"There are only four rules you need to remember: make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan. Follow my lead and you'll be fine."
Of the many varied characters that populate the Arrowverse, these few stand out in terms of cunning, charm, and audacious brilliance.
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Multiple Series
Examples
- Leonard "Lenny" Snart, aka "Captain Cold", is a world-class thief from Central City who masterminds his jobs with utmost precision. After his heist is foiled by Barry Allen, Snart adjusts his strategies by procuring the Cold Gun and successfully steals the target. Forming the Rogues with Mick Rory and his sister, Lisa, Snart constantly menaces Team Flash with schemes like: kidnapping Caitlin to force The Flash to publicly reveal himself, forcing Cisco to remake their weapons by threatening Cisco's brother, or tricking Barry into erasing his criminal records and then double-crossing him by freeing the metahuman prisoners. He however also displays a more noble side, with protecting his sister from his bastard father, warning Barry of danger, and his skills in thievery earning him a place on the Legends. Following his death, the Legion of Doom recruits a past version of Snart to help steal the Spear of Destiny, where Snart manipulates Mick into rejoining the villains, and later brutally murders several Legends including Amaya and Mick for resisting. Stealing every scene he's in with his sarcastic charm, Leonard Snart remains one of the most memorable characters in the Arrowverse.
- Damien Darhk is the mysterious leader of the H.I.V.E., with grand plans to remake the world In Their Own Image. Arriving in Star City, Darhk slowly assumes control over the city, even getting his wife Ruvé elected mayor, while constructing an Underground City where Darhk's chosen survivors reside as the rest of the world is bombarded by nuclear fire. Thwarted and slain by Oliver Queen, Darhk's past self is recruited into the Legion of Doom by Eobard Thawne, where they succeed in finding the Spear of Destiny and rewriting reality. Forming a lasting enmity with Sara Lance for killing her sister, Darhk would be a reoccurring threat to the Legends, whereby he is resurrected again to serve the demon Mallus, while deeply caring for his daughter, Nora Darhk, with his love for her eventually leading Darhk to betray Mallus and sacrifice himself to save his daughter. Freed from Hell, he repents of his evil ways, gives his blessings to Nora's marriage, while trying to make peace with Sara. Darhk returns yet again in "Reverse-Flashpoint" resuming his villainous ways and partnered with the new Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen, who convinces Darhk into reforming and helping to restore the true timeline, upon discovering his daughter is alive there. Defined by his dastardly charm and his enduring love for his family, Darhk proves a sensational villain.
- The Flashpoint timeline version of Eobard Thawne, aka the Reverse-Flash, ended up diverging into a separate individual to his main timeline counterpart. Due to his status as a Paradox Person, the Speed Force sent the Black Flash to hunt Thawne throughout history. Thawne thus sought out the Spear of Destiny to alter reality, but having to race the Legends for the pieces, Thawne assembles the Legion of Doom to assist him. Thawne lures the Legends in using aberrations: providing the Nazis with an atomic bomb to destroy New York City, or making Al Capone mayor of Chicago. Thawne kidnaps and disguises as Professor Stein to infiltrate the Waverider. Kidnapping an amnesiac Rip Hunter, Thawne restores Rip's memories but alters them to turn Rip into the Legion's evil, obedient servant. Infiltrating Apollo 13, Thawne is forced to call a truce with Ray Palmer to repair the ship, during which Thawne gives Ray a sincere motivational talk. Successfully stealing the complete Spear, the Legion rewrite reality as their ideal world, with Thawne destroying the Spear as a precaution. Anticipating the Legends going back in time again, Thawne warns the past Legion and creates an army of time remnants of himself. Later Thawne serves penance as a fixed point guardian, where he reforms but remains a deadly killer, assassinating all time travelers trying to prevent World War I.
