Merlyn (DC)
Merlyn is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
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Biography
Origin
Arthur King
As a young man, Merlyn was seen by Oliver Queen with the Magician flawlessly performing his archery skills at a target whilst blindfolded. After Oliver became the Green Arrow, Queen fell for a publicity stunt when he was challenged by Merlyn. Despite his skills, Oliver lost the match against Merlyn with Queen never forgetting the encounter. Afterwards, the Magician disappeared from sight preventing Oliver from ever getting a re-match with him. Merlyn had at some point became a member of the feared League of Assassins. (Justice League of America v1 #94)
After the Sensei was foiled in entering Nanda Parbat, the master assassin vowed revenge for his humiliation whereupon he made use of the Demonfang to get his vengeance. As a result, Merlyn was summoned by his master the Sensei who tasked him with targeting Batman though the archer had to contend with the rest of the Justice League. Merlyn managed to remove Superman and the Atom as obstacles as he made his move against his true target that was Batman. This led to his confrontation with his rival the Green Arrow who managed to thwarted the archer causing him to fail the League of Assassins which typically meant death with him departing the scene but congratulating Oliver Queen for finally besting him. (Justice League of America v1 #94)
Under the Sensei’s orders, he was dispatched with the goal of acquiring one of the many pieces that made the Invisible Map to Nanda Parbat. Despite the keepers abilities, Merlyn was able to slay him and acquired the part for the map. (Robin v2 #168)
Talia al Ghul came to recruit him and tasked him with training Damian Wayne in the toxophilitic arts though admitted that he came to learn more from the young man. (Batman v1 #675)
With Shadow-Thief in captivity, there were fears that he would give up vital information by cooperating with the authorities. This led to the Calculator hiring Merlyn for the job of eliminating Sands where he was paired up with the Monocle along with Phobia. They attacked the court house where Sands were incarcerated in a tank with them initially managing to get close to their target. Their plans were thwarted with the arrival of the new Manhunter though Merlyn had destroyed the containment tank with him next intending to kill Carl himself. However, with his freedom, Shadow-Thief’s powers returned and he intended to kill everyone that opposed him with Merlyn put out of commission by Manhunter. Ultimately, Sands was defeated with Merlyn put into custody for the attempted murder. (Manhunter v3 #10)
As part of this team, Merlyn was summoned by Talia to Gotham City, in order to retrieve the Suit of Sorrows from the Order of Purity. During the attack on the Order, Merlyn killed the Order's leader Leland McCauley and injured Felicidad Gomez before being confronted by Azrael. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #1) After Talia stopped Azrael for a moment, Merlyn and the others tried to move him to their headquearters, but Azrael recovered and used one of Merlyn's own arrows to stab him in the face. (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1 #2)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Malcolm Merlyn when he was as a young man joined the ranks of the League of Assassins where he went through their commencement ceremony when Ra's al Ghul made him a grave for himself and obeyed the command to lie in it. The purpose of the grave was for him to say good-bye to his old life and be born anew as an assassin as the Dark Archer. At some point, he had a son that was named Tommy Merlyn who became friends with the young Oliver Queen. (Green Arrow v6 #14) Oliver regularly came to the Merlyn household where Malcolm developed an unnatural interest in the boy as being the son he wanted as he considered Tommy to be a failure. He considered Robert Queen a failure and it was later known that he had attempted to seduce Moira Queen leading to Oliver being banned form going to the Merlyn home. (Green Arrow v6 #17) Malcolm's son Tommy later ended up taking the life of a mercenary who went by the name of the Dark Archer. (Green Arrow v6 #14) On one of his travels, he encountered John Diggle who he saved from a terrorist cell called Eclipse thus leading to the former bodyguard being indebted to Merlyn. (Green Arrow v6 #34)
At some point, it was noted that Malcolm Merlyn was responsible for saving the life of John Diggle who as a result owed the Dark Archer. He was still a member of the League of Assassins and sought to get Oliver Queen to join them. As part of his contract, he was hired to ruin the Green Arrow and began to target people in Seattle. (Green Arrow v6 #17)
Merlyn was contracted by Cyrus Broderick, a director of the Ninth Circle criminal organisation, to frame the Green Arrow for multiple high-profile killings, in order to 'take' everything away from Oliver Queen. (Green Arrow v6 #12) After he destroyed their base of operations, The Inferno, which hosted their 'bank' and resources. Using arrows resembling Arrow's, the Dark Archer succeeded in tarnishing the hero's image. (Green Arrow v6 #13) However, when he killed a famous football player, Cy Samson, the Green Arrow saw Merlyn, and the two archers engaged in a fierce duel across the stadium, with Oliver believing the hooded Malcolm to be Tommy. Malcolm then reveals himself to Oliver, and proceeds to best him in the duel, whilst taunting his foe. The intervention of Black Canary and the Seattle Police Department force Merlyn to flee, though not before firing an arrow at the police chief, who Green Arrow manages to just save, though the hero's bow is shattered in the process. (Green Arrow v6 #14)
Later on, he came to be an agent of Leviathan after the organization was taken over by Mark Shaw. He came into conflict with Green Arrow when his allies had formed a new Checkmate in opposition of the international criminal organization. (Checkmate v3 #2)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In his costume, he was also referred to as the Dark Archer. (Green Arrow v6 #14) His skills in tracking led to him being referred to as the Magician. (Justice League of America v1 #94)
Though being labelled an assassin, Merlyn was said to consider himself more of a hunter who stalked his target. He liked to learn their patterns before he was ready to spring his trap on them. However, he had a tendency of prolonging a fight so he could enjoy it more when he could have gone for a quick kill. (Batman Secret Files v1 #3)
Malcolm said that he did not mind scars as he considered them good souvenirs and a reminder of debts. (Green Arrow v6 #34)
He was noted for having a bitter rivalry with the Green Arrow. (Justice League of America v1 #94)
Powers and abilities
As an assassin, he was said to had been trained under Ra's al Ghul himself. (Batman Secret Files v1 #3) He was considered the best archer in the world with Merlyn himself considering the mark of a great archer was knowing when to shoot. Even as a young man, he was eagle-eyed and could hit a target whilst blindfolded. (Justice League of America v1 #94)
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. (Green Arrow v6 #14)
Weapon masters were responsible for creating special arrows for Merlyn's arsenal that he could be used against special foes. These included arrows that emitted ultrasonic sounds and another that could increase the gravity on the target struck. (Justice League of America v1 #94)
He was a member of the Seven Men of Death that stood among the most elite warriors in the League of Assassins. (Robin v2 #168)
Notes
- Merlyn as Arthur King was created by Mike Friedrich, Neal Adams and Dick Dillin where he made his first appearance in Justice League of America v1 #94 (November, 1971).
