The last 10 years of TV history cannot be told without the Arrowverse. Fans began to fall in love with the Arrowverse in 2012 when Oliver Queen hit the stage as the Green Arrow. With multiple Arrowverse shows like Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, and Batwoman, it is no wonder that fans have been drawn to and adored all of these heroes. The casts of these shows have even come together for a yearly show that they have deemed Crisis. These episodes have drawn critical acclaim and fans cannot wait to see what happens. However, with great heroes also has to come great villains. Every superhero needs a villain to go up against and for fans to root against. What is a great superhero without a bad villain to have to face off against?

The Arrowverse has supplied us with many great battles and villains over time. DC is known for having some of the most vicious and cruel villains in history, who tend to show up at the least opportune moments. Whether they are facing off against each other, or in some cases having to work together yet being betrayed, fans can always count on a good villain to spice things up. Here are the five most evil villains in the Arrowverse.

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5 Malcolm Merlyn

     via Warner Bros.

Oliver Queen went up against many villains in Arrow, as outlined by CBR, but none were quite as captivating as Merlyn. For one, Merlyn had personal ties to the Queen family long before becoming part of the League of Assassins. Being Thea’s biological father, as well as the father of Oliver’s best friend, made it an impossible scenario for Oliver to fight through. One thing about Merlyn is that he always manages to stay around and try to be a better father and person. He just cannot seem to do it, as Oliver always feels a huge weight on his shoulders whenever Merlyn shows up. Oliver still managed to do what was best for his city.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

4 Lex Luthor

Easily one of the most notable and famous villains in the comic book world, Lex Luthor made his appearance in Season 4 of Supergirl — and he did not disappoint. Even though he was physically only in three episodes, he made his mark by manipulating the actions of other villains. He also devised a plan that forced the team to focus on him during Crisis on Infinite Earths, despite all the other major concerns they were facing. Forcing the team to pay attention to him while also having to deal with their current situation just goes to show how selfish and evil he truly is. Most people, even villains, would have just cared about surviving. Luthor wanted supreme power and was willing to kill everyone with the hopes that the heroes could figure out a way to save the world, yet he would still become the ultimate ruler.

3 The Reverse Flash

Season 1 of The Flash was filled with amazing moments, but no moment was greater than finding out about Thawne from the future living inside the body of Harrison Wells. Barry and the team came to trust Harrison so much that they ended up becoming emotionally scarred in the future. It takes a truly evil villain to be able to control and manipulate an entire group of people’s emotions and trust. They dealt with conflicting feelings whenever a new Wells came along. One thing that audiences love about the Reverse Flash is that he continually makes appearances and that he had such a profound impact on Nora, Barry’s daughter.

2 Prometheus

     Warner Bros. Television Distribution

The Green Arrow had a huge task on his hands in Season 5 when Prometheus showed up to take the fight to him. Fans of the show love how quickly Oliver found out who Prometheus was since he instantly began working on a plan to take him down. The ruthlessness that Prometheus attacks Oliver makes him that much more captivating. One could argue that Prometheus had one goal in mind, and that was annihilating anyone and everyone Oliver cared about. Serving as the mayor gave Adrian Chase an extra element of excitement that made the chase that much more exciting for Oliver.

1 Anti-Monitor

Is there any other option to win the title of the Arrowverse’s worst villain? Anti-Monitor made his mark in every Arrowverse show and recreated the entire universe. Even though he portrayed himself as someone who was testing the superheroes, he was still the culprit behind the universe’s reset and Oliver’s death. He took part in some extremely villainous acts compared to other bad guys in his realm. It’s one thing for villains to outright claim how evil and horrible they are, but when one tries to deflect blame and claim it was all a test, there is no worse evil than that. The Anti-Monitor impacted the entire Arrowverse, making him the most evil of all villains.