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Dark Archer
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Dark Archer

Malcolm Merlyn

DC Television Universe

Dark Archer's powers and abilities

Peak Human Condition

Malcolm was in excellent physical condition for a man of his age due to his training with the League of Assassins, with his physical condition proving to be superior to Oliver Queen before he was trained by Ra's al Ghul. He had demonstrated enough strength to break Oliver's bow with a single strike, dent a steel beam with a single kick, and topple the highly durable Danny Brickwell with only a few strikes. Malcolm's reflexes were fast enough to catch or deflect an incoming arrow shot at him by Oliver, however, he had admitted that due to his youth Oliver is faster than him. Since Oliver cut off his left hand, Malcolm had been able to continue his physical activities thanks to his new cybernetic prosthetic hand.

Master Combatant/Martial Artist

Malcolm was a highly skilled combatant and martial artist, due to his training with the League of Assassins and is an experienced fighter with at least 20 years of combat experience. His skills allowed him to defeat Oliver Queen repeatedly in combat until he was trained by Ra's al Ghul and after that Oliver was easily able to overpower Malcolm, who only lasted a few seconds before being beaten. Malcolm has also proved capable of fighting evenly with Sara Lance after she was retrained by the League, and defeating Nyssa al Ghul in most of their altercations, only being beaten once due to Nyssa having a greater weapon and surprised him. He was even skilled enough to hold his own reasonably well against Damien Darhk, a former Heir to the Demon with the same training as Ra's al Ghul, respectively. He also trained Thea Queen, his daughter, to become a highly proficient fighter, and even helped train Oliver Queen in preparing to fight Ra's al Ghul, showing he was mainly superior until Oliver received training from Ra's al Ghul himself. Malcolm had gone through the training that all members of League do and was considered to be one of the finest members of the League, enough that he became Ra's al Ghul's horseman, his right-hand man.[35] Maloclm had not been beaten by any other normal League members. Despite his skills, Malcolm was certain that the one man he could never defeat was his former mentor, Ra's al Ghul, one of the only people to genuinely scare Malcolm along with Damien Darhk and Vandal Savage. Malcolm was one of the most dangerous fighters that Team Arrow had ever faced, as well as one of the deadliest fighters in the multiverse.

Master Stick-Fighter

Malcolm was a proficient stick fighter, able to briefly fight off Nyssa in a sword fight using Laurel Lance's baton.

Master swordsman: Despite his preference for archery, Malcolm was a trained and highly skilled swordsman, often practicing fencing in his spare time to maintain his skills. He owned and used several different types of swords. Malcolm's great abilities as a swordsman have allowed him to easily outmatch both Thea Queen and Oliver (although Oliver was notably rusty at the time), quickly defeat many members of the League of Assassins in a sword fight, repeatedly defeat Nyssa al Ghul in their sparring sessions, and easily best Thea despite having his left hand cut off.

Master Knife Wielder

Malcolm was proficient in the use of knives as he was able to successfully injure John Diggle with a knife throw while retreating. Malcolm was also capable of wielding a knife in close combat, as seen when he fought Sara Lance and Damien Darhk.

Master marksman

Despite his preference for archery, Malcolm was highly skilled in the use of firearms. He used a laser gun to take down several security guards with great precision and dexterity.

Master Archer

Malcolm was a highly skilled archer due to his time in the League with archery being his weapon of choice. Oliver himself comments Malcolm's skills after noting on how tight the grouping of his arrows was when Malcolm killed Adam Hunt. Malcolm's skills as an archer were arguably better than Oliver's (at the time) as he was able to beat him during an archery battle once, at least before Oliver's increased experience.

Genius-Level Intellect/Great Business Acumen/Master Tactician/Leader

Malcolm was an exceptional businessman, having skillfully managed Merlyn Global Group as it's CEO for several years, effectively overseeing it's daily activities and ensuring it's success as a multibillion-dollar corporation. He was also an exceptional tactician with the successful execution of the Undertaking after 6 years of planning and development, being one of the few people to tactically outsmart Oliver Queen. Malcolm was also successful in faking his death and able to stay hidden from both the League and Oliver for over a year. Malcolm was able to use votura to create a drug that made Thea Queen kill Sara Lance without her remembering it. Being also as key strategic advisor for Oliver during his conflict with Ra's al Ghul, he came up with the plan to dispose of the latter and install himself as the next Ra's al Ghul. After becoming the new Ra's al Ghul, Malcolm proved himself to be an effective leader, leading the League effectively until Nyssa took over and disbanded it. During this time, he also founded the Thanatos Guild, a group similar to the League of Assassins. Malcolm was aware of the existence of magic and mysticism, knowing the existence of the Lazarus Pit. Since becoming Ra's al Ghul, he gained a higher understanding and knowledge of the Lazarus Pit and its functions, which allowed him to tell Thea why she had the bloodlust and knowing how to cure her, although it was for naught as Ra's is dead and cannot be killed by Thea; then about Vandal Savage, with him knowing that Savage was immortal long before Team Arrow could figure out; and of Damien Darhk's magic. However, Malcolm was unable to figure out why Damien's magic backfired against Thea.

Expert Stage Magician

Exceptionally trained in the art of stage magic including sleight-of-hand, escape artistry, and hypnotism, his skills in these areas were one of the reasons he was called "The Magician" by the League of Assassins. Malcolm used to perform a coin disappearing trick for his son, Tommy Merlyn, frequently. His skills as hypnotist also allow him to retrieve lost memories via hypnotic-regression therapy.

Master Deceiver/Manipulator

Even before his time in the League, Malcolm was highly talented in the art of deception able to fool and convince others of his agenda even experts of seeing through deception such as Oliver and Ra's al Ghul. However, his actions and nature as a liar make it difficult for people to ever believe him as displayed when he tried to convince Team Arrow of Oliver's false allegiance to Ra's and the threat of the Alpha-Omega virus. Due to his archery and combat skills, Malcolm was able to successfully portray himself to Damien Darhk as "Green Arrow" when Oliver was unable to.

Master Interrogator

Malcolm was a trained torturer due to his time in the League of Assassins, however, he oddly prefers diplomatic solutions before resorting to torture as seen when he offers Sara Lance the chance to rewrite her history. He is also a trained hypnotist and proceeded to use hypnotic-regression therapy in a failed attempt to restore Rip Hunter's memories.

Indomitable Will/High Pain Tolerance

Malcolm had an extremely high tolerance for pain like most members of the League of Assassins, which he taught to his daughter, Thea. Malcolm was able to handle having boiling water poured on his hand and even resist the temptation to douse it in ice. Malcolm's threshold for pain allowed him to survive the torture inflicted upon him by Ra's al Ghul, as well as partially handle the pain of losing his left hand when Oliver cut it off.

Stealth/Infiltration/Escape Artist

As a highly trained assassin, Malcolm was a master in the art of stealth, as his ability to break into buildings and disappear without a trace was another reason why he is called "The Magician" by the League of Assassins. Malcolm's skills have repeatedly made of mockery of the Arrowcave's security, despite its relocation and upgrades. Malcolm had even managed to infiltrate Nanda Parbat undetected, which he claims to be difficult. As an escape artist, Malcolm claims that no prison can hold him, not even Oliver's secret prison on Lian Yu.