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Merlyn (DC Comics)

Supervillain appearing in DC comics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Merlyn (DC Comics)
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Merlyn, also known as the Dark Archer, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Mike Friedrich and artists Neal Adams and Dick Dillin, the character first appeared in Justice League of America #94 (1971). Merlyn is the alias of Arthur King, a bow-wielding assassin and contract killer who develops a rivalry with the superhero Green Arrow based on their archery skills, and has since endured as his archenemy. The character has also fought other heroes in the DC Universe, including Batman, Black Canary, and the Justice League.

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The CW television series Arrow introduced and popularized Malcolm Merlyn, portrayed by John Barrowman, and his son Tommy Merlyn, portrayed by Colin Donnell, as Oliver Queen's nemesis and best friend, respectively. This concept would later be integrated into the comics, as Arthur King's legal name is retroactively established as Malcolm Merlyn, while Tommy briefly assumes the Dark Archer mantle from his father.

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Publication history

Merlyn was created by writer Mike Friedrich and artists Neal Adams and Dick Dillin. He first appeared in Justice League of America #94 in November 1971.[3]

Fictional character biography

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Long before becoming the vigilante Green Arrow, Oliver Queen was inspired to take up archery after hearing of the exploits of Arthur King, otherwise known as "Merlyn the Magician", a master archer with acute accuracy. Years later, Merlyn challenged the Green Arrow to a public archery duel and defeated Oliver. With that victory under his belt, Merlyn vanished for years before resurfacing as a member of the League of Assassins. During his time with the League of Assassins, Merlyn took part in the highly abusive training of David Cain's daughter Cassandra Cain, unknowingly being behind the girl's skills as Batgirl.[4] He and Green Arrow faced each other again when Merlyn attempted to assassinate Batman; Green Arrow managed to intercept Merlyn's arrow with one of his own, saving Batman's life. Merlyn admitted that Green Arrow had improved since their last encounter, but escaped before he could be captured.

In Action Comics, Merlyn, now working as a freelance assassin and contract killer who sells his skills to the highest bidder, is hired by Queen Bee (Zazzala) to join a supervillain team and take on the Justice League.[5] He then serves under Tobias Whale as a member of Metropolis' crime syndicate the 100.[6] Merlyn attempts to kill Black Lightning when he accompanies Joey Toledo. Though the League of Assassins crash the battle when they were displeased that Merlyn left them. He is ultimately defeated by Black Lightning while Toledo was killed during the three-way battle.[7] A man from Libya later hires Meryln to kill a Russian scientist visiting Casablanca. Although Merlyn is aided by Syonide, his assassination attempt is foiled by the Flash and Phantom Lady.[8]

During the events of "Underworld Unleashed," Merlyn is among the villains that sell their souls to the demon Neron in exchange for greater power. He then joins the Killer Elite (along with Deadshot, Monocle, Bolt, Chiller and Deadline) to perform various assassinations with Merlyn wanting to do his dream assassination on Batman, but the group is eventually stopped by the Justice League. The Killer Elite later encounters the Body Doubles, and Merlyn and his team are defeated.[9]

In Young Justice, Merlyn mentors Turk, a wolf-like metahuman and archer. Merlyn and Turk attempt to sabotage an archery contest in their favor, but are stopped by Young Justice.[10][11][12]

Merlyn next appears as one of the primary villains in the Injustice Gang in Identity Crisis.[13] He warns and correctly predicts that the death of Sue Dibny would have troublesome and dire consequences in the criminal underworld.[14] Although the Justice League manages to capture Merlyn, Monacle and Deadshot, the latter is able to use connections with the Suicide Squad and Amanda Waller to arrange for their release, much to the frustration of the newest Manhunter.[15] Merlyn, Deadshot, Monacle and Phobia later attempt to kill the Shadow Thief during his trial, but are confronted and stopped by the Manhunter.

During the "Infinite Crisis" storyline, Merlyn serves as a member of Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Society. Since then, he has resumed his feud with Green Arrow, launching several attacks on the hero's family.[16][17][18] Merlyn then plays a major role in the attack on Green Arrow and Black Canary's wedding as a member of the new Injustice League.[19]

During Countdown, Merlyn appears under the employ of the League of Assassins, coordinating his attacks with Talia al Ghul and serving as a mentor to Damian Wayne.[20] Merlyn has a minor role in The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, in which he is hired by the Sensei to take out a spring where Ra's al Ghul could revitalize himself. He is defeated during the final confrontation between Ra's and Batman.[21] Merlyn then joins the League of Assassins' elite team known as the Seven Men of Death, and is sent to Gotham City to retrieve the Suit of Sorrows from the Order of Purity. During the attack on the Order, Merlyn kills the Order's leader Leland McCauley, and injures Felicidad Gomez before being confronted by Azrael.[22] Merlyn and his team attempt to capture Azrael and move him to their headquarters, but Azrael uses one of Merlyn's own arrows to stab him.[23]

Merlyn is later captured by the vigilante Cupid who plans to kill him in front of Green Arrow, with whom Cupid is besotted. To this end, she slashes Merlyn's throat with an arrow, and although Green Arrow is able to get Merlyn medical attention in time to save his life, the villain's vocal cords are severely damaged.[24]

