One of the eras the Legends of Tomorrow crew will be visiting soon is the Wild West, and while there, they’ll run into DC Comics’ most famous cowboy, Jonah Hex. Not long after the character inclusion on the show was revealed, it was announced that Ray Donovan star Johnathon Schaech is set to play Hex in Episode 11. While there’s still a long wait ahead for that appearance, we fortunately now have our first taste of Schaech as the deformed gunslinger thanks to social media.
Schaech posted a selfie of himself on Instagram having just come from prepping for Legends of Tomorrow. While he wasn't wearing Hex’s standard grey uniform, he does have a classic holster, and is clearly muscular enough to handle himself in a fight. Unfortunately, the placement of the phone makes it so we can’t see if his face has been made up to look like Hex’s mangled visage. Hex is a big enough character that I imagine The CW will release an official promo shot of Schaech in character, much like Arrow recently did with Megalyn Echikunwoke’s Vixen. Hex is one of the many DC heroes that have been teased over the last week for appearances on Legends of Tomorrow, which include the Golden Age Red Tornado and Sgt. Rock.
Jonah Hex has been a part of the DC Comics universe since 1972, and while he doesn’t wear a flashy costume or superpowers, he’s still a force to be reckoned with in his own time period. Similar to his comic book counterpart, Legends of Tomorrow’s Hex will be a “morally ambiguous gunslinger with a penchant for danger,” and makes a name for himself battling outlaws. When the show’s main protagonists arrive in the small town of Salvation, Hex will warn them to be careful, but knowing him, he’ll help them out when they find themselves in a tough spot, with his guns blazing and fists swinging. Legends of Tomorrow will be Hex’s second live-action appearance, following Josh Brolin’s portrayal in the character’s 2010 flop of a movie.
Schaech’s Hex is currently only slated for one episode, but depending on how his performance is received and if Legends of Tomorrow gets renewed, there’s always the possibility we could see more of him. Like, say, right now, in another one of the actor's recent Instagram posts.
If Legends of Tomorrow keeps the time travel format for Season 2, assuming it makes it there, it would be interesting to see Jonah Hex as one of the new “legends” recruited for a different mission. Hex has traveled into the future on several occasions in the comics, and since his TV version already has experience with time travel and the future, hopping along for a temporal adventure won’t be out of the ordinary to him.
You can catch new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.