- In Green Arrow v6 #15 (2017) in the post-Flashpoint and Rebirth continuity had the character renamed as being Malcolm Merlyn similar to the version in the Arrowverse.
- During The New 52, a character by the name of John King appeared in Green Arrow v5 #35 (2016) who was a wealthy philanthropist with him being the third richest man in the country behind Wayne and Luthor. Publically, he was known as a humanitarian that helped people but secretly he placed them in debt and forced them to obey his wishes. He came to consider this as real power whereby thousands of people were in an eternal debt to him and did anything he commanded with them being loyal to his orders. In return, he stated that he gave them a perfect kingdom where he ruled and ensured their wellbeing though in reality he was an extortionist. For each city King seized, he sought to find out everything about it and came to learn that Oliver Queen was secretly the Green Arrow. At some point, he had met a woman and had a daughter that was Mia Dearden who when they moved to Seattle had accidently discovered his true nature. This caused John King to kill the girls mother with Mia going on the run to escape her father.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Justice League Unlimited, Merlyn appeared in a non-voiced role in the setting of the animated television series set in the DC Animated Universe.
- In Smallville, Merlyn did not appear in the setting of the live-action television series but a similar character named Vordigan was shown portrayed by actor Steve Bacic. After Oliver Queen left the Brotherhood of Sion, Vordigan left to find his protege in order to fulfill his role as a "master archer". In the episode "Disciple", he shot Lois Lane with his arrow through the shoulder and later attacked Chloe Sullivan at Watchtower. The Dark Archer then sought out Mia Dearden and kidnapped as he placed the girl in a Brotherhood of Sion Maze. He told Oliver that he had to fulfill his role by succeeding his master. Vordigan went after Mia after Oliver refused to kill him. After he found Mia, he shot three arrows at the girl. Oliver saw them and jumped in front of Mia. Just as the arrows got close Clark ran in front of Oliver and saved him. While Clark was in front of him, Oliver shot an arrow at Vordigan, hitting him in the same place he hit Lois. However, Oliver did not kill Vordigan, only stopped him and saved Mia. Later, talking with Mia, Oliver says that Vordigan is in prison, and he's worried about the day he'll be released, old and still eager to be killed by Oliver. In the episode "Prophecy", Vordigan was now a member of the Toyman's sinister league of villains known as the Marionette Ventures. At their meeting, each member was assigned a target from the Justice League. Vordigan's target was none other than the Green Arrow.
- In the Arrowverse, Malcolm Merlyn made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Arrow, Malcolm Merlyn was introduced into the live-action television series starting from the first season where he was portrayed by actor John Barrowman. He was the wealthy CEO of Merlyn Global Group who was fueled by his wife's murder in the Glades, the crime-infested area of Starling City. Malcolm left his son Tommy Merlyn, and trained with the League of Assassins in Nanda Parbat, where he took the name the Magician (Arabic: الساحر Al Sa-Her). After several years, Malcolm returned to Starling City to plot an "undertaking" that would destroy the Glades with an earthquake-generating device. When Robert Queen tried to extradite himself from the plan, Malcolm arranged for the bombing of Robert's yacht, marooning Oliver on the island of Lian Yu.
- In Legends of Tomorrow, Malcolm Merlyn returned as an antagonist in the live-action television series second season where he was once again portrayed by actor John Barrowman.
Films
- In DC Showcase: Green Arrow, Merlyn appeared as an antagonist in the animated short film where he was voiced by actor Malcolm McDowell. Merlyn the Magnificent was hired by Count Vertigo to assassinate Princess Perdita at the airport leading to a confrontation with Green Arrow who began to protect her with Merlyn along with his henchmen being defeated by Oliver Queen.
Video games
- In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Merlyn appeared in the background of the fighting video game where he was in Green Arrow's S.T.A.R. Labs Missions.
Appearances
- Justice League of America v1: (1971)
- Green Arrow and Black Canary v1:
- Manhunter v3:
- (Azrael: Death's Dark Knight v1:
- Green Arrow:
- Batman: (2020)
- Batman Secret Files v1: (2020)
- Checkmate v3: (2021)
External Links
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