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The Arrow hints and teases continue to flood in, courtesy of TV Line. We’ve already been made aware the show’s fifth season would introduce a character named James, an “irresistibly charming,” yet threatening adversary for Oliver Queen. It was also recently revealed that Team Arrow would no longer be the only vigilantes dishing out street justice, as the show is casting a new non-villainous lawbreaker.
Now there’s even more insight being revealed in the form of a another new character, this time a villain “tentatively” named Anton Church — a ruthless crime lord. The villain will be “loosely inspired by” Idris Elba’s role on The Wire, where he played kingpin Stringer Bell. According to TV Line: “The initial casting notice describes him as an ‘apex predator’ who ‘cuts his way through the shadows’ by taking down ‘the biggest threat first.'” That threat most likely being Green Arrow, and maybe Mayor Oliver Queen.
Interestingly, the character breakdown on the casting notice also states Jason Momoa is a “physical prototype.” Whether that is a reference to Momoa’s build, or his overall look is anyone’s guess. Though it wouldn’t be surprising if it was referring to his physique; the aforementioned James character’s breakdown also mentioned he should possess a physically threatening stature.
Stephen Amell recently teased the Season 5 villain would be a superpowerless foe, which technically hasn’t been done since Season 1. All the latest casting news seems to affirm Amell’s belief that the show would return to its more grounded roots. It appears as though what these characters lack in superpowers, they will make up for in intelligence, charisma, and offering the Green Arrow a new form of threat to battle against.
There’s no way of knowing how good Season 5 will be until it gets here, but, so far, all the right things are being said. Arrow returns this fall.
Image: HBO
