Malcom Merlyn [Arrow]

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉

NAME: Jackie
AGE: 35
JOURNAL: N/A
IM / EMAIL: IM: doctor_wells EMAIL: pinnskyj6444@gmail.com
PLURK: captain_flyboy
RETURNING: No

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉

CHARACTER NAME: Malcolm Meryln
CHARACTER AGE:  48
SERIES: DC LIVE ACTION: Arrow 
CHRONOLOGY: 3X15 Nanda Parbat
CLASS: Villain 
HOUSING: Malcolm would be fine having roommates as he is adaptable 

BACKGROUND:

Malcolm comes from Starling City where he once ran his own transport company Merlyn Global and moved in the upper echelons of Starling City society.  He was a loving father and husband, but the city didn’t care.  Starling City is a place corrupted by greed, crime and people willing to turn a blind eye to its dark corners and the people who ruled over them.  Malcolm was once one of those people who turned away from the city’s darkness until its evil found him and forced him to see Starling for the corrupted place it truly was.

Rebecca Merlyn was the innocent victim whose murder opened her husband’s eyes to the truth.  Shot by a mugger while walking in a section of the city called the Glades late one night, Rebecca called her husband and begged him for help as she lay dying on the ground.  Malcolm later learned several witnesses had seen his wife’s murder and done nothing to help choosing to save their own lives over hers. He attempted to track down his wife’s murderer himself and just barely managed to kill the man with a well placed bullet while the criminal attempted to beat Malcolm to death.  He will later learn the man he killed was a scapegoat for the true murderer Daniel Brick, whose life Malcolm will then spare at the request of his reluctant allies at the time.

Malcolm realized that killing his wife’s murderer did nothing to ease his anger and grief. He blamed the city itself for her death and decided it needed to be cleansed of the criminal element.  He also knew he wasn’t yet strong enough to bring his plans to fruition, but he knew of a man who could teach him to channel his anger into death.  Turning his back on his young son Tommy, Malcolm followed rumor and legend to Nanda Parbat, the home of Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins.

For twenty years, Malcolm trained and fought becoming Ra’s right hand, but his goal was never far from his mind, and he conceived of a machine that would pull the Glades apart allowing him to rebuild it in his own image. His ability to think and plan himself out of any difficult situation earned him the nickname “Al Sāḥir^[” or “The Magician.” And when he wished to return to Starling, Ra’s released him with the understanding that he would follow the League’s oath in everything he did.

Malcolm returned to Starling an angry and distant man who used his former friends as pawns in his great undertaking.  He slept with Moira Queen to gain her trust, which resulted in a daughter, willingly murdered her husband and his best friend when his plans were threatened and turned his back on the League the second they stopped being useful to him.  He doesn’t even care his own son dies in the aftermath of his plan to wipe the Glades clean and rebuild even though he claims later Tommy’s death shattered his soul.

The only one able to stop Malcolm was Oliver Queen, Robert’s son, who was caught in Malcolm’s murder plot and survived for five years. He returned to Starling wanting to make up for his father’s mistakes and he and Malcolm clashed several times discovering that they balance each other in both fighting styles and temperament. Oliver barely manages to defeat Malcolm, but Malcolm manages to both destroy part of the Glades and fake his own death by easily out maneuvering Oliver.

For a year, Malcolm manages to hide from justice until he discovers the truth about Thea Queen and he realizes the blood debt the League has now placed on his head will also affect his only living child. He once again becomes the master manipulator using Thea to murder Sara Lance without Thea’s knowledge. This brings the League down hard on Malcolm, but he uses his family connection to Oliver to claim his innocence and ask for protection from his enemy, which Oliver begrudgingly gives him.

The truth is revealed soon enough, however, and Malcolm blackmails Oliver into a trial by combat with Ra’s which the younger archer does not supposedly survive.  Thea too learns the truth about her biological father after her half brother returns from death. While Oliver realizes they need Malcolm in order to defeat Ra’s, Thea does not see any value in Malcolm and confesses the truth to Ra’s daughter Nyssa assisting the Heir to the Demon in capturing Malcolm and sending him back to Nanda Parbat to face justice.

Malcolm's involvement in these events has stripped away more of his cold and distant nature to reveal his more emotional side. However, because he is such a masterful liar and has easily concealed both himself and his plans from those he claims to love, Malcolm finds himself often on the outside looking in when it comes to actually being part of a family again. He claims this does not bother him that he is more interested in saving his own neck then those of his allies 

PERSONALITY:

The best word to describe Malcolm Merlyn’s personality is duplicitous. He can be everyone's best friend in one moment and then turn around and stab his so called friend or family in the back in the next breath.  He is forceful, cold and focused on his needs at the expense of his family. He doesn't care who he has to step on to bring his plans to fruition. 

