#there are some metas you gotta write for yourself yk?

[darkwinterchild]

Big “Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver Queen are lions and no one can convince me otherwise” trash post bcs I can’t help myself

What It Looks Like versus What’s Really Going On.

Fight me.

Warning: Long post under the cut. Because this is so important.

Both Oliver and Malcolm are big muscly brutes but also stealth ninjas. Plus they’re scary predators and they do most of their hunting at night. Ergo, in the animal world, they’re big cats.

The primary difference between the lion and other cat species is that it’s a social animal. Female lions form prides, male lions form coalitions. Malcolm is always more comfortable working with a group than by his lonesome (even if that group is hostile like Team Arrow). After his return from Nanda Parbat he could have chosen to work alone but didn’t. He looked for partners, created an organisation in order to pursue his goal of saving Starling City. Of course he prefers to be the one calling the shots (as leader of his secret organisation or CEO of Merlyn Global or even Ra’s Al Ghul), but he will bend when necessary (he was Ra’s horseman for years after all). As for Oliver, even if he feels like more of a solo artist, one of the first thing he did coming home is bring Diggle into the fold - just like one of the first thing young solitary male lions do after being kicked out of their pride is find themselves a partner, because they know they have almost no chance of making it out there on their own. Wherever he is, Oliver always ends up joining a group or forming his own. These aren’t just things that happen to him: it’s a choice, or a direct result of his personality. Oliver and Malcolm are both always looking to make alliances with different sorts of people (or groups of people). More than that, they are absolutely ready to ally themselves with somebody they don’t like, with each other, if they need to in order to survive, vanquish a common enemy or protect their family.

Generally, there are two things that matters to a lion (apart from food but that’s like every animal on the planet): family and territory/power. Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver Queen in a nutshell. Also note that while male lions are the only male cats who care about family and have a hand in raising their cubs (mostly by offering protection), their focus is the territory. Which is like the whole theme of Malcolm & Oliver’s story in S1: their unbreakable focus on their respective mission despite the distance and tension it creates between them and their respective family members, motivated by their (delusional?) conviction that they are doing this for their family (to secure a better future for them in a better city in the name of those they have lost). The main difference between them being that Malcolm is way more deranged and mostly doesn’t give a shit about human life if they’re not related to him.

Seriously though these two are mad territorial. Every time there’s a new predator showing up on their turf they just go “who are you and wth are you doing in my city rude i’m gonna beat you up”. Well, in season 1 in Malcolm’s case, because after he was ousted he stopped having a turf. But pretty much all 5 seasons for Oliver? (I think the most “wtf” time was when he decreed that the league couldn’t touch Merlyn in S3 while he was in Starling because he was under his protection or something, like I can’t even?? And every time there’s a new vigilante in town he’s like “nope the only illegal justice in this city is mine get out”)

But yeah ultimately one of the things I find most fascinating about lions is also one of the things I find most fascinating about Oliver and Malcolm. Violent, merciless killers who show a softer, more caring side around their loved ones. For lions, it’s like, how vicious and terrible they are to their enemies or preys has absolutely nothing to do with how affectionate and loving they can be to their companions (think Mr T and Kinky Tail of the Mapogos - bloodthirsty bastards who loved each other like hell). That contrast between the monster and the lover is always at play in Oliver and Malcolm’s characters (ofc with different levels of dominance for each side), and it’s just really interesting to me.

Young male lions leave their pride once they come of age, and spend years in hell as nomads struggling to survive in a hostile environment (between buffalo and crocodiles and most dangerous of all: other lions, pride males often in a coalition, eager to hunt them down and break their spine). They have to learn to fend for themselves for the first time (mommy isn’t here to bring the food home any longer), to hunt and fight and stand up for themselves. Most of them die, but those who survive, those who have managed to become... something else, these ones can hope to conquer their own territory by killing or driving away the older resident kings. If this isn’t Oliver Queen’s story I don’t know what is.

