Damien Darhk

Damien Darhk was a male Human, he is the leader of H.I.V.E., and a former member of the League of Assassins. He is the ex-best friend/rival of the previous "Ra's al Ghul", as well as a former "Heir to the Demon". When he was put on trial, he falsified his identity as Kenneth Bender, who is citizen of Markovia.

Biography
Initially a member of the League of Assassins, Darhk was forced to flee after a falling out with Ra's al Ghul. Given that he lived before Ra's took over the league, he is at least 600 years old. He continued the League's ways, but through his own organzation called H.I.V.E.. As its leader, Darhk opposed the Green Arrow multiple times through agents, but the Arrow and his team did not connect the actions to Darhk. He send fellow H.I.V.E. member Milo Armitage to acquire Malcolm Merlyn's earthquake device, gave Gholem Qadir save haven to Markovia and hired another man to steal a file from A.R.G.U.S.

At one point, Darhk came into possession of a ancient idol which gained him the ability to perform magic. Many members of H.I.V.E.'s leadership who were dissatisfied with Darhk were now forced to accept his superiority. Darhk and H.I.V.E. eventually came to Star City in order to succeed with a H.I.V.E. operation called Genesis. Although the scope of Genesis is yet unknown it seems to result in the end of the world. At Star City, Darhk used his influence to get rid of the city's leadership to have the city sink into chaos, allowing him to take control unseen. While the Green Arrow found out about Darhk he tried to stop him but was swiftly defeated by Darhk's magic. Oliver tried to take down Darhk and his operation more than once but was defeated every time he came close to Darhk in combat.

Eventually, Oliver Queen announced his intention to become mayor of Star City, which did not sit well with Darhk who needed the city in chaos. Damien initially tried to bribe and threaten Oliver into stepping down but Oliver remained determined. A feud between the two men ensued and when Oliver released Darhk's name, photo and occupation as leader of the group terrorising Star City to the media, Darhk retorted by ordering the assassination of Oliver's spouse Felicity Smoak, though Felicity was merely rendered terminally paraplegic. While trying to prevent Oliver from becoming mayor he also sent his wife Ruvé into the preelection.

In one of his tries to get rid of the Green Arrow, Darhk hired the hitman Lonnie Machin but later gave him up to the SCIS as Machin proved to be unreliable and chaotic. This caused a deep hatred for Darhk in Machin, eventually leading to Machin attacking Darhk's house and kidnapping Darhk's wife and daughter. Ironically Darhk's family was saved by Darhk's nemesis, the Green Arrow.

After finding out about Darhk's idol, Oliver and his team with aid of fellow heroine Vixen located the idol at Darhk's mansion at Skywoods. They launched an attack on Skywoods and with combined forces were able to steal and destroy the idol. Darhk, now powerless, was easily defeated by Oliver and taken into custody by the SCIS.

During his trial, Darhk listens on as Fitzmartin, Darhk's attorney, destroys the credibility of Diggle and Thea's testimonies by proclaiming Diggle helped her purchase cocaine with an affidavit signed by Thea's dealer. However, Fitzmartin loses the case when Quentin comes forward as a witness due to his credibility as a SCIS chief and exposes that he had been helping Darhk commit illegal activity due to Laurel's life being threatened. Darhk is then imprisoned without bail or the possibility of release but after he is escorted into his cell, he casually pulled a ring from between his teeth and slid it into his finger before smiling, implying his plans were still in effect.

Malcolm visited Darhk in prison as the latter pondered why his resources aren't trying to help him escape prison. Malcolm informs Darhk that H.I.V.E. has turned against him due to his brutality and they are moving forward with Genesis without his help. In prison, Darhk is beaten up by Michael Amar and two of his gang members but Darhk managed to turn the tables by discovering the whereabouts of Amar's grandmother and threatening her life to turn him against his own men, who he stabs to death with a shiv in front of him, the two now working together.

Malcolm brought Darhk his idol (the same one previously owned by Baron Reiter on Lian Yu) but the stone to power it was still separated and Darhk ordered Malcolm to hunt it down. Darhk and Murmur organize a prison riot by Murmur slipping shivs to prisoners via books and stabbing the guards in order to lure Team Arrow to the prison. There, it is revealed that Andy had been a spy for H.I.V.E. and once he learned Team Arrow was in possession of the stone, all he needed to know was its' location. With his magicial powers restored, Darhk restrained Diggle, Oliver, Typhuss and Laurel, also revealing that he was aware of their secret identites. Oliver shot an arrow at Darhk but he stopped it with his telekinesis and responded by throwing Laurel into a wall to send a message for Quentin for turning against him as Darhk, Malcolm and Andy escaped.

