As The CW's Arrow has shown time and again, Star City is more than big enough for two vigilantes, even a whole S.W.A.T. team’s worth. So what’s the harm with another less-than-lawful crimefighter in town? The network is paving the way for a new masked crusader to join Team Arrow, and that character is Wild Dog.
EW reports that Rick Gonzalez, whose credits include USA’s Mr. Robot and Rush, is joining the DC superhero series in that very role. He'll join what remains of Team Arrow after the Season 4 finale, which left the vigilantes reeling from the machinations of Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough). Arrow needed some new blood, and they'll be getting it with Wild Dog.
Image via DC Comics[/caption]
Before Wild Dog was Wild Dog in the comics, he was Jack Wheeler, a former collegiate football player with a promising future ahead. After an injury, he left those dreams behind and dropped out of school and served in the Marine Corps. Upon his return, he resumed his education in night classes and met a woman who would later become his fiancée. Jake only became a vigilante after the mafia murdered his beloved.
By day, Jack ran his auto-shop. By night, he wore a hockey mask and his old football jersey as crime-fighter Wild Dog. EW describes the iteration in Arrow as “a new vigilante in Star City whose reckless and cocksure nature prompts Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) to take him under his wing.”
It’s kind of appropriate for his inclusion in the series, not because of his vigilante status, but because of his appearance. Amell recently portrayed Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out of the Shadows, and the two are essentially brothers from another mother…or, rather, another comic book.
Elsewhere, Arrow seems to be setting the stage for the debut of Spectre, a.k.a. The Spirit of Vengeance, a.k.a. DC’s ghostly superhero. While his impending presence is unconfirmed at this time, Emmett J Scanlan briefly portrayed the character’s alter-ego, James Corrigan on NBC's Constantine. Arrow director and stunt guru James Bamford teased the show is coming back “with a vengeance.” Clearly, that’s not much to go on, but the pieces line up. Sister series Legends of Tomorrow also recently added Nick Zano as Nate Heywood, who may be taking on the metallic mantle of Citizen Steel.
