Ensemble casts on TV are nothing new, but The CW’s upcoming super-collaboration Legends of Tomorrow continues to build on its sizeable core group by stuffing episodes full of characters from the comics and other CW shows. And the hits keep coming, as it’s been revealed the western antihero Jonah Hex is going to appear on the show, further cementing Legends as a potentially huge 2016 highlight.
Jonah Hex, the deadliest bounty hunter there ever was, is definitely a fan favorite in the DC Universe, and after the disappointment that was the 2010 feature, it didn’t seem likely the character would be seen in live-action for quite a while. Luckily, Legends of Tomorrow is a series built on time travel, so a character from a different era isn’t out of the question. Here’s how Marc Guggenheim explained the decision to bring him in.
Ever since we decided that Legends would involve time travel, we were eager to do a story set in the Old West. But if you’re going to do a story set in the DC Universe version of the Old West, you simply must include Jonah Hex in it. We’re thrilled about bringing another well known, beloved DC character to television.
Given the large budget Legends of Tomorrow has going for it, the show’s version of the Old West is probably going to look fantastic, and Hex will likely have some top-notch makeup for the scarred-up right side of his face. Everything about this gets me excited enough to perform a science experiment gone wrong so that I may be a fly-shaped thing on the wall during the character’s casting process, because they need to find the perfect person to match the gnarled marksman’s personality.
According to EW, Jonah Hex will show up in Episode 11, and there’s a chance he could recur. Having seen the first couple of episodes – read my review here – I can see how sticking around in a western setting would work for a few episodes. I guess it depends on how good the material is, and how much of Jonah Hex's war-torn history is deemed suitable for TV adaptation. (Maybe another spinoff, guys?)
It raises questions about what other characters might pop up in the remainder of Season 1. We know about the Arrow villains and the possible Bronze Tiger tie-in character. But what about Constantine’s chances of appearing? What about other characters from other timelines? Can this show become into an anthology series where the team just visits a different comic character every week?
There isn’t much longer to wait for Legends of Tomorrow to get here, as it will premiere on The CW on Thursday, January 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see what else is premiering and returning in the next few months, check out our midseason TV schedule.