While Malcolm sees this as his greatest strength it is actually his biggest flaw. Because Malcolm is so willing to use his loved ones as pawns in his plans, they then turn their backs on him and refuse to believe any of his warnings or advice even though his advice most often turns out to be right. He doesn't give up, however, warning people he cares about over and over again when they are going 

While Malcolm believes his anger gives him strength and focus it also has turned him into a cold seemingly soulless man who willingly killed over 600 innocent people without blinking an eye. He also turned a trained killer on his daughter and her half brother and called it training, drugged that same daughter into becoming a murderer herself and made no apologies for any of it. He never considered himself in the wrong and seems offended when other people called him on this. 

That is not to say Malcolm doesn't feel at all. Death of any kind affects him on a visceral level. He cannot speak of his son Tommy without freezing and when his hope that Oliver would win against Ra's failed, he wept for the young man who was like a second son to him. He also appears to take every cruel word said about him to heart when he is alone. 

Malcolm is also very loyal to his allies. If someone asks him for help he will give it, though not without a price. He doesn't believe in getting something for nothing. He has a very skewed world view, seeing love and any other positive emotion as a weakness, when he is actually much stronger if he fights to protect rather than to use someone. 

Malcolm's greatest strength is his bravery. He willingly walks into situations where he knows he will most likely die. He also isn't afraid to tell people what he thinks of a given situation.  Nothing is off limits to him and he'll do what needs to be done to save his own life and the lives of the people he cares about. Another of his strengths is being able to stand back and let someone else take charge when the situation calls for it. He also is willing to make alliances with people who hate him in order to keep him safe. 

 

POWER:

-Advanced archery
-Advanced hand to hand combat
-Ability to camouflage  self and others using the manipulation of shadows
- Superhuman vision



〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉

COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:

[The video turns on to reveal Malcolm who is giving the camera an what appears to be a charming smile. He is sharply dressed in a suit with crisp lines and no creases. He looks like he could easily reach out and shake an offered hand if the camera wasn't in front of him.]

Good morning ladies and gentleman. My name is Malcolm Meryln, former CEO of Meryln Global. I know a lot of you have heard things about me that make me out to be a liar and a thief and dare I say it a murderer. I will admit I've done some things I have not proud of, but what business man hasn't?

[Malcolm gives the camera another slight smile that is harder and more dangerous as cracks of Malcolm's real personality appear from behind the charming mask, but as soon as the dangerous smile appears it is gone and the charm is  fully back in place.]

Running my own company has allowed me to see the masks people wear and look beyond them to get what I need from them. It may come across as manipulative and dishonest to some, but if it gets the job done who would judge me for that.  I ask that people give me the benefit of the doubt as we get to know each other, but if you chose not to do that I won't be upset everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I only hope that through my words and actions I can change those minds that don't trust me.



LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

Malcolm crouched on a roof top and watched his quarry with a slight smile on his face.  Every since coming to this universe he had felt unsettled and that was a feeling he hated.  Malcolm enjoyed being in control and being five steps ahead of everyone else and this…..place had taken that away from him. But for a man with his tactical skills and combat abilities there was always a way to make some money and he had quickly found someone who needed him.

 It was a simple job, kill a business partner and make it look like an accident. Malcolm had been pulling jobs like this one since he’d first joined the League. He pulled back his bow string and took a deep breath as his mind calmed and focused on the task at hand. The arrow was released without a sound and Malcolm watched it fly through the air, his smile growing as it found its mark and the nameless man dropped to the ground.

With a soft whoosh, Malcolm jumped off the building and used his grappling hook to ease himself to the ground. He waited a moment to make sure he hadn’t been seen and then walked over to his mark, pulling the arrow loose with a squish.  He frowned for a moment, he missed the challenge of fighting against someone like Oliver, someone who could somewhat out think him and who could put up a real fight.

Looking at the arrow in his hand, Malcolm felt his smile return as an idea crossed his mind.  He replaced the arrow and glanced around again. His client wouldn’t be happy Malcolm hadn’t followed the rules of the job, but the assassin didn’t care. It was time for the heroes of this world to know there was a new danger in town and he was interested in saying hello.

With another smile at his victim, Malcolm let the shadows swallow him whole. The Magician was here and he was ready to play. Which hero would be the first to heed the call?

FINAL NOTES: