Prometheus (Earth-X)

Tommy Merlyn, known as Prometheus, is a minor antagonist in the Arrowverse's 2017 crossover event "Crisis on Earth-X".

He is the Nazi version of Oliver Queen's old friend Tommy Merlyn. He hails from Earth-X and arrives on Earth-1 as part of an invasion force. The group attacks the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West, as most of Earth's heroes are assembled there, but during the fight Tommy is defeated and captured. During captivity, he commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule.

He is portrayed by Colin Donnell.

History

Past

Born on Earth-X, a world where the Nazis won WWII, Tommy was raised indoctrinated into the attitudes of the Third Reich. As every citizen on Earth-X, Tommy did not go to school but instead was part of youth groups and subjected to military training from an early age on.

A skilled fighter - especially in swordfighting - Tommy eventually became Prometheus-X, the Earth-X version of Earth-1's supervillain Prometheus. However, in contrast to Prometheus who had a deep hatred and a connection to Oliver Queen, Tommy was in fact an ally and friend of Earth-X's Oliver Queen, a Nazi commander known as Black Arrow.

Attack on Earth-1

Together with Black Arrow, Overgirl and a group of Nazi Soldiers, Prometheus breaches to Earth-1 where they launch a premature attack on the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West. As the wedding is attended by several of their superhero friends, the Nazis soon find themselves fighting the cabal of heroes. During the battle, Prometheus encounters Sara Lance and Alex Danvers. Mocking them by claiming that there will be two funerals after the wedding, Prometheus draws his swords and attacks them. However, Alex and Sara are more than capable of fighting him and although Prometheus is able to hold his own, he cannot defeat his opponents. Instead, they manage to disarm him and knock him down.

After the defeat of all the soldiers, as well as Prometheus and Overgirl, Black Arrow orders retreat and - although he takes Overgirl with her, he is unable to reach his friend Tommy who is subsequently left behind and captured by the heroes. He is imprisoned at the S.T.A.R. Labs pipeline.

When a few of the heroes, consisting of Barry, Iris, Oliver Queen, Felicity, Sara and Kara come to interrogate Prometheus, he removes his mask and is revealed as Tommy Merlyn, a face Oliver knows too well. As Earth-1's Tommy Merlyn has died four years ago, it is a shock for Oliver to see his former best friend alive, but as a Nazi. Thus, he asks the team to leave to have a private conversation with Merlyn.

During the conversation, Oliver reveals to Tommy that he died on Earth-1. Tommy is not shocked to hear this but reveals that he would almost prefer this fate to his own. He reveals to Oliver the dreadful life the citizens of Earth-X live, including military training since childhood. He states that nobody on Earth-X has a choice but Oliver replies that Tommy has a choice now. Tommy reveals to Oliver that on Earth-X, Oliver Queen is his best friend and that Tommy would have given his life for him. Oliver replies that he would have died for his earth's Tommy as well, only that Tommy beat him to it by sacrificing his life for the woman the both of them loved. Oliver claims that losing Tommy was like losing a limb and that Tommy wasn't only his friend, he was a brother to him. Although seemingly touched by Oliver's words, Tommy panics and claims that if he reveals anything, the Führer will kill his family and everybody he loves. Oliver promises that he will not let this happen and that he will stop him.

Tommy suddenly looks up coldly at Oliver, claiming that Oliver's naivitée would be charming if it wasn't so pathetic. Truly surprised, Tommy mocks Oliver and asks whether everyone on this Earth is as simply swayed by sentiment as Oliver, and further asks if everybody is really that weak. Prometheus states that the Reich will change that by eliminating the weak and enslaving the rest of the world. Tommy also claims that Black Arrow will kill Oliver and destroy everybody he loves, in ways that will give even monsters nightmares. Tommy claims that he truly wishes he could live to see that but then draws a cynide capsule and swallows it. Although Oliver tries to reach him in time, Tommy falls to the ground dead.

His friend, Oliver would say immediately after he learned about his death that he died so that his wife would be saved. But since she died in the final battle, Merlyn's death was in vain.

Trivia

• During Arrow's fifth season, a popular fan theory was that Tommy Merlyn was the true identity of the season's villain, Prometheus. Ironically, this is now the case for Earth-X's Prometheus.
  • That theory earned him the nickname "Tommetheus" from the fans, as a combination of Tommy and Prometheus.
• Like the Earth One Prometheus, he commits suicide before Oliver Queen can stop him.

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