Arrow Reveals Season 3 Villain Ra's Al Ghul

The CW's Arrow is currently in production on Season 3, and fans have been speculating as to who the main villain of the upcoming season could be. Season 1 had Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), while Season 2 featured Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke (Manu Bennett). Now, the show has revealed the Season 3 villain.

The show revealed at its San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday night that Ra's al Ghul will be the Big Bad for the third season. The extended trailer below, shown at a Warner Bros. fan event, uses some dialogue from the Season 1 episode "Dead to Rights" in which Malcolm talks about his time in Nanda Parbat.

Ra's is perhaps most famous to Batman fans, and more casual fans likely remember him thanks to Liam Neeson's portrayal in Batman Begins. In Arrow, Ra's is the leader of the League of Assassins and was a presence in the background for part of the first season and much of the second season, though he never appeared on screen. Fans learned Malcolm is the only person Ra's ever allowed to leave the League, but he came to regret that decision after Malcolm orchestrated the Undertaking that destroyed some of the Glades in Starling City.

The show's producers have commented that Ra's presents a new challenge to Oliver (Stephen Amell) in Season 3 because he tells him he cannot be fully successful as the Arrow if he continues to try to be Oliver Queen.

The show is currently casting the part, so check back with MStars once news breaks about the actor playing the role. Are you surprised by this announcement? Let us know in the comments below.