Btw, kicking out their grown-up sons is a very important pride male job. Adolescent males (big, lazy, hungry, aggressive, horny and useless) can become a real weight to the pride if they stay around too long, but if the males are neglectful (Malcolm) or distracted dealing with too many prides (Malcolm), they can be late to the task (Malcolm). But once they do it’s always kinda brutal (Malcolm). No offense to Tommy!

Also, really, if we choose an animal to represent Malcolm or Oliver, you know it has to be some major drama-queen. We-have-literally-evolved-a-mane drama-queen level. And the lions mane has basically three main purposes: 1) protection (practical purpose of the suits), 2) intimidation tactics (actual realest purpose of the suits - the whole Hood and Dark Archer personas), and 3) looking gorgeous and attracting females and I think this really fits Ollie Queen and Malcolm Merlyn (Malcolm doesn’t seem particularly interested in sexual or romantic pursuits but he is vain as hell just look at the guy it’s written all over him).

Male lions’ stories are all about war, just like Oliver and Malcolm’s stories are all about war (particularly S1 Oliver). In terms of evolution, they have sacrificed everything in order to become perfect killing machines. Their role in society is to protect or conquer. It doesn’t matter if they’re tired and just want to settle down with their family (happy little cubs!), if they don’t go looking for war war always comes looking for them - it’s a violent life. For lion fans who follow their shenanigans in real life, it can be kind of like Game of Thrones: you have several coalitions fighting over territory - who will be king? And for how long?

So, just like human warriors, there are two types of successful lions: the fiery ones and the cunning ones, of which I kinda think Oliver and Malcolm are fitting representations. Like Oliver “I fought the Dark Archer and Slade Wilson and won thanks to my mad willpower (also remember when I challenged RA’S AL GHUL to a duel twice)” Queen, some lions never run, are always in the thick of battle, and will fight to the death for their territory even against overwhelming odds (in lion fandom, Kinky Tail and Mr T of the Mapogos are again probably the go-to examples). Others tend to pick their battles, avoid serious injury, can patiently wait for a better opportunity or let go of a territory if outnumbered, and sometimes even let the lionesses do the fighting in their stead (the famous Notch is more this type I think - managed to hold on to his first pride alone for 2 years after the death of his companion with the help of the females, got ousted, came back with his sons and took over half the Masai Mara, and remained healthy and beautiful for all of it).

Lions are bloody resilient creatures. Like, it’s astounding what they can survive, and in battle you can see lions fighting to the end despite terrible injuries (freaking broken backs). Oliver Queen is the Arrowverse’s poster boy for resilience, I am not even going to begin listing the reasons why - it’s all over his body anyway and we viewers are treated to many shirtless scenes. And say what you will about Malcolm Merlyn but he also did go through a lot (poison, an arrow through the chest, torture, a handcut - he also lost everything twice), and he’s still healthy and fighting at like ~52 years old (5 years ago he was already saying that Oliver’s youth was a big advantage). “Every warrior must learn the simple truth: that pain is inevitable and suffering is optional”. They both just never give up.

They are both really intelligent, but unlike Ray, Felicity, Barry, etc. they aren’t scientists or tech geniuses. Oliver and Malcolm’s strength lie in tactic and/or strategy, which is what makes them natural leaders. Lions are often seen as big “all brawn and no brains” animals, but they’re actually pretty calculating. They can’t solve complex logical problems like ravens or crows (that’s Felicity btw - Overwatch), but they can count. They know their stuff when it comes to battle. They can calculate the odds, they have their established tactics when it comes to hunting, and they even make strategic choices all the time. 

Cute little heir is a troublemaker who worships his dad. Dad’s best friend/brother gets rid of both of them in the same trap, forcing Dad to sacrifice himself for son, sentencing son to exile. Son stays in exile for years, ravaged by guilt, and grows into a formidable opponent. When son comes back, Dad’s best friend/brother is forcing his mother to do his bidding. He finds out he’s the one responsible for his father’s death and stops him, but not before the bad guy had a chance to destroy his home. Tell me you don’t see the parallel. They’re lions.