By 2389, Darhk had escaped from prison again and was again the leader of H.I.V.E fighting against Team Arrow. 

Personality
Damien apparently 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, cunning and calculating as he managed to stay ahead of Ra's for years, evading him every time his ex-best friend tried to kill him. According to his late assistant, he is not a person who can be caught off guard so easily.

Damien is also a perfectionist carefully planning out all his schemes and expects his subordinates to follow through without any mishaps. He will ruthlessly kill them for such failures if he believes they have not performed their duties to an adequate standard.

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 believes that to build something new and great the old must first be torn down first. Despite being marked for death by his old allies in the League of Assassins he has continued to follow the philosophy of the League and carries on with his own interpretation of it through his organization, H.I.V.E.

Like many assassins, Damien is cold, cruel and ruthless but does have a sense of honor and good morals. For example, Damien has morals against torturing innocent children and says it is a line he would never cross. He became disgusted with Lonnie Machin for kidnapping Jessica Danforth's daughter Madison. Part of this might be related to Damien having a child of his own and understanding the pain of having a child in danger. He also advised Quentin Lance to put his daughter back to her final rest as he believed that was more merciful than her enduring the consequences of her resurrection from the Lazarus Pit. He advised Quentin to do this as "one father to another".

Despite normally being serious and cruel, Damien is shown to have a definite (if sick) sense of humor. He grinned while mocking an A.R.G.U.S. guard whose life-force he was draining, declaring that it was fun and he could do it all day. Though confused when the Flash saved Green Arrow, as it happened so fast he had no idea what happened, he was also amused.

His ruthlessness is reserved for his enemies and keeping his men in place, and does not extend to his H.I.V.E. associates or family. He has protected his associates from the Green Arrow, and weathered their sarcasm during setbacks without violent outbursts, such as when Oliver Queen showed his photo to the public. Where possible he will use persuasion to force his enemies to back down, only resorting to violence if they persist in getting in his way - though his methods of persuasion can themselves be quite violent.

Despite these negative traits of his, Damien is a loving husband and father, he cares about his wife Ruvé and his daughter Nora, as he will kill anyone who dares try to harm them.

