Damien Darhk

"See when I handle a problem, the problem dies."

- Damien Darhk Damien Darhk is the leader of H.I.V.E., and a former member of the League of Assassins. He is the former best friend/rival of the late Ra's al Ghul, as well as a former "Heir to the Demon".

Heir to the Demon
At one point, Damien Darhk and an unnamed man were horsemen of Ra's al Ghul. The former thought himself worthy of taking the mantle, though the latter was the chosen one. Damien was to be killed but managed to escape, taking with him waters of the Lazarus Pit and some loyal followers.

H.I.V.E.
According to Ra's, Damien in the present-day commands a "hive of followers" around the world. He tried to buy the earthquake machine from Milo Armitage then hired Gholem Qadir to release nerve gas in Markovia. Some time later, he also hired Mark Shaw to steal A.R.G.U.S. documents, but each of his attempts were met with failure.

In 2015, he visited Starling City. He was tracked down by Ra's al Ghul, but both Oliver Queen and he were too late to find him, instead leaving behind his assistant, who was killed by Ra's.

Star City
Later in 2015 Damien led units of his soldiers to steal banks and jewelry stores in Star City. After they gathered a small fortune they started to steal weaponry as well. He ordered a team to steal clusterbombs from Kord Industries, but they were intercepted by Team Arrow. After a firefight the team managed to take the clusterbombs and escape the scene. Damien later walked into the city counsel where there was a meeting about the actions of his soldiers, who were called the Ghosts. Damien talked to the people present and told them that the city had to die as it was only natural so new things could be born. He ended his speech by telling them that they better say goodbye to their loved ones. He then used his soldiers to assassinate the city counsil. In a truck depo he used as his base he reminded his men that the only way their cause was only was strong as their weakest men. He then talked to Alvarez who had been in charge of taking the clusterbombs. He mentioned he was not pleased with that he had not killed Team Arrow. Damien then started to suck the life force out of Alvarez. He got interrupted as Team Arrow attacked and quickly vanished. Damien continued his plan and placed the cluster bombs on a train which he drove towards the central train station to blow it up. His associate did not respond and Green Arrow confronted him. Damien mentioned that he could not be the Arrow as he had died. Green Arrow asked him how he would escape the plan without getting blow up. Damien told him he was Damien Darhk. Green Arrow replied by shooting arrows at him. However Damien blocked them with his magic and flung them back. The two engaged in hand-to-hand combat in which Demian easily defeated Green Arrow. Damien started to suck the life out of him but got shot in the back by John Diggle. As John helped Green Arrow he instantly vanished.

Personality
Damien used to be arrogant and overconfident, as he believed himself to be the worthy successor to the then-Ra's al Ghul. He is immensely intelligent and calculating, as he managed to stay ahead of Ra's for years, every time his former best friend tried to kill him, according to his late assistant, he is not a person who can be caught off guard so easily. Like many assassins, Damien is cold, ruthless and has a sense of honor.

Damien believes that the world is resistant to change, and sees himself as one who brings about progress. He views his attacks on Star City as an act of mercy, comparing it to putting down a dog on the street. He is also a perfectionist, carefully planning out all his schemes and expects his subordinates to follow through without any mishaps, killing them for such failures.

Powers

 * Magic: Damien's powers come from a form of mysticism. It appears to be derived from a blood ritual.
 * Primordial energy manipulation: Damien can siphon the life force from people's bodies, thus killing them.
 * Telekinesis: Damien was able to stop multiple arrows in mid-air, flip them around, and fling them back at Oliver.
 * Enhanced strength: In his scuffle against Green Arrow, he showed deceptive raw strength, able to plow the vigilante into a metal pole with enough force to dent it.
 * Longevity: It was revealed by Ra's Al Ghul that Damien had taken water from the Lazarus Pit when he left the league. This has allowed Damien to live for presumably hundreds of years. The water is also capable of healing any wound. He is also able to quickly recover from any toxins, disappearing seconds after he was incapacitated by a tranquilizer. However, like Ra's, the waters of the Lazarus Pit may have begun to lose their potency on him, forcing Damien to find alternative ways to prolong his youth.

Abilities

 * Peak of human physical condition: As a highly skilled fighter and assassin, Damien is shown to be in top physical condition.
 * League of Assassins training: Damien has gone through the training all League members do, possessing skills with a variety of melee weapons.
 * Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Damien, being the former "heir to the demon", and a member of the league of assassins, Damien is a master hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist. He was easily able to gain the upper hand in his first confrontation with Green Arrow.
 * Genius-level intellect/Master tactician/Leader: Damien is able to lead an organization in complete secrecy. He was able to stay ahead and avoid both Ra's al Ghul and Oliver when they came for him. Due to his extended lifespan, he has presumably gained the wisdom of the ages.
 * High tolerance for pain: Due to his League of Assassins' training, Damien has a high tolerance for pain as seen he was able to cut his own arm in order to perform a blood ritual while barely flinching.
 * Occult knowledge: Damien has knowledge of magic and mysticism.

Equipment

 * Lazarus Pit: Damien used the Lazarus Pit's water to live well beyond his lifetime and run H.I.V.E..
 * Dagger: Damien uses a dagger to cut his arm in order to perform a blood ritual.

Behind the scenes

 * In the DC comics, Darhk is responsible for reforming the H.I.V.E. into a more cohesive terrorist organization, as opposed to being a generic robe-wearing cabal.
 * In the DC comics, a character named Dr. Ebeneezer Darkk was the first person other than Ra's al Ghul to lead the League of Assassins.
 * Ironically, Doctor Darrk had a falling out with Ra's al Ghul, similar to the show's version of Damien Darhk, making it possible that the character is actually an amalgamation of the DC comic versions of Damien Darhk and Doctor Darrk.