The Arrowverse has spent the better part of a decade bringing an increasingly wide array of DC Comic characters to the small screen. And in the mix are groups of heroes and villains who are a lot smarter than they seem as well as more than a few who aren't.
Naturally, someone like Felicity Smoak is exactly as smart as fans thought she was. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have kept Oliver Queen alive. But that doesn't change the fact that there were more than a few characters who simply were not actually that smart, no matter how they acted.
LESS INTELLIGENT: Ra's Al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul has long been one of Batman's most feared enemies. He is a formidable opponent on his own but he also has the backing of the entire League of Assassins. On top of that, Ra's is also virtually immortal thanks to the many Lazarus Pits he has access to.
But in the Arrowverse, Ra's ran afoul of Green Arrow. He consistently underestimated the Emerald Archer and was eventually defeated by his own hubris more than anything else. Ra's wasn't stupid, but he was too smart for his own good.
MORE INTELLIGENT: Sara Lance
Quentin Lance had two daughters, Laurel and Sara. Both women had an interest Oliver Queen, the playboy son of Robert and Moira Queen. When Queen's yacht sunk, Oliver, Robert, and Sara were all presumed to be dead. They all survived, though Robert sacrificed himself to save his son.
Sara was consistently underestimated, especially in comparison to her sister Laurel. Taking charge of the Legends of Tomorrow has proven that Sara is not only a capable warrior but also an intelligent and wise leader.
LESS INTELLIGENT: Malcolm Merlyn
When it comes to making an endless series of bad choices for theoretically the right reasons, look no further than Malcolm Merlyn. The wealthy man was sent on a path of revenge after the death of his wife that led him into the arms of Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins.
While he was rich, Machiavellian and a capable warrior, Merlyn was a never-ending fountain of terrible ideas. He was a principle figure in an attack on his own city that leveled a portion of it with an earthquake machine.
MORE INTELLIGENT: Wild Dog
Over his years in the superhero business, Green Arrow picked up more than a few partners and sidekicks. At one point, he had a full-fledged team of people who wanted to help him clean up their city. One of them was a young man named Wild Dog.
At first glance, it seemed like Wild Dog was nothing more than a thug with an attitude. In reality, he was an intelligent and perceptive man who understood a lot more than he let on. While he may have let his anger get the better of him at times, the same could be said of Oliver Queen.
LESS INTELLIGENT: Ray Palmer
By any definition of the term, Ray Palmer would be considered a super genius. Not only did he develop a multi-billion dollar company via his inventions, he created a battle suit that gave him the ability to shrink to an impossibly tiny size.
That being said, he often seemed to lack common sense. He was prone to making decisions without truly understanding how they would play out in the real world. Ray never learned that just because he could didn't mean he should.
MORE INTELLIGENT: John Diggle
When Oliver finally returned home, his earliest teammates were Felicity Smoak and John Diggle. Felicity was the tech and John was the muscle. He was an experienced soldier and operative who could watch Oliver's back in the field.
More than that, John kept Oliver grounded. There's an argument to be made that he had most common sense out of anyone else in the Arrowverse since day one. Diggle often saw the truth of a situation when no one else, including Oliver, did. He proved himself to be even smarter than fans already knew him to be.
LESS INTELLIGENT: Damien Darhk
When talking about people who had plans within plans within plans, that conversation simply must include Damien Darhk. A former member of the League of Assassins, Damien is an incredible hand to hand combatant but also has epic mystical powers.
Ultimately, his biggest enemy continues to be himself. The man cannot perceive a situation where he loses to anyone. That level of arrogance has made him weak, the bigger weakness being that he still can't see that even after several big losses.
MORE INTELLIGENT: Iris West-Allen
When fans tuned into The Flash for the first time, they knew that Iris West and Barry Allen were destined to be together. That was long before Iris and Barry knew it. And when it finally happened, there was almost an audible sigh of relief from fans.
But Iris is far more than the wife of the Fastest Man Alive or the daughter of a police officer. Iris is an intelligent, capable person who keeps Flash running in the right direction. Without her, things would have turned out much differently for Barry and his allies. Fans knew she was smart from the start, but she proved to be even smarter than that.
LESS INTELLIGENT: Deathstroke
When Oliver ended up on a seemingly deserted island, he quickly learned that there actually a lot of people hanging out there. And none of them were up to anything remotely close to good. He met one of his first mentors, Slade Wilson, on that island.
A former ASIS agent, the man who would become Deathstroke made a surprising number of bad choices. Many of those decisions put him directly at odds with his former friend and were more emotional than practical. The smartest move he made was reconciling with Oliver.
MORE INTELLIGENT: Eddie Thawne
While Barry had been secretly infatuated with Iris for a long time, he couldn't act on it due to Eddie Thawne. A Central City Police Department detective, Eddie was dating Iris as well as being Barry's friend and the partner of Iris's father. It was pretty awkward.
When Eddie's descendent from the future was revealed to be an evil speedster, he realized the only way to defeat him was a dire one. Eddie Thawne was the only one smart enough to see the truth of the situation, and the only one willing to do what was necessary.