Five DC Comics Villains That Should Appear on ARROW

If you're a DC Comics fan, one of the great things about the CW television series Arrow has been the appearances of various DC supervillains early in the show's first season.  Unlike its predecessor Smallville, which held off using supervillains for first several seasons, Arrow has thankfully embraced the concept by introducing enemies such as China White, Deadshot, Deathstroke, the Royal Flush Gang and Count Vertigo.

Ratings for the series have been strong enough to warrant a full 22-episode season, so as long as they continue to hold up, you might wonder about what other foes Oliver Queen could face at some point in the future.  I know I certainly did, so with that in mind, here are five DC supervillains that would work within Arrow's current "no superpowers" limitations set by the showrunners:

1. Prometheus -- Created by Grant Morrison and Arnie Jorgensen, Prometheus was a formidable threat to the Justice League of America who managed to infiltrate the JLA Watchtower and disable several League members without any superpowers.  He does, however, have impressive physical skills and technology comparable to Batman and has a helmet that allows him to download knowledge of various fighting styles and strategies.  In addition, the character has a significant connection to Green Arrow after maiming Oliver's former sidekick Roy Harper and destroying much of Star City.  This resulted in Green Arrow killing Prometheus by shooting an arrow through the villain's head.

2. Onomatopoeia -- This unusual Kevin Smith and Phil Hester villain debuted in 2002 during Smith's 15-issue Green Arrow run.  Speaking only in sound-effect noises ("Blam," "Snap," etc.), Onomatopoeia is a skilled marksman, martial artist and weapons expert.  He also seems to have a high tolerance for pain and injury, even after being shot with six arrows -- two to one shoulder, one to the other, one in between the first and middle knuckles of his right hand, one through his right foot, and one through the palm of his right hand.  With the right director at the helm, Onomatopoeia could make for a very creepy and tense episode.

3. Amos Fortune -- As a classic Justice League of America supervillain that first appeared way back in 1961, Amos Fortune formed the Royal Flush Gang that will be adapted for the first season of Arrow.  The character's standard speciality is luck and being a genius-level intellect, which could be reworked to cover the use of statistical probabilities, and his background in gambling could feature in a casino story involving a heist or front for criminal activity.  If nothing else, using Amos Fortune could be a good reason to bring the Royal Flush Gang back for a second encounter with Oliver with Fortune as their new leader.

4. Shado -- Although not a pure villain in the strictest sense, Shado is essentially an Elektra-like adversary to Green Arrow's Daredevil.  This Japanese assassin was created by Mike Grell, whose works influence Arrow's depiction of Green Arrow, and has a criminal background as the daughter of a Yakuza agent.  The first time the characters crossed paths, Shado had committed a series of murders to avenge her dishonored Yakuza family, but the two eventually become allies.  Oliver and Shado's relationship developed further into becoming lovers, resulting in a son named Robert that she forbade him from seeing.  Shado is an expert martial artist and master of Kyudo, the Japanese art of archery.

5. Black Mask -- Since Arrow has been pillaging Batman's lesser-known rogues gallery to bring Deadshot and Firefly to the table, there's no reason why this couldn't continue.  One of the few really good Batman villains remaining is Black Mask, a criminal overlord created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake in 1985.  He's basically a street fighter that uses handguns, but his fondness for fear and intimidation makes him more interesting, especially when he engages in brutal and sadistic torture.  Black Mask also has a handy gang of minions known as The False Face Society, which should give Oliver a little extra trouble.