Malcolm Merlyn (Prime Earth)

{{DC Database:Character Template
 * Image                  = Malcolm Merlyn Prime Earth 001.png
 * RealName               = Malcolm Merlyn
 * CurrentAlias           = Dark Archer
 * Aliases                = Arrow Killer
 * Identity               = Secret
 * Affiliation            = League of Assassins; Ninth Circle
 * Alignment              = Bad
 * Relatives              = Tommy Merlyn (son)
 * Universe               = Prime Earth


 * Gender                 = Male
 * Eyes                   = Black
 * Hair                   = Black
 * UnusualFeatures        =


 * Occupation             = Assassin; Mercenary
 * Education              =


 * Creators               = Mike Friedrich; Neal Adams; Dick Dillin
 * First                  = Green Arrow Vol 6 14


 * Quotation          = It's been a long time. But surely you remember Tommy's father... Malcolm Merlyn, the original Dark Archer.
 * Speaker            = Malcolm Merlyn
 * QuoteSource          = Green Arrow Vol 5 14

Malcolm Merlyn is the original Dark Archer, a master archer and deadly assassin who is a member of the League of Assassins.
 * HistoryText            =

Origins
At one point in his life, Malcolm joined the League of Assassins, an ancient, international order of the world's greatest killers. He was trained by Ra's al Ghul himself. His commencement ceremony into the order involved him digging an eight feet long, six feet deep and four feet wide grave, which he would himself have to lie inside. In that grave, he said goodbye to who he was, and came out a changed man. Merlyn would eventually become a deadly assassin and expert in the art of archery. His son, Tommy Merlyn, would eventually become a mercenary, using his father's alias.

Emerald Outlaw
Merlyn was contracted by the Ninth Circle criminal organisation to frame the Green Arrow for multiple high-profile killings, in order to "take" everything away from Oliver Queen after he destroyed their base of operations, which hosted their "bank" and resources. Using arrows resembling Arrow's, the Dark Archer succeeded in tarnishing the hero's image. However, when he killed a famous football player, Cy Samson, the Green Arrow saw Merlyn, and the two archers engaged in a fierce duel across the stadium, with Oliver believing the hooded Malcolm to be Tommy. Malcolm then reveals himself to Oliver, and proceeds to best him in the duel, whilst taunting his foe. The intervention of Black Canary and the Seattle Police Department force Merlyn to flee, though not before firing an arrow at the police chief, who Green Arrow manages to just save, though the hero's bow is shattered in the process.


 * Abilities              =
 * : Merlyn holds master proficiency in the art of archery, his skills superior to those of the likes of Oliver and Emiko Queen, Shado, and his son Tommy . The Dark Archer killed multiple citizens of Seattle whilst firing arrow from far distances away, them hitting their mark right on point.
 * : Merlyn is very agile, able to perform various, skilled feats of acrobatics.
 * : Merlyn is an expert and deadly combatant, able to easily kill three, imposing football players within seconds, and besting Oliver in their first duel.
 * : For the majority of his killings, Merlyn was unseen by anyone, his arrows the only evidence of his presence.
 * : For the majority of his killings, Merlyn was unseen by anyone, his arrows the only evidence of his presence.

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 * Notes                  =
 * Merlyn was created by Mike Friedrich, Neal Adams and Dick Dillin, first appearing in . Though the Tommy Merlyn version made his Prime Earth debut in as part of the New 52, the original version - Arthur King a.k.a. Malcolm Merlyn - made his first appearance in the new continuity during the DC Rebirth initiative, in  by Benjamin Percy, Eleonora Carlini, Carlos Rodriguez and Gus Vazquez.