Know a foe: Green Arrow's Constantine Drakon

It was recently announced that Constantine Drakon (played by Darren Shahlavi) would appear in the upcoming Green Arrow pilot on CW called Arrow. But who is Drakon and why should you care? Let me tell you why he's a villain worth reading and, soon enough, watching.

Being among the best in the world with a bow and arrow doesn't mean squat when your enemy can effortlessly catch every projectile sent his way. Meet Constantine Drakon, one of the most dangerous men Green Arrow has ever faced. This Greek assassin is quite a short fellow, but for what he lacks in height, he makes up for in speed and talent. This obscure enemy of the Emerald Archer was created by writer Judd Winick and artist Phil Hester, and first showed his face in Green Arrow #27 (volume 3).

The killer discovered at a young age that he excels in harming others. And if you're good at something, you might as well make money doing it, right? The deadly villain once made the claim that he has killed more people than cancer, and he certainly lived up to the hype when he humiliated Green Arrow during their first encounter. Drakon's a very skilled individual when it comes to hand-to-hand techniques, but it's his speed that makes him such a threat. Ollie claimed the assassin has super speed, and it's hard not to believe him when Drakon catches dozens of arrows without even breaking a sweat.  Despite the dark nature of his career, Drakon seems to have fun in the field. He'll compliment and even criticize his enemy's style and methods, meanwhile making it more than transparent how his target has virtually no chance of winning. Because of this, he's rather overconfident in combat (a weakness Ollie took advantage of with a glue arrow) and stated he'll only kill costumed heroes if given the right amount of cash for the job.

When you think of badass assassins in the DC Universe, one name should immediately come to mind: Deathstroke (shame on you if you said Brutale). But even the infamous Slade Wilson needs help sometimes, and in one case, he sought the aid of sir Drakon. The Greek killer was incarcerated, so Deathstroke allowed himself to be taken into custody just to meet the man. The two broke out and brought a whole new world of hurt to the Arrow family. Unfortunately for them, the pesky Justice League ended up getting in the way.

When it comes to Green Arrow villains, Drakon is among the most memorable and disputably the coolest. It's just a shame he hasn't shown his face after escaping the Justice League with Slade. Hopefully the man will reappear in the pages of the New 52 and get an opportunity to take on the likes of Batman and much more.

Want to see more of Drakon? Check out his Comicvine page for a full list of his appearances!