The season 4 finale of Arrow left Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) handling a city with no mayor and a team with no team members. Although Oliver stepped in as interim mayor of Star City, following his alter-ego defeating then-mayor Damien Darhk (Neal Mcdonough), there was nothing to be done about the death of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) and the departures of Thea Queen (Willa Holland), John Diggle (David Ramsey), and Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne).
Still, we know Arrow season 5 will see the introduction of many new characters from the DC Comics mythos, heroes and villains alike, including Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez), D.A. Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra), and Artemis (Madison McLaughlin). Now we know of another DC character set to join The CW’s flagship superhero series.
TV Line is reporting Arrow has cast Wil Traval (Jessica Jones, Once Upon a Time) as Christopher Chance a.k.a. Human Target. The first incarnation of Human Target, Fred Venable, appeared in the comics in 1953, but Christopher Chance took over the mantle in 1972. The character has previously been the focus of two separate television series – one from ABC in 1992 that only ran for seven episodes, and one from Fox in 2010 that lasted two seasons.
Described by TV Line as “a professional bodyguard and master of disguise who assumes the identities of those targeted by assassins,” Chance will make his Arrow debut in episode 5 of the new season when he takes on Oliver as a client. It’s unclear how long Human Target will stick around through season 5 – whether for one episode, a handful, or to become a recurring character.
Of course, we have yet to truly see Oliver in action as the Mayor of Star City. The season 5 trailer released at San Diego Comic-Con focused on Oliver assembling his new team made up of Wild Dog, Artemis, and Curtis Holt a.k.a. Mr. Terrific (Echo Kellum). Meanwhile, images from the set released by Amell have teased the season 5 Russia flashbacks as well as a team-up with fellow DC Comics series Supergirl, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow.
That said, the synopsis for Arrow season 5 hints that Oliver will struggle to balance his duties as mayor in addition to his cause as the Green Arrow. Plus, Amell has mentioned that the most important relationship on the show is the one between Oliver and Star City, so fans can expect he will use his time as mayor to help clean up the city – a mission from season 1 that has been hinted will resurface in the upcoming season. Still, with the addition of Human Target, it seems Oliver’s turn as mayor in Arrow season 5 may not be kept entirely separate from his vigilante antics.
Next: Colton Haynes May Not Return to Arrow Just Yet
The Flash season 3 will premiere Tuesday October 4th at 8pm on The CW, Arrow season 5 will premiere in the same timeslot on Wednesday October 5th, Supergirl season 2 on Monday October 10th, and Legends of Tomorrow season 2 on Thursday October 13th.