Powers

 * Magic: Most of Damien's powers are mystical. It comes from an idol with that channels dark energy (i.e. death and fear) which he regularly performs a ritual before it by speaking an incantation and bleeding into a goblet. It also seems to be very painful and must be repeated periodically to maintain his power. It is revealed by Mari McCabe Damien must remain close to the idol to remain empowered for longer durations, described much like wireless connection and obtaining electronic signal. The idol still has a great range from which Damien can venture away from it, as he has drawn power while being several city blocks away from it. His command of magic was such that John Constantine, a master sorcerer himself, dreaded the very idea of facing him. However if the idol is destroyed, all of his powers will be gone which will leave him vulnerable. It is revealed that the head of the statue is the totem Baron Reiter found. Its power is revealed to be fueled by the idol's ability to gain power for the user to enhance them, all by feeding off of the life and positive energy of others and finding strength in the negative aspects of its victims. As such, the idol and Damien draw strength from death and fear, overwhelming their victim with their own inner darkness.
 * Life-Force absorption: Damien has the ability siphon the life-force from people's bodies and kill them, simply by touching them. The absorbed life-force seemed to prevent or near-instantly heal him of fatigue, moderate physical injury and the effects of toxins (such as tranquilizers). This power might have be linked to the Lazarus Pit, as it seems not to work on those who have been resurrected in its waters such as Thea Queen and most likely Sara Lance as well. (See Weaknesses, below.) This power is revealed to be fueled by the idols ability to gain power for the user to enhance them, all by feeding off of the life and positive energy of others and finding strength in the negative aspects of its victims. As such, the idol and Damien draw strength from death and fear, overwhelming their victim with their own inner darkness. Oliver has learned to backfire this power and resist it, which sent him and Darhk flying to the ground. He did so by focusing on the people in his life that brought him hope and light.
 * Telekinesis: Damien is able to grip, move, and generally exert great amounts of force on objects and people without physically touching them. He could stop multiple arrows or even bullets, move projectiles with deadly force, animate chains, lift someone off the ground and even choke someone with a powerful grip. His telekinetic grip allows him to restrain and immobilise anyone in his sight and keep them like this even while not looking at them. This power can affect entire groups of individuals simultaneously. He often gestured with his hands when using this power, but he did not need to, as was seen using his powers while only looking at his target. He even once crushed a screen just by looking at it while angry, and on another occasion he managed to strangle someone who was in a different country while they were talking over a video screen, suggesting that he only needs to see his targets to use his powers on them.
 * Teleportation: Damien can disappear and appear somewhere else, a power he uses to catch his enemies off-guard. During his first confrontation against the Green Arrow, he vanished without a trace. He once used this to disappear from in front of Thea and appear behind her in an instant. While heavily wounded and trapped in an exploding building, he used an incantation to either heal or disappear, appearing completely unharmed later. When he and Oliver were knocked to the ground after his power backfired, he had vanished the moment Oliver looked up. The range of this power is unknown, but seems likely that it was limited.
 * Enhanced strength: Damien has greater strength than a regular human. He had easily outmatched the Green Arrow and threw him into a metal pole with enough force to deform it. He could also snap one of Green Arrow's arrows in half with one hand and pinned an adult human against a wall effortlessly.
 * Accelerated healing: Darhk is shown to have advanced healing powers granted from his idol. After he was shot through the abdomen with two arrows and began bleeding out, his reconnection to his power from the idol fully restored him.
 * Longevity: Ra's al Ghul revealed that Damien stole water from the Lazarus Pit when he left the League. This has allowed Damien to live for hundreds of years without ageing, maintaining his health, vitality and appearance. It is possible the waters of the Lazarus Pit have begun to lose their potency for Damien, as they did for Ra's - his blood magic and life-force siphoning power may also contribute to his prolonged life.

Abilities

 * Peak of human physical condition: Aside from his magically enhanced strength, Damien in top physical condition.
 * League of Assassins training: Damien is a highly skilled fighter and assassin, trained in the use of a variety of melee and ranged weapons. As an "heir to the demon", his skill surpasses most, if not all other members of the league.
 * Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Damien is a master hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, with over a century of experience. However, his hand to hand skills seem to have atrophied, possibly due to the fact he's been relying on his magical powers for too long, as he was brought down by two prisoners in Iron Heights prison.
 * Genius-level intellect/Master tactician/Leader: The founder and leader of H.I.V.E., Damien has been able keep his organisation a secret from the world at large and avoid capture by Ra's al Ghul and the league. He has also successfully hidden his true plans from Team Arrow. Damien has displayed high intelligence and has multiple lifetimes of knowledge. He has demonstrated expertise in advanced science (despite finding it boring), and claims to have extensive knowledge of political, criminal and secret organizations.
 * Occult knowledge: Damien has vast knowledge of magic and mysticism.
 * High tolerance for pain: Damien has a high tolerance for pain, as he was able to pull out deeply penetrated arrows from his chest, and still move and stand with litte effort. This was presumably due to his League of Assassins' training.

Weaknesses

 * Thea Queen: For reasons still unknown, but presumably related to the Lazarus Pit, Thea was immune to Damien's ability to drain the life force of others. When he used this power on her, it initially had no effect; when he tried harder, he instead found his own life force depleted, severely weakening him. The only noticeable effect on Thea was to temporarily quell her bloodlust, which is a side effect of her resurrection in the Pit. It is still unknown if this weakness extended to others who were resurrected by the Pit, like Sara Lance.
 * Khushu Idol: While this idol allows Damien to channel the power of darkness and death, it can also be used as his downfall. If someone has the ability to destroy the idol, Damien will no longer have his powers and will remain a normal human.
 * Light Magic: Due to the fact that Damien's magic comes from the absorption and manipulation of dark energy, if one can focus their natural life energy into positive (i.e. hope and joy), Damien's magic will ultimately prove ineffective against the target and even physically repel him from the said person.

Equipment

 * Lazarus Pit water: Damien used the Lazarus Pit's waters to live well beyond his lifetime and run H.I.V.E..
 * Khushu Idol: The Khushu Idol is a mystical totem and the source of most of Damien's powers.