Arrow ARROW: John Barrowman to return for Season 4

[luis4u]

"We start filming in July, season four - I just finalized my deal about a week ago. I'm
very exited about going back, I can't tell you anything becuase I do know abit about what's going to happen. But if you love Malcolm Merlyn, if you love Oliver Queen, if you love Thea Queen, if you love the Canary sister, and I say that with a bit of a twist and a joke in it, your going to love what's going to happen across the DC world"

http://screenrant.com/arrow-season-4-malcom-merlyn-john-barrowman/

 

[Swordmaster]

Who didn't see that coming?

 

[O'Haire]

Hopefully they turn him into a bad ass again like he was in season 1.

 

[metaphysician]

Hopefully they don't overuse him. A lot of the plot problems of season 3 arose from forcing Merlyn into the plot in ways that didn't make sense ( and protecting him from consequences likewise ).

 

[Sawyer]

Do these pieces of news really require their own individual threads?

 

[Primal Slayer]

Hey gotta get that post count up.

 

[Boy Scout]

Ugh.

 

[Daltonio]

Hopefully they don't overuse him. A lot of the plot problems of season 3 arose from forcing Merlyn into the plot in ways that didn't make sense ( and protecting him from consequences likewise ).

Really? Honestly I felt like they didn't use him nearly enough as they should have.

 

[Mike Murdock]

As the guy in charge of the League of Assassins, I expected him to come back. Hopefully as a clear bad guy this time.

 

[dude stannis]

Meh. The main characters where way too buddy buddy with him considering he committed a major terrorist attack and orchestrated the death of Sara.

 

[Drz]

Meh. The main characters where way too buddy buddy with him considering he committed a major terrorist attack and orchestrated the death of Sara.

Don't you get it? He saved Oliver's sister and he is her father!

What kind of an monster are you to suggest he'd be taken away from her?

 

[KillerMcQueen]

Really? Honestly I felt like they didn't use him nearly enough as they should have.

I think it's more about how he was used, we never saw him pay the consequences for his actions, which was a big problem considering he was indirectly responsible for almost every ill that occured during the season and was involved in most of the bizarre story decisions in the season. Less of them trying to make us sympathize with the mass murderer and more time on making us believe he could pull strings expertly enough to force the bad situations that team Arrow got into with Ra's. Merlyn getting his due is one of the main things I want to see this season, he should have a mountain of ill will incoming from Nyssa/Team Arrow.

 

[Loki882]

Yeah, they clearly REALLY liked John Barrowman and wanted him around no matter what. And I can understand that, the man is awesome and joy made flesh. But his appearances still have to make sense. And last season, Oliver and co's handling of him made NO sense whatsoever and just made them all look like idiots. Malcolm's "plan" also made no sense either.

Hopefully they've fixed those issues this time around.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Yeah I don't mind him coming back but they have to use him better than they did last season. Season 1 Malcom was awesome so get him back to that and we are good.

 

[Slade W]

I think it's more about how he was used, we never saw him pay the consequences for his actions, which was a big problem considering he was indirectly responsible for almost every ill that occured during the season and was involved in most of the bizarre story decisions in the season. Less of them trying to make us sympathize with the mass murderer and more time on making us believe he could pull strings expertly enough to force the bad situations that team Arrow got into with Ra's. Merlyn getting his due is one of the main things I want to see this season, he should have a mountain of ill will incoming from Nyssa/Team Arrow.

Malcolm Merlyn is similar to Vegeta in Dragonball Z in that he is responsible for almost every bad thing that happens every season but he never gets his comeuppance and people still love him.

He was responsible for Oliver being trapped on Lian Yu and becoming the "vigilante", his Dad and Tommy being killed, Sara's "death" which destroyed the Lance family, as well as being the main villain in season 1. Oliver would never have met Slade if it were not for Malcolm who killed Moira which had a very bad effect on Thea, played a big part in Sara's 2nd "death" which resulted in her joining the LOA and was the main villain of season 2. He manipulated Thea into killing Sara (once again, destroying the Lance family and sending Laurel on her dark journey), resulting in Oliver's feud with the LOA which was how Oliver came into contact with Ra's, leading to Thea's close encounter with death, only to be saved by the Lazarus pit which will have repercussions for Thea in the future.

 

[Loki882]

That comparison doesn't work at all. Vegeta ISN'T responsible for every bad thing that happens in DBZ, not even most of it. Plus he dies TWICE, nearly dies multiple other times, and is badly beaten and humiliated repeatedly.

Compare that to Malcolm who, ends S3 even stronger than he started and now has Oliver and co "off of his back" for some dumb reason.

 

[Slade W]

That comparison doesn't work at all. Vegeta ISN'T responsible for every bad thing that happens in DBZ, not even most of it. Plus he dies TWICE, nearly dies multiple other times, and is badly beaten and humiliated repeatedly.

Compare that to Malcolm who, ends S3 even stronger than he started and now has Oliver and co "off of his back" for some dumb reason.

It is not 100% like for like, but they are comparable. Vegeta was the main villain in season 1, could have killed Cell in season 3 but allowed him to reach his strongest form which caused Goku's, Android 16s and Trunks death and in season 4, it was him who provided enough energy to release Buu due to his ego trip and desire to beat Goku for self-serring reasons and he killed innocent civilians along the way. He redeemed himself much more than Malcolm has, but even before he redeemed himself he was still loved. Other characters would get a lot more hate if they did half of the things that he did. He gets away with a lot and Malcom is the same. The likes of Felicity, Laurel and other get much more hate for far less than Malcolm (and I am not just referring to the hate those two get because some people find them annoying, I mean the hate they get for some of their actions).

 

[TheUnknownX]

 

[dude stannis]

Don't you get it? He saved Oliver's sister and he is her father!

What kind of an monster are you to suggest he'd be taken away from her?

Well if you put it this way, it really does make me a horrible human being.

 

[GregComicFan]

Maybe Malcolm Merlyn is the real name of the incarnation of Ras Al Ghul that the Batman faces on a regular basis... lol just a funny thought...

 

[p4poetic]

Malcolm has overstayed his welcome. Tired of the character honestly.

 

[godisawesome]

I still think they should have made Malcolm a clear cut case of Oliver's personal arch-enemy and a major recurring antagonist with a never ending feud. Seriously, the guy killed Oliver's father and trapped him on the Island, then indirectly killed Oliver's best friend, his own son, because of his own misplaced sense of vindictiveness. I was expecting him to blame Oliver and Laurel for Tommy's death; it would have fit his previous characterization.

And it would have done so much to heighten the drama of him being Thea's father is he was still actively antagonistic and occasionally murderous towards Oliver. Imagine what it would be like for her to get training from him, form a bond with him, and then still see just how twisted he is without having the "made me a weapon in a poorly thought out plot twist" reveal. Or have him brainwash her from the word go to think in an aggressive and hostile, even villainous, mindset. Make her fight Roy or something.

But nope. They basically wanted Malcolm to take Moira's place in the show's formula. But Moira was a completely different character, and a reactor, mainly. Malcolm was, and still is, a delusional self serving mad man. Nobody on Team Arrow should have thought about forgiving him, even for a second. And he was so good as an antagonist, and a season with two major threats would have been engaging. Instead, it...wasn't.