The New 52

In The New 52 reboot's Batman Incorporated, Merlyn appears under the League of Assassins' employ and serves as a member of the Seven Men of Death who are tasked by Talia al Ghul's Leviathan organization to destroy Batman Incorporated. Merlyn defeats members of the group with ease, until Damian Wayne destroys his bow.[25] In Forever Evil, Merlyn is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.[26]

DC Rebirth

In the DC Rebirth relaunch, the Green Arrow series reveals that Merlyn was born Arthur King and legally changed his name (a concept incorporated from the Arrow television series). When he was around 25 years old, Malcolm joined the League of Assassins, an ancient, international order of the world's greatest killers, and was trained by their leader Ra's al Ghul himself. Malcolm's commencement ceremony into the organization involved him digging a grave which he laid in to purge himself of his past life and emerge reborn.[1] Now a deadly assassin known as the Dark Archer, Malcolm is contracted by Cyrus Broderick, a director of the Ninth Circle, to frame Green Arrow for murder after he destroys the Inferno, their base of operations.[27] Using arrows resembling Green Arrow's for multiple high-profile killings, including the murder of famous soccer player Cy Sampson, the Dark Archer succeeds in tarnishing the hero's image and reputation.[2] Green Arrow and the Dark Archer later engage in a fierce duel, with Oliver believing the hooded villain to be Malcolm's son, Tommy.[28][29] Malcolm then reveals himself to Oliver as "the original Dark Archer", and proceeds to best his foe in combat whilst taunting him. Before Malcolm can kill Oliver, however, the intervention of Black Canary and the police forces the villain to flee. As he escapes, Merlyn fires an arrow at the police chief, whom Green Arrow narrowly manages to save at the cost of his own bow, which is shattered by Merlyn's shot.[1]

In Batman, Merlyn was one of the assassins hired by the Penguin and the Designer to kill Batman. He was captured by the GCPD, but managed to escape. He, along with Cheshire, attempts to attack Catwoman and Harley Quinn before they defeat him.

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Powers and abilities

Merlyn (Arthur King) is among the greatest and most accurate archers in the DC Universe.[1] His archery and marksmanship skills exceed those of Green Arrow, Emiko Queen, Shado, Roy Harper, Connor Hawke, Celestial Archer, and his own son, Tommy Merlyn.[1] The Dark Archer has been known to use trick arrows to kill his targets, including explosive arrows that detonate upon impact. He is extremely proficient with swords, throwing knives, and various other weapons as well. Having been trained by the League of Assassins, Merlyn is at the prime of human physical and mental conditioning, possessing advanced strength, agility, and reflexes. He is a master in the art of stealth and has an incredibly high tolerance for pain, and his Kevlar body armor further enhances his durability. Merlyn is also a formidable expert in many forms of hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, being able to best the likes of Green Arrow with relative ease.[1]

After the defeat of the Leviathan organization, large portions of Merlyn's body are replaced by advanced mechanical parts, granting him superhuman durability and illusion abilities.[30][31]

In other media

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Television

Arrowverse

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John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn

Malcolm Merlyn / Dark Archer appears in media set in the Arrowverse, portrayed by John Barrowman.[32][33]

  • Introduced and primarily featured in Arrow, this version is a wealthy businessman, the CEO of Merlyn Global Group, and the father of Tommy Merlyn and, as a result of an affair, Thea Queen. After his wife is murdered by Brick in a crime-infested area of Starling City known as "the Glades", Malcolm abandons Tommy and trains with the League of Assassins as Al Sa-her (Arabic: الساحر; "The Magician"), returning years later to plot an "Undertaking" to destroy the Glades. Malcolm sabotages Robert Queen's yacht for attempting to interfere with his plans, indirectly stranding Robert's son Oliver on Lian Yu for five years. Although Malcolm's Undertaking succeeds at the end of the first season, Tommy is among its casualties. In the second season, Malcolm resurfaces after faking his death and convinces Thea to join him. In the third season, Malcolm manipulates Oliver's team into helping him defeat the League of Assassins' leader, allowing Malcolm to replace him as the next Ra's al Ghul. In the fourth season, Malcolm becomes engaged in a civil war for control of the League with Nyssa al Ghul that is ended when Oliver severs Malcolm's left hand. At the end of the fifth season, Malcolm seemingly dies in an explosion off-screen when he sacrifices himself to help Oliver rescue Thea after she is kidnapped by Prometheus.[34]
    • Malcolm's Earth-2 counterpart appears in the eighth season. This version is a businessman with no connection to the Undertaking, as Tommy is the Dark Archer on this earth rather than Malcolm.
  • Malcolm appears in the crossovers "Heroes Join Forces" and "Elseworlds".
  • Malcolm appears in the second season of Legends of Tomorrow as a member of the Legion of Doom.[35][36][37] The Legion locates and uses the fabled Spear of Destiny to rewrite reality to their whims, only to be defeated by the Legends and returned to their original places in the timeline with no memory of these events.
  • A musical-gangster film-inspired incarnation of Malcolm named "Cutter" Moran appears in a dream world in The Flash episode "Duet".

Film

Video games

Miscellaneous

  • The Arrowverse incarnation of Malcolm Merlyn features in the Arrow tie-in comic The Dark Archer, in which his birth name is revealed to be Arthur King. The comic was written by John Barrowman and his sister Carole.[42]
  • Merlyn appears in the Young Justice tie-in comic Young Justice: Targets.
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References

External links

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