With so many new baddies making their way to Starling City, you’d think the creators of Arrow might be too busy to focus on an “ultimate foe” — but it seems Oliver will definitely have his own, permanent archnemesis.

With all the focus on the League of Assassins, and the upcoming appearance of Nyssa al Ghul, the obvious choice for Arrow’s “ultimate foe” could be first-tier DC baddie Ra’s al Ghul. Though producer Greg Berlanti promises there’s “more that will be revealed” about R’as al Ghul in the coming weeks, he’s apparently not destined to become Arrow’s super-Big Bad.

So who is it? Our old friend Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), aka the Dark Archer, himself. Berlanti promises that Merlyn’s recent reappearance will go on to have some major consequences, despite the fact that all the attention is focused on Slade/Brother Blood at the moment.

Here’s what he told Digital Spy about the Dark Archer’s long-term plan:

“He's the Dark Archer so he's an integral part of the show.He is the ultimate foe, but you want to use it in a way that it doesn't diminish who The Arrow is, you know? Obviously, we know that he's Thea's dad and there'll be other steps taken there. So we'll definitely be taking that story further this year.”

As huge fans of John Barrowman, we’re glad to hear that he will definitely be a part of the series’ deeper mythos. He was such a perfect foe and match in season one that we can’t wait for him to regroup and start wreaking more havoc on Starling City.

What do you think? Should the Dark Archer be the “ultimate foe,” or would you prefer R’as al Ghul?

(Via Digital Spy)