'Arrow' Villain Murmur May Have A Positive Effect

This Wednesday will finally bring a new episode of Arrow after a three-week break, and it looks like we'll pick up right where we left off, with Oliver reeling from Ra’s offer to become the new leader of the The League of Assassins. But the world didn’t stop turning just because Oliver was investigating a new career change. No, just as the sun rises in the East, so another deranged villain comes to try and take over Starling City. In "The Offer," Michael Amar, better known as “Murmur,” will bring his gang of thugs into town for yet another hostile takeover.

While this might seem like your basic villain of the week, in DC Comics, this bad guy has a creepy kicker: he sewed his own mouth shut. That means he can’t speak ot scream (or eat?), but he can scare the heck out of you. That's some Hocus Pocus nonsense right there. We know Oliver will spend the episode contemplating if he wants to be the new Heir to the Demon, and I think Murmur will be the extra incentive he needs to give Ra's a big fat no. Since day one, Oliver’s driving force has been defending his city at all costs. Things didn’t exactly go well while he out of commission with a chest wound, and even though we had some awesome ideas for an Oliver-less world, Arrow just isn't the same without him in Starling. Hopefully seeing a mouthless man running amok will be a solid reminder of why he is so needed.

It is unclear if Murmur will be sticking around for longer than just one episode. This is the first time he has been seen on television, though his comic book origins come from The Flash. In the comics, he was apprehended for a spree of murders and put in jail by none other than the masked Barry Allen. Coincidence, or possible crossover material? We already have one Arrow/Flash episode coming up — this could tie in neatly to their combined storyline.

My guess is that between new foes creeping in on Starling City every week and not wanting to leave Thea alone with Malcolm Merlyn, there will be more than enough motivation for Oliver to risk everything and reject the offer from the League of Assassins. We’ve already seen Team Arrow without Oliver enough this season, we don’t need to revisit that again.

Images: Diyah Pera/The CW; Giphy (2)