managed to convince him, partly because Malcolm wanted to prove his love for his daughter, considering he was the one who made her kill Sara. Malcolm continued to support Team Arrow in their battle against Damien Darhk, even going as far as impersonating the Arrow during a rescue mission and stopping Damien from beating Oliver to death.
Following Nyssa's disbandment of the league, Damien's death, Malcolm found himself living in impoverished conditions and struggling with alcoholism. He had lost all sense of direction, power, and guidance, in addition to dealing with the loss of most of his loved ones and the animosity from his only daughter. When presented with the opportunity to rebuild his shattered life through possession of the Spear of Destiny, Malcolm eagerly joined Eobard and Damien's mission. Throughout his tenure with the Legion of Doom, Malcolm maintained a caustic and belligerent demeanor.
However, after returning to his timeline, Malcolm decided to team up with Oliver and Nyssa, despite their past grievances. He later gave his life for Thea by taking her place on the landmmine that Thea accidentally stepped on. Through his sacrifice, which was the first real fatherly act towards his daughter, Malcolm proved that for all his faults, he truly did love Thea.
