Now, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE this TV show. I do. The suspense. The character moments. And of course, the fight scenes and action in general. However, I did have one particular issue with the show: the villains.

I am well-aware of the fact that Green Arrow doesn’t exactly have the most impressive rogues gallery, but I feel that many of them could have been used in a MUCH greater capacity than they were. On the other hand, there were a few that I actually liked (China White, Clock King, Cupid, and Deathstroke) and several that I wished they took more seriously. Here's how I think several of Arrow’s enemies SHOULD have been done as opposed to how they were done and reveal which foes I think should/should’ve appeared in the series and in what way.

Onomatopoeia- Apparently, according to my research, he appeared in the form of an assassin named Mr. Blank, who tried to kill a kid that Laurel was protecting during season 1. Even though I found his character amusing, I really wished they used Onomatopoeia (even if they did have to ground their depiction of him in reality)’s true character in here. They would keep Blank’s somewhat strange quips and tendency to form conversations with his enemies and have him use a sniper rifle and military knives like in the comics. Sure it may not have fit in that episode, but who says he should only appear in one?

Merlyn- I like Merlyn a lot. I’m glad he stuck around for this long. Truth be told, he is the one I have the absolute LEAST issues with. Still, there is one thing I wished they kept about him: his name. I wished they kept “Arthur King” instead of just changing it to “Malcolm Merlyn”. If they must, I wished they would have just used that name as some sort of birth name (before he changed it) or a past alias he had. If he changed his name, it would be due to a past tragedy, but for the sake of the undertaking, he would use the name “Merlyn” as a reflection of that tragedy. I wouldn’t have changed his background with the League of Assassins before he leaves, though, since Green Arrow apparently has had run-ins with those guys as well (not Ra’s himself, though).

Brick- To be honest, I kind of wished they left him alone unless they planned to actually introduce metahumans in the show, which they didn’t at that time. I also don’t like how they white-washed him from a Black-American villain to a Caucasian British one. That was unnecessary. But back to his role in the show, despite my complaints, I kind of liked what they did with him (even if the conflict with him DID end in a Dark Knight Rises rip-offish fashion), planning to take over the glades with an army of thugs and stealing evidence to keep them out of the Law's reach. However, I would have basically had him take the role of Count Vertigo in the show. You know? Sell a popular drug on the streets before having a run-in with Arrow and the Law like he does as the gangster he is in the comics. Though instead of it being a mental drug, it’d be a physical one, similar to steroids, but improved. The drug enhances people considerably on a physical level (not superhuman, obviously) and Danny tests the first, most raw batch on himself, making him stronger than most and tough enough to take arrows and bullets (like he did in Season 3), hence his namesake. And speaking of Count Vertigo and his role one the show…

Count Vertigo- This is the one villain I took the most issue with. I HATED what they did with him on Arrow! Even though the Werner Zytle version in Season 3 was a step up, I hated him, too! Basically, I think Vertigo should have been was Ra’s al ghul was for Season 3. Here’s why. In the comics, Vertigo has considerable wealth and power in Vlatava, but it is nothing compared to his niece Perdita. He is also an AWESOME hand-to-hand fighter and of course, has a device implanted in his head that allows him to disorient his opponents. In Arrow, I would have combined both Werner Vertigo and Werner Zytle (the appearance of Vertigo, but the background of Zytle) while grounding the character in reality. In the show, I would have had the name be Zytle, but he has the name “Vertigo” be used by his contacts and underlings in America because of his reputation for allegedly having the power to cause everyone he’s ever fought (and defeated) personally to claim to suffer dizzy spells during which, many believing him to be more than human. And because he is the ruler of this nation (as Zytle is in the New 52 comics), he has considerable wealth and power, but despite this, he has enemies. I would have Zytle at some point in his past be attacked by an unknown foe that would result in his getting his trademark device implanted into his head so that he would be able to stop them in their tracks before they ever reach either him or his home. In case it fails, Zytle still has his fighting skills. Also, Perdita, his niece and future heir to Vlatava, would be aged to Oliver and Laurel’s level so that she can fulfill a role similar to Nyssa al ghul (they did, after all, pull a DBGT Goku on Ted Grant). However, as for his conflict with the Arrow, the most important part, I would simply say it is because he is cutting into his illegal dealings and making quite a dent in them, leading to some confrontations akin to the ones Oliver had with Ra’s, but with some changes (like beating him in combat due to his device rather than only skill or rather than being his heir, he would be his second-in-command with the full benefits that come with being a Vlatavan). That would have been MUCH more entertaining to see than a Batman-esque storyline.

Komodo- There’s not much I can say about Lacroix given his limited appearances in the comics, but I do think it would have been interesting to see him find and brainwash Shado’s sister Mei like how Malcolm brainwashed Thea and then go after The Arrow (like how in the comics, Lacroix raised Emiko, daughter of Robert Queen and that New 52 Shado, and fed her brainwashing lies prior to going after Green Arrow) for whatever reason as opposed to just making him another assassin like they should have done Constantine Drakon. Speaking of whom,

Constantine Drakon- Now this was a MAJOR waste. In the comics, Drakon could curb-stomp Green Arrow. But in the TV show, he could only keep up with him. While I do find that more interesting, I don’t think he should have been wasted as a Head of Security. I think, actually, he should have gotten Komodo’s role in Season 3. He was definitely a worthy opponent and I would have definitely liked to see him in the future. But no! They had to go and waste him!

DESIRED IMPLEMENTATIONS

Hannibal Bates/Everyman- Since he is actually a Green Arrow villain (not a Flash one), I would have wanted him to have Deathbolt’s role on the show, as the first metahuman villain ever to appear. That would involve some serious re-writing, but still.

Ricardo Diaz Jr./Richard Dragon- As of the New 52, this new version of the legendary martial artist is now an enemy of Green Arrow. In it, he led a team of Green Arrow’s enemies, is the son of a powerful crime lord, and becomes a member of the League of Assassins before he left. That being said, along with what I said above about Green Arrow having some run-ins with the League (not Ra’s himself, though), I think that he would have been great for the main villain of Season 4 (even though I’m looking forward to Damien Darhk).

Like I said above, I still love the show and all, but I think it would have been FAR better if they did better with the villains and didn’t do so many references to Batman. I get that Green Arrow is basically a Robin Hood-type hero who is in the vein of Batman, but he is unique on his own and has shown that throughout the ages. Him and his villains. What do you think? Sound off, below!