Terry Chen has been cast to play a time-displaced version of Genghis Khan on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Following in the footsteps of The Flash, the superhero ensemble was the second direct spin-off from Arrow. Although the first season proved mostly underwhelming, Legends of Tomorrow found its footing in season 2 and ultimately went on to become one of the Arrowverse‘s most unique and well-regarded shows.
When last seen, The Legends were successful in defeating the demon Neron and prevented Hell from being unleashed on Earth in the season 4 finale. Their victory didn’t come without a cost, however. Although it seemed as though Nate would pay the price, the band of misfits was able to revive him. Instead, it was the team’s version of Zari that ended up being erased from existence. As is typical of the superhero team, by solving one problem they also appeared to set up a whole new one – with a group of historical villains set to be unleashed across the timeline in season 5.
According to TVLine, one of the well-known figures has officially been cast. Chen will play Genghis Khan, who rose to power after uniting various nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. He ultimately founded the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death. Freshly released from Hell, Legends of Tomorrow‘s version of Genghis Khan will find himself stranded in 1990s Hong Kong. He will, however, be no less intent on picking up where he left off and conquering the world. According to the outlet, Chen will appear in episode 5, “Mortal Khanbat“, which will also serve as actress Caity Lotz’s directorial debut.
Chen featured prominently in Jessica Jones season 2, playing Pryce Cheng – a rival private eye that repeatedly plagued Krysten Ritter’s titular heroine. He also had recurring roles in other such cult, sci-fi favorites as The Expanse and Continuum. As well as Legends of Tomorrow, the actor is set to appear on the big screen in Falling, starring alongside Laura Linney (Ozark) and Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings). Mortensen also wrote and directed the film.
It promises to be a big year for Legends of Tomorrow. As well as dealing with the historical threats, known within the show as “Encores”, they will also feature in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. After sitting out on last year’s Arrowverse team-up in favor of their own time-bending adventure, the team will be an integral part of what is expected to be an Endgame-level event. The show’s star, Brandon Routh, will play double-duty in the episodes, not only playing Ray Palmer but also once again donning the cape to play a version of Superman. The move will partially serve as a swansong for he and fellow star (and real-life wife) Courtney Ford, who both wave goodbye to the show in season 5.
The use of Genghis Khan will share a lot of similarities with Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which saw the titular teens bring the warrior through time to the 90s, which was then modern-day. Given its penchant for pop-culture and real-world references, its a parallel that the show itself will likely directly touch on. Given that a long-overdue third installment, Bill & Ted Face the Music, will hit theaters next year, it would make for a surprisingly timely reference at that. Whether Chen will be one-and-done or make multiple appearances across the season remains to be seen. Whatever the case, the show will no doubt find numerous fun ways to utilize both the actor and the character.
Legends of Tomorrow season 5 will premiere January 2020.