- The Monitor, Mar Novu, is a cosmic entity who has spent centuries seeking a means of defeating the monstrous Anti-Monitor. Subjecting multiple Earths to destructive tests using the Book of Destiny, Novu seeks the heroes known as the Paragons to face his nemesis, allowing multiple Earths to be destroyed before the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-38 pass his test. Subjecting these heroes to more trials to prepare them for the impending Crisis, Novu recruits Lyla Michaels, manipulates Oliver Queen, and releases Malefic J'onzz from the Phantom Zone, putting each of his champions in great danger to an ultimately benevolent end, showing compassion as well by allowing Oliver to meet his grown children and enabling J'onn and his brother to reconcile. When the Crisis begins, Novu allows the recently revived Lex Luthor to rampage across multiple Earths to find the Paragon of Hope, and manipulates Kate Kane into confronting a fallen doppelganger of her cousin Bruce Wayne to reveal her as the Paragon of Courage. Even when faced with death at the Anti-Monitor's hands, the Monitor instantly adjusts his plans, buying time for Pariah to save the Paragons and defiantly telling his nemesis that allowing his creation was Novu's only mistake. Novu's machinations ultimately lead to the Anti-Monitor's defeat, and in the aftermath of the Crisis, Novu keeps his promise of reuniting Oliver and his wife in the afterlife.
- "Time of Death" & "Power Outage": William Tockman, aka the Clock King, was once a brilliant researcher who fell into a life of crime to pay for his terminal sister's treatment. Tockman is a sophisticated genius who plans crimes down to the last second, taking precautions if things go wrong and then making changes to accommodate them in order to succeed. Tockman ends up playing Team Arrow's attempts to stop him, even destroying their lair and has them on their toes, only defeating him at the last second. After his imprisonment, he eventually returns in Central City where he expertly pulls off an escape through simple patience and planning, taking the entire police station hostage and preventing any attempts to foil him and only losing due to a small change of heart. Tockman ultimately shows in all his appearances a mix of cunning and sophistication, always coming very close to winning.
Examples
Major/Reoccurring:
- Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, starts out as Oliver Queen's friend and mentor before becoming one of his most dangerous enemies. Vowing to drive Oliver to despair after their friendship falls apart, Slade, as the Big Bad of Season 2, is re-introduced as The Man Behind the Man to Brother Blood and Isabel Rochev, using the former to mass-produce Mirakuru, and having the latter usurp Oliver's company, all for Slade's purpose of exacting revenge on his former friend. Targeting Oliver's loved ones, Slade reveals Thea's true parentage, exposes Oliver's identity to Laurel, and murders Oliver's mother Moira, showing respect for her courage as he does so, all for the sake of tormenting Oliver. Unleashing a Mirakuru-empowered army to lay waste to Starling City as his masterstroke, Slade nearly succeeds in killing Oliver before being defeated. Even after reconciling with Oliver, Slade loses none of his edge, manipulating enemies and allies alike to achieve his goals. A dangerously cunning Implacable Man, Slade, whether ally or enemy to Oliver, is one of Arrow's most dynamic and capable characters.
- Anatoly Knyazev is a member of the Solntsevskaya Bratva, as well as an old friend and mentor to Oliver Queen during his five years away from Star City, preaching himself as a man of honor. Helping Oliver to become a member of the Bratva out of gratitude, Anatoly served as Oliver's Morality Pet when they defeated the corrupt alliance between Ishmael Gregor and Konstantin Kovar, where Anatoly becomes the new Pakhan. However, years spent away from Oliver made Anatoly corrupt, where he requests payment in being allowed to rob pharmaceutical stores to create a narcotic, in exchange for assisting in assassinating Adrian Chase. After being exiled from the Bratva, Anatoly kidnaps several Markovian delegates and holds them for ransom, killing one when Oliver attempts a rescue. Allying with Cayden James's criminal alliance, Anatoly assists in battling Team Arrow, before escaping when the tides turn and allies with the new crime lord Ricardo Diaz. However, Anatoly has a Heel Realization upon seeing the monster that Diaz is and reconciles with Oliver, becoming The Mole within Diaz's organization and diverting suspicion from him for ages. Whether friend or foe, Anatoly charms everyone with his dry wit and honorable nature.
- Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, has a reputation as the world's greatest assassin. Renowned for never missing his shot, Deadshot displays great cunning in taking out his targets by using the terrain to his advantage. Despite being a Professional Killer looking for a payday, he is shown to be a Noble Demon who abides by a code of honor, while all the money he earns is sent to his estranged daughter. Despite being responsible for killing the brother of John Diggle, he transitions from being his Arch-Enemy to gradually being uneasy allies, with the two teaming up several times and saving each other's lives. Deadshot is eventually drafted into the Suicide Squad, where he constantly looks out for his teammates and is willing to put his life on the line to secure their safety. In his final mission, he manages to save the lives of his team from a hospital rigged to explode by shooting the detonator out of the bomber's hand and then staying behind to cover their escape where he is killed in the blast. His allies commend Deadshot for his noble deeds and remember him as having died a hero.
- Talia al-Ghul is the one responsible for Oliver embracing his darker side and taking up the hood. Estranged from her father, Talia makes plans for vengeance after he is killed by her former student, taking the equally vengeful Adrian Chase under her wing and plans to destroy Oliver's life. As Oliver recovers from the damage the pair wrought, Talia abducts his loved ones, threatening to kill them but seemingly perishes in Adrian's destruction of the island. Surviving, Talia begins making a name for herself in prison and orders a hit on the imprisoned Oliver but ends up fighting alongside him when reminded of her honor to expose the prison's corruption, escaping and keeping her word to Oliver by delivering evidence and killing the corrupt psychiatrist. Tricking Oliver when they encounter each other again, Talia nearly gets the sword of Al-Fatih to solidify her rule over the League of Assassins. Even when beaten with victory nearly in her grasp, Talia takes her loss in stride and resolves to better the League.
- Seasons 5-6: Vincent "Vinnie" Sobel, aka Vigilante, is a vigilante operating in Star City, waging a one-man war against crime. Unlike Green Arrow and his team, Vigilante brutally executes any criminal he comes across while being unconcerned by civilians who get caught in the crossfire as "collateral damage". He is able to foil Team Arrow's many attempts to capture him, seeing through one of their traps, then holding Curtis hostage at gunpoint. Being Crazy-Prepared, he has rigged his suit to release a flare if anyone tries to unmask him, while also setting up perimeter alarms to prevent him from being ambushed. Vigilante tries to assassinate Mayor Oliver Queen when he faces corruption charges, making several attempts on his life and only stopping after his allegations were dropped. He later works as a Double Agent and infiltrates Cayden James's organization and remains undetected for months, while actually feeding intel to the heroes and betraying the criminals to save Rene. His acts of heroism lead to his death, where he is remembered by his allies as a hero.
Minor/One-offs:
- "Home Invasion": "Mr. Blank" is an assassin hired to kill a family to prevent them from suing. While Blank manages to kill the parents, their son, Taylor manages to escape, where Blank abides by his rule that he cannot allow the boy to live due to seeing his face. While Taylor is in Laurel's protective custody, Blank uses a stolen police badge to try and access Laurel's apartment. When his former boss is arrested, Blank enters the precinct posing as his lawyer and kills him via a Pressure Point. Blank tracks Taylor to Queen Mansion, where he uses a pizza delivery boy to make a bodyguard open the door, then shoots through him to kill the guard. Blank also cuts the power so he can move stealthily in the dark, managing to sneak up on Oliver Queen himself. Never dropping his polite façade or showing any sadism, Blank carries out his kills with strict professionalism.
- "The Brave and the Bold" & "Lian Yu": Digger Harkness, aka Captain Boomerang, is a former member of Task Force X whose squad was executed via their explosive chips by Lyla Michaels, with Harkness's chip malfunctioning leaving him the Sole Survivor. Now seeking revenge on Lyla, Harkness kills an A.R.G.U.S. agent and steals his ID card, then uses it to gain access to Lyla's base. Harkness kills every guard who tries to stop him, nearly hitting Lyla, then fights evenly against Arrow and Arsenal, before the appearance of The Flash has him pulling a tactical retreat. Anticipating the heroes would trace him via his weapons supplier, he leaves his phone as a decoy in another location, while he traces the phone the heroes took from his supplier back to the Arrowcave, and does another assassination attempt on Lyla, this time severely wounding her. Now ready to flee the city, Harkness is prepared for the heroes, planting five bombs all over the city that need to be disarmed simultaneously as a diversion. After being reluctantly freed from imprisonment by Oliver, Harkness betrays Oliver and reveals his true allegiance lied with Adrian Chase.
