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For his Earth-1 counterpart, see Tommy Merlyn.
For the Earth-1 version of Prometheus, see Adrian Chase.

"...then you really are a special kind of idiot. Your naïveté would be charming, if your weakness wasn't so pathetic. Is this how it is on your planet? Everybody's swayed by sentiment? Is everyone here really so weak!? The Reich will change that; the weak will be eliminated, your entire world will be enslaved, but you...you won't be around to witness it. He is going to feel your skull crack under the weight of his boot. Everyone you care about, everyone you love...they are going to die badly...in ways that would give even monsters nightmares. I really wish that I could live to see it."
— Tommy to Oliver Queen, right before his suicide

Tommy Merlyn (died November 27, 2390) was a male Human who was a member of the New Reich where he operated under the codename Prometheus. He was captured and held captive in S.T.A.R. Labs, he kills himself via a cyanide pill.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Tommy Merlyn was born into the New Reich to an unknown father and mother. He began his training when very young, mentioning not having a normal childhood. At some point, Tommy became best friends with Oliver, the Führer, and went on to become a high-ranking member of the Schutzstaffel.

Arrival on Earth-1[]

Earth-X villains crash Barry and Iris' wedding

Tommy and the Earth-X forces storm the wedding

He journeyed to Earth-1, along with Oliver, Kara, Typhuss and a squadron of Nazi soldiers, to attack the heroes that had gathered together for the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West. He went on to engage both Alex Danvers and Sara Lance in combat but the two of them managed to overpower and beat him. He was then taken to S.T.A.R. Labs and locked up in one of their cells but hadn't spoken a word to any of them.

Unmasking himself and death[]

He soon removed his mask and everyone, especially Oliver Queen, was surprised to see that he was the doppelganger of Tommy Merlyn, who had died over 11 years previously. Oliver asked for his friends to give them some time alone. Tommy informed Oliver that he was from Earth-X and heard that the Tommy of this world was already dead and told him that he would actually prefer that. He told him that on his Earth, he didn't have a choice but to be put into military training for the Reich as a child because they didn't have elementary schools and summer camps like they did here. Oliver tried to convince him that he had a choice now and asked for help in trying to find out what the Fuhrer wanted. Tommy told Oliver that there was someone like him on his Earth and he would die for him. Oliver said that he would've died for his Tommy too but he had beat him to it. Tommy then revealed that his sob story was all a facade and that he actually enjoyed dominating over people and killing. He called out Oliver's sentiment as weak and asked him if all the people in this world were this weak as well. He told Oliver that the Reich would come and destroy the weak and then enslave the rest but Oliver wouldn't live to see any of it as the Fuhrer would kill him. Tommy then told him that he wished he could live to see that himself. He then pulled out his tooth where there was a hidden cache of cyanide. Oliver moved to stop him but Tommy swallowed it and died a moment later.

Legacy[]

Tommy's suit's biosensor sent out a signal to Oliver, notifying him of Tommy's demise. While Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash viewed Tommy as "soft", Oliver took a moment to mourn for his best friend. Stating that he had died for his wife, Kara, Oliver vowed to make his death worth it.

Fall of the Reich[]

Ultimately, Tommy's hope for the New Reich's victory failed to pass, as the heroes of Earth-1 and Earth-38 were able to defeat the New Reichsmen, which eventually enabled the Freedom Fighters to restore peace to Earth-X.

Siren-X's revenge[]

After the fall of the New Reich, Laurel Lance/Siren-X vowed to kill everyone responsible for her allies' deaths, including Tommy. When Laurel chased Leo Snart from Earth-X to Earth-1, she fought against Team Flash and attempted to destroy the Central City SCIS Department in retribution for the destruction of the New Reich. However, Laurel was eventually defeated by the Flash and incarcerated on Earth-X, fully overthrowing the totalitarian regime of the New Reich.

Personality[]

Initially, it seemed that Tommy Merlyn was a more sympathetic villain than Dark Arrow, Overgirl, and Eobard Thawne, claiming that he was indoctrinated into the Reich from birth and thus never had a true childhood, also noting that perhaps dying as his Earth-1 counterpart had would be preferable to an empty and miserable existence as a Nazi enforcer.

However, this show of being insecure, remorseful, and repentant was, in fact, nothing more than a facade done for the purposes of exposing Oliver Queen's gullibility in trying to reach out to an alternate version of his dead friend. His true nature revealed, Tommy mocked Oliver's high morals, idealism, and sentiment, considering Oliver to be "weak" and deserving of being crushed. Tommy also sadistically taunted Oliver with the promise that the Führer would murder his loved ones slowly and horribly while forcing Oliver to watch, lamenting how he himself would not live to see it. In short, Tommy was ultimately shown to be every bit the heartless Nazi henchman that his Earth-X fellows were, and a man who reveled in and rejoiced in the cruelties of the New Reich.

Abilities[]

  • Peak of human physical condition: Unlike his Earth-1 counterpart, Tommy was trained from his youth in the New Reich military to be in peak physical condition and has great athletic prowess.
  • Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Tommy was highly skilled in combat, allowing him to fight against the likes of Sara Lance and Alex Danvers for a while and even push them back before getting defeated.
    • Master swordsman: Tommy was trained in the art of swordsmanship, managing to simultaneously fight off Sara and Alex with two chokutos.

Equipment[]

  • Prometheus suit: Tommy wore a protective suit while operating under his alias Prometheus.
  • Chokuto: Like Simon Morrison, Tommy is shown wielding two chokutos, which he keeps on the back right next to his quiver.
  • Quiver: Tommy wore a quiver on his back, though he didn't use the arrows stored in them or use a bow.
  • Shurikens: Also similar to Adrian Chase, Tommy keeps at least six shurikens strapped to his abdomen, although he is never seen using them.
  • Cyanide pill: Tommy had a cache of cyanide stored in one of his teeth, which he used to kill himself.

Appearances[]

Supergirl[]

Season 3[]

  • "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1"

Arrow[]

Season 6[]

  • "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 2"

Season 7[]

  • "Elseworlds, Part 2" (indirectly mentioned)

The Flash[]

Season 4[]

  • "Fury Rogue" (indirectly mentioned)

Behind the scenes[]

  • This version of Tommy Merlyn, being a black-clad archer villian, could be inspired by Tommy Merlyn of the Prime Earth variant in the DC comics continuity which was originally inspired by his Earth One doppelganger from Arrow.
  • The Earth-X version of Prometheus could be a reference to a popular fan theory that Earth One Prometheus' true identity was actually his Earth One doppelganger resurrected and disguised.
  • According to Stephen Amell, Colin Donnell was still being very busy at the time of the filming of "Crisis on Earth-X" yet managed to get enough free time one night to get on a flight to Vancouver, perform his scene at the S.T.A.R. Labs pipeline prison, and fly back to his rigorous working on Chicago M.D..
  • Like Adrian Chase, Tommy taunted Oliver Queen about the prospect of his friends dying before killing himself. Also like Laurel Lance, a friend's counterpart made Oliver emotionally vulnerable and offer a second chance of life on Earth One only to be denied for various of reasons, leaving Oliver disappointed with the outcome.
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