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Top 10 characters the Arrowverse completely botched

By Joseph Heindl

Arrow -- "Purgatory" -- Image Number: AR807B_0126b.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Siren, Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog, Katherine McNamara as Mia, Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake/Black Canary and Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke -- Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW -- © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Arrow -- "Purgatory" -- Image Number: AR807B_0126b.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Siren, Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog, Katherine McNamara as Mia, Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake/Black Canary and Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke -- Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW -- © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. /
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Arrow — “My Name is Emiko Queen” — Image Number: AR710A_0007b — Pictured: Kirk Acevedo as Ricardo Diaz — Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. /

6. Ricardo Diaz/The Dragon

The word that immediately comes to mind for this guy is “punk.” Starting as part of a larger supervillain gang in Arrow, Diaz soon kills the leader and takes over as the season’s overarching antagonist. That’s exactly what he feels like: a nameless thug or henchman who somehow gets into a position of power. He has all these connections and maneuvers because the plot says so, not because he’s believable as that smart of a character.

In actuality, he’s absurdly dumb, unable to read people, and constantly outsmarted by heroes and villains alike. This idiot only keeps one-upping the costumed crimefighters because the writers arbitrarily decide that the entire city is in his pocket. Given how much of an impulsive child he is, desperately trying to show his edginess and throwing hissy fits when he doesn’t get his way, I refuse to believe that he could ever gain a shred of influence over anyone

This impression is cemented by Kirk Acevedo sporting a fittingly juvenile performance. Whenever he tries to dial up the menace, he looks like he’s about to cry. Not scared yet? Try his bad Ted Levine impression, which sums up his poor excuse for a delivery when reciting each line.

Even at his best, Diaz is just a generic gangster. So, could someone please tell me why the showrunners defy convention and keep him around after his expiration date? Rather than be thwarted in the finale like previous seasonal Arrowverse villains, he remains a threat well into the following season. I would say he overstays his welcome, but that implies that he was ever welcome in the first place.

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