Now that Oliver Queen is protecting Star City not only as a vigilante but also as a mayor, he's going to have twice as many problems as he used to, and let's not even get into the paperwork involved. There are quite a few villains coming his way when Season 5 gets here, but he'll thankfully get some help from both his Team Arrow allies and comic book great Christopher "Human Target" Chance, who will be played by Jessica Jones co-star Will Traval.
This won't be the first time TV audiences get to watch the action-oriented character on the small screen, but it'll be the first time Human Target enters into the current