Is Damien Darhk the Best Arrowverse Villain?

For all that the various Arrowverse shows get right about the DC Universe, they have a pretty spotty track record when it comes to villains. Nuanced, compelling villains like Deathstroke and Reverse-Flash are all too rare on these shows. It took Supergirl three seasons to finally conjure up a foe worthy of Kara Danvers. Even Legends of Tomorrow, consistently the best of these shows over the past few years, has struggled in this area. But if there’s any takeaway from Legends’ soon-to-be concluded third season, it’s that Damien Darhk may be the MVP in the Arrowverse rogues gallery.

The weird thing about Legends is that the series has never really succeeded in creating its own villains. Season 1 failed to achieve its full potential because Vandal Savage never felt like an enemy worthy of this new team of time-traveling heroes. With only one episode to go in Season 3, Mallus still comes across as little more than a bland CG demon with a cool voice. Legends has found much more success in borrowing familiar villains from its sister shows – Reverse-Flash and Captain Cold from The Flash, Kuasa from Vixen, and Malcolm Merlyn from Arrow. And, of course, Damien Darhk.

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