Tommy Merlyn

Thomas "Tommy" Merlyn is a fictional

Colin Donnell portrayed the character in the Arrowverse television series Arrow.

Publication history

Tommy Merlyn made his debut in

Tommy Merlyn is introduced as the son of the original Dark Archer. Tommy is best friends with billionaire playboy Oliver Queen. When Oliver's father had relegated him to clerical work on an oil rig on the Pacific Ocean, he turned the rig into a hub for wild parties.^[6] At one such party, Oliver had decided to demonstrate archery to Leena and Tommy. The group of friends were awaiting on a rock star hired by Oliver to play for them. Things got much worse when the helicopter meant to be carrying this rock star turned out to have been commandeered by oil-thieving terrorists. Tommy dragged Oliver to safety, leaving Leena outside on the platform. The two of them discovered a wounded crewman who blamed Oliver for the security breach, as the terrorists commandeered one of the helicopters that was not even supposed to have been there. These terrorists had fixed the platform and several of its occupants including Leena with explosives, holding them hostage until they could siphon millions of dollars worth of crude oil.

Tommy and Oliver managed to get past some sentries, and despite his warnings, Oliver went up onto the platform alone, armed with only a longbow, in the hopes of saving Leena. Oliver had a plan: to take just one shot, through the terrorist leader's wrist, causing him to drop the detonator into the ocean. Unfortunately, on its way down, the detonator bounced against one of the platform's struts, and activated. Leena and everyone around her were obliterated by the explosion. Before Oliver could be caught in the explosion, Tommy leapt out, and thrust them both into the safety of the ocean. Badly burnt, Tommy warned that these would not be the only people that Oliver's recklessness would get killed, before passing out. One year later, a monastery on a pacific island has been caring for a badly burnt coma patient for years. Suddenly, Tommy wakes up.^[7]

He is next seen in the 2014 Green Arrow storyline "Kingdom", in which he appears as the Dark Archer. Killing Mack Morgan before he could give critical intelligence to destroy the reputation of his employer, John King. King, a billionaire hired Merlyn with bringing

Numerous characters based on Tommy Merlyn appear in media set in the Arrowverse, all portrayed by Colin Donnell as an adult^[4][10] and Arien Boey as a child.^[11]

• The primary
  sixth season, Christopher Chance
  uses Tommy's likeness to make the public believe the latter was the Green Arrow.
• An
  Earth-X doppelganger of Tommy appears in the crossover "Crisis on Earth-X" as his Earth's "Prometheus".^[12][13] A partner and friend of Dark Arrow, this version is an enforcer for the New Reichsmen. He joins their invasion of Earth-1, but is defeated and captured by Sara Lance and Alex Danvers. Earth-1 Oliver interrogates him and offers redemption, but Tommy scoffs at the notion and takes a suicide pill
  out of loyalty to Dark Arrow and to spite Earth-1's heroes.
• An
  eighth season premiere "Starling City
  " as the Dark Archer. Upset over Thea's death by Vertigo overdose, Tommy seeks to destroy Star City with his own version of the Undertaking. However, Earth-1 Oliver defeats him and talks him out of it. Tommy is later vaporized by anti-matter during Earth-2's destruction.
• An
  Earth-Prime incarnation of Tommy appears in Arrow's series finale "Fadeout
  ". Having married his version of Laurel before she died, he gains closure after meeting Earth-2 Laurel during Oliver's funeral.