- "Code of Silence": The Demolition Team, comprised of Rosie, Hardhat, and Jackhammer, are a trio of mercenaries who excel in precision demolition of buildings using special charges. They are hired by H.I.V.E. to perform assassinations disguised as accidents. Faking a call from police dispatch, they lure Quentin Lance into a building they had rigged to collapse, which he narrowly survives. When Team Arrow back-trace their call, Hardhat activates the base's self-destruct, before Rosie destroys the laptop to keep the heroes from getting to the intel on it. Ordered by H.I.V.E. to destroy the building where the Mayoral debate is held to kill Oliver Queen, the heroes attempt to neutralize the charges which sets off booby traps, before the Demolition Team then go to engage the disadvantaged heroes in hand-to-hand combat.
- "Starling City": Tommy Merlyn of Earth-2 proves himself worthy of the Dark Archer mantle. Grief-stricken from the death of his half-sister Thea, who overdosed on Vertigo on her 18th birthday, Tommy swore vengeance on the crime-ridden Glades where the drug dealers resided. Backed by loyal followers like Rene Ramirez and Dinah Drake, Tommy set out to destroy the Glades in his version of the Undertaking. Eluding the Hood and Black Canary for months, Tommy infiltrates Queen-Merlyn Enterprises to steal dwarf star particles, killing anyone in his path. Attacking Oliver as the Green Arrow to defend his father, Tommy's identity is exposed during a fight, but he evades capture and escapes. Deducing Oliver knows his secret, Tommy has Oliver sedated and imprisoned in his lair. Oliver fails to stop Tommy from activating his machine, and after defeating Tommy in combat, discovers the machine is encoded. However, Oliver persuades Tommy into a Heel–Face Turn and he deactivates the machine himself, then turns himself into the police.
Examples
Major/Reoccurring:
- Hartley Rathaway aka Pied Piper, is the former protégé of Eobard Thawne disguised as Dr. Harrison Wells, who was fired after discovering the risk of the Particle Accelerator exploding. The resulting dark matter granted him super hearing which causes him pain, leading him to seek revenge on Wells. Creating a pair of sonic gauntlets, Hartley became a supervillain and lured the Flash to his location to intentionally get arrested, before breaking out of his cell and stealing intel from a hacked computer. Researching Barry Allen/The Flash, Hartley modifies his gauntlets specifically to Barry's frequency and nearly kills him. Following a brief truce with Team Flash, Hartley returned to villainy after blaming Barry for putting Hartley's lover into a coma, but is later inspired by Barry's heroism and helps to defeat Godspeed, while also reviving his partner. When approached by Barry in stopping Red Death, Hartley suggests Barry assemble his own "Rogue Squad" from his enemies, in order to combat this new threat, where Hartley assists in fighting and defeating Red Death's gang. Whether he's a hero or villain, Hartley always demonstrates cunning and sophistication regardless of his goal.
- Gorilla Grodd is one of the Flash's most persistent and dangerous enemies. A meta-gorilla with formidable psychic powers and an intellect easily capable of keeping pace with the Fastest Man Alive, Grodd regularly overwhelms the Flash when they meet, nearly killing him several times. Upon being exiled to Earth-2's Gorilla City, Grodd manipulates the Flash into helping him conquer the city and lead a gorilla army in a near-successful attack on Central City. Even when stranded in the past, Grodd excels, forming a cult centered around him and making another near-successful bid for world domination. Grodd later orchestrates a plot to mind-control all of Central City, proving both his valour and his ingenuity when this leads to a battle with King Shark, nearly defeating his much larger and more powerful foe, and again coming to within a hair's breadth of victory. After having time to reflect on his past deeds, Grodd proves capable of change, realizing the error of his ways and working with the Flash to get what he's always truly wanted: a life of peace. Capable of outwitting the few foes his immense strength can't overwhelm, Grodd stands out as one of the Flash's most powerful and compelling antagonists.
