@kevthefailure
I have a lot of reasons why I don't like Diaz
Should have started with "I didn't watch season 6 or 7 properly and have no idea what I'm talking about in regards to this specific character". Given the totally ridiculous and illogical reasons below I see no reason why you shouldn't like him.
As much as they tried to make him not, at his heart, he's just a thug.
See, the show never said otherwise, the thing is that Diaz is just a thug. He's a guy who wants everything he can't have, does everything with force ect. He's a man who is what he so desperately doesn't want to be, which makes his character compelling imo.
Like that's it. This is the 6th villain in a series that has included personal attacks on Oliver, World Wide secret organizations, and even world destruction, Diaz's plan was just control of a crime syndicate.
This is what Arrow has been about since it's beginning though, crime. The fact is that we needed a villain like Diaz sooner, the show has always been about street level stuff and Darhk deferring from this is why he sucked lol. Furthermore what Diaz did to Oliver in season 7 especially wasn't a personal attack? Seriously, Kev?
It's not that toned down stakes is bad, but someone like Prometheus or Merlyn does it a lot better because they either posed a more personal threat to Oliver or there was a sense they could actually do what they wanted.
Diaz did do what he wanted, he lost in the end sure but he gained control of Star City, conquered and took control of the Quadrant's assets ect. Diaz did pose a personal threat to Oliver, he sent him to prison, nearly killed his wife and child, killed his father figure (Quentin) ect.
Everything about Diaz was super forced. Like everything, they had an episode that took us out of the bad story to show us that Diaz is maybe not that bad a guy, but no he really is.
No, the show never deluded itself into thinking Diaz wasn't a bad guy. They gave him an episode to show his motivations, to show why he's dangerous and needs to be stopped. Let's see what Diaz does in the episode where we're meant to believe according to you that he's not that bad. He kills half a dozen people, blows a man to smithereens after torturing him extensively, takes over a crime syndicate and burns his childhood bully alive. What's "not that bad" about that? The episode showed that Diaz is broken, haunted and traumatised but it never even remotely hinted he was a good guy,
Like Black Siren is super scared of him, and they never showed us why she should be. She could legit just kill him.
She tried that, guess what? It didn't work. Did we watch the same show lol?
Along with the second, Diaz never felt like a real threat.
Played a mastermind like a pawn, took over Star City after having said mastermind cripple it, took over a crime syndicate, nearly killed Oliver and co, killed Quentin, sent Oliver to prison nearly killed Felicity and William, beat the shit out of Oliver and nearly killed him but is not a threat. A simple lol will suffice here.
Following Caden James in the same season who had higher stakes(and more reasonable ngl),
James accomplished nothing beyond crippling the city and getting killed after being played like a pawn. Furthermore since you love to hate on Diaz why don't I hate on the fanbases lord and saviour Fodderetheus. For all his hype he accomplished far less than Diaz, he came up with a convoluted nonsense plan that you begin to digest how stupid it is upon re-watch, made Oliver depressed for an episode after forcing a confession out of him and then bet everything on a final choice that did nothing to impact the show. If Diaz is a loser what the hell is he?
a better skillset, and a more interesting motivation/connection to Oliver,
James's motivation was a repeat, Diaz's was unique. A simple, lol will suffice here.
Diaz just felt pointless.
A simple lol will suffice here.
To make this even worse when the FBI showed up his orginization got taken down. Not Argus who people like LoA have put to shame, literally the FBI. Diggle's shaky hand did more damage to the team then Diaz.
So the FBI taking out a crime syndicate was unexpected. Diaz's men aren't like the Ghosts or the LOA but are simple canon fodder. How Diaz getting taken down by the FBI after having dominance for the whole season is supposed to be bad is beyond me.
Diaz did not have good on screen presence. He wasn't intimidating like Prometheus or Slade, he wasn't charismatic like Merlyn or even Dahrk to a degree, he was just kinda there, and it felt like Oliver should've whooped his ass a long time ago.
Watch his very first scene where he kills Cayden then come back and say this with a straight face. He's calm, cold, calculating, menacing, in control ect. A simple lol will suffice here.
His motivation was stupid.
Ah, this shit.
Like really stupid.
A simple, lol will suffice here.
You can say Slade's motivation wasn't great, but it directly related to Oliver and he was insane.
Diaz's motivation did relate to Oliver. He's a street thug with an inferiority complex who wants control, Oliver made him lose that control so he wanted vengeance, payback, because that's all he's ever known. Payback and anger since the moment Jesse mistreated him. He's still that same tortured, weak child now, just more dangerous willing to do whatever he needs to get respect. Oliver humiliated him in a way he hasn't been humiliated since he was beneath Jesse. And all that makes him feel is fury
What does Diaz's motivation of getting respect do for him?
They make him compelling, everybody can relate to wanting something they can't have, to want to be respected and admired. Diaz is a great character because you can truly get a sense of how far he's willing to go to get what he wants. Furthermore he's menacing, intelligent and frightening.
Other then make him look like a whiny brat who doesn't deserve respect.
That's the thing though. Diaz is a whiny brat, he's a piece of shit who's had nothing his whole life and he wants to have control over everything as a result of that. He's essentially a cocky, egotistical child but dangerous, ruthless and cunning.
It doesn't confront any of Oliver's morals or his actions like Prometheus, Slade, Meryln, and even Caden James did, it was kinda just there to have a villain.
Did Cayden really challenge Oliver's morals or actions though lol?
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