- Goldface, real name Keith, is an affable and friendly metahuman crime lord and a formidable fighter who makes use of a gold chain. Running a Black Market fitted with copious amounts of security, Goldface's M.O. is to outfit clients and hostages with a meta-dampener cuff containing a bomb to ensure compliance. Suspicious of an undercover Barry Allen, Goldface tests his allegiance by forcing him on a heist, which ends up exposing him. When Goldface is opposed by rival crime-lord and ex-lover Amunet, he is able to trick her and the heroes into doing all the work for him. Later Goldface manages to bring the entire CCPD to its knees using knockout gas, while rendering Barry and Captain Kramer helpless with his cuffs. Despite being jailed, Goldface is able to walk free by pinning the heist on Amunet. Later Barry chooses to recruit him into his Rogue Squad to stop Red Death from building a time machine, where Goldface agrees upon recognizing Barry as "the enemy of [his] enemy" and assists in defeating Red Death's gang. Cunning, charming, and hilarious, Goldface is one of the most memorable rogues Barry goes up against.
- Season 8 (Armageddon arc): Despero is a Kalanorian who took up residence on Earth, where 10 years in the future, he bore witness to "Armageddon", with the Flash seemingly responsible, so Despero travels back in time intending to kill the hero. Persuaded by Barry that he has yet to turn bad, Despero agrees to give Barry seven days to prove he will not endanger the Earth, where Despero would continuously monitor Barry's mental state. Eventually a news report shows the Flash attacking the public, leading Despero to resume his murder attempts on the Flash, to which Barry escapes with the help of Team Flash. Barry runs to the future and discovers the true perpetrator is Eobard Thawne who created Reverse-Flashpoint, forcing Barry to trigger Armageddon to reset the timeline but without destroying the world, where he is just in time to undo Despero killing Team Flash via psychic torture. Despero learns the truth and changes his target to Thawne, but is opposed by Barry, so Despero simultaneously battles Barry in his real body while Mind Controlling Mia Queen / Green Arrow III into attacking Team Flash. With his first attempt to kill Thawne foiled, Despero tries to destroy the entirety of Central City to take Thawne out, deeming one city a necessary sacrifice for the safety of the world.
- "Duet": The Music Meister is a being of unknown origins, who seeks to teach Kara and Barry a lesson regarding love. First appearing in "Star-Crossed", he allows himself to be captured by the D.E.O., in order to put Kara in a trance and then escapes to Earth-1. Arriving at S.T.A.R. Labs, the Music Meister easily takes out Wally West, and traps Barry in the same dream as Kara. There he informs them that if they die in it they die in real life, and gives them vague instructions on how to escape. Revealed to be draining their powers, he uses them to try to rob a bank to draw the other heroes out and is constantly changing powers through the fight to keep them on their toes. Allowing himself to be captured again, the Music Meister gives Mon-El and Iris hints to save the two heroes before they die. The Music Meister ends the episode revealing it was all a Secret Test of Character, and calmly singing "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" while he leaves.
- "Abra Kadabra" & "Central City Strong": Abra Kadabra, real name Phillipe, is a time travelling criminal from the 64th century, who utilizes nanite technology passed off as magic. To return to the future, Abra searches the multiverse for timeship parts. As a future enemy of Barry, Abra has knowledge about Savitar, which he uses to bargain for his freedom when captured by Team Flash, then detonates a bomb to cover his escape. Barry prevents Abra from returning to the future, and as Abra gets taken into custody, he says withholding information on Savitar was like he got to kill Iris too. Post-Crisis, Abra regained his pre-Crisis memories of a family that no longer exist, for which he blames Barry and plots to destroy Central City with an antimatter bomb. Unable to stop Abra from completing his device and unable to disarm it due to its material, Barry persuades Abra into a Heel–Face Turn. The two are attacked by new enemy Fuerza, which Abra tries to protect Barry from but is killed, where Team Flash agree he died a hero. Cunning and charming, Abra Kadabra stands out as one of the most memorable villains ever to appear.
- Season 4: Manchester Black is driven to a life of crime after his alien fiancée is murdered by the anti-alien Children of Liberty. Manipulating Supergirl to get closer to the group, Manchester interrogates a handful of the Children until discovering that the group's leader is Agent Liberty, aka Ben Lockwood. Paying Lockwood a visit, Manchester reveals Lockwood's secret to his wife, before trying to kill the both of them. Breaking out of jail, Manchester forms the team known as the Elite to combat the Children of Liberty's bigotry. Following the Elite's downfall, Manchester causes a citywide blackout and uses the Staff of K'lar to successfully drive J'onn J'onzz into killing him, using his final words to admire how "beautiful" he is. Throughout his appearance, Manchester proves himself to be combatively capable even without powers, and genuinely charming, all the while being one of the most dangerously competent foes the Superfriends ever faced.
- "Alex": Rick Malverne is a former classmate of the Danvers sisters who bore witness to Kara surviving a horrific accident and using her powers to save people. Remembering this, Rick pieces together her past identity once Kara publicly reveals herself as "Supergirl" to National City. Taking the opportunity to free his criminal father from prison, Rick kidnaps Alex and places her in a glass cage, located in a building laced with lead to deter Kara, while slowly filling it with water, giving Kara and her friends 36 hours to either free his father or watch Alex drown. After being apprehended, Rick remains calm and sees through J'onn's attempt to shape-shift into his father, failing to trick Rick. Even when his plan is foiled when his father reveals the location of his trap, Rick graciously congratulates Alex for surviving his trap and accepts his imprisonment without malice.
- Season 3: Tyson Sykes, aka Gravedigger, earned his codename by giving every single enemy he killed a proper burial. The first recorded metahuman and great-granduncle to Jefferson Pierce, Sykes is also the brains behind the invasion of Freeland in Season 3. Having been used as a living weapon by the American government for decades, Sykes eventually grew tired of being a tool to a country that constantly dehumanized him and defected to Markovia. Convincing the Markovian government to forcefully extract all metahumans from Freeland to supposedly use them as weapons, Sykes's true plan is to create a safe and independent nation, where all gifted individuals can live in peace and without fear of prejudice. Sykes is willing to brainwash and even kill anybody who gets in his way, never losing his composure or sight of his overall goals. Even after losing his powers and having his plans foiled, he manages to survive and witness his actions leading to the dissolution of the A.S.A. Charming and charismatic, Gravedigger stands out among the many villains Black Lightning has faced.
- Season 3:
- Bruno Mannheim is the ruthless head of Intergang. A lifelong resident of Hob's Bay, Metropolis, he joined Intergang to escape poverty and rose through the ranks. Taking over Intergang after his lover Peia killed Boss Moxie and framing Lex Luthor for his death, Bruno expanded Intergang into a major countrywide criminal organization which developed weapons that nearly killed Superman on several occasions, all while building Hob's Bay into a successful district and developing a cutting-edge cancer treatment center, earning the love of the residents. Seeking a cure for Peia's cancer, he used stolen samples of Superman's blood to grant powers to gravely ill criminals and had his men steal Bizarro's corpse from the DOD to experiment on, clashing with Superman and John Henry Irons. When his efforts fail to save Peia and he is arrested, he agrees to confess to everything so long as his son is not charged for helping him break Peia out of DOD custody.
- Peia Mannheim is Bruno Mannheim's wife and Intergang's top enforcer. Previously working directly with Boss Moxie, she betrayed her boss and killed him after falling in love with Bruno, then used her powers to falsify a confession by Lex Luthor to frame him for Moxie's murder and have him arrested, allowing Intergang to take over Metropolis's criminal underworld. She used her sonic powers to kill numerous targets, including Henry Miller and her universe's John Henry Irons, and is able to trick Superman's super hearing by simulating the sounds of disasters to distract him, before later luring him into a trap by replicating Lois's voice for a fake cry for help. Arrested after collapsing due to cancer taking its toll on her body, she confesses to her crimes to Lois, whom she befriended during their cancer treatments, but refused to confess to Moxie's murder as it would exonerate Luthor, whom she considers to be the Devil. When her husband's attempt to cure her backfire and she loses control of her powers, she accepts death at Superman's encouragement, asking him to tell her husband and son that she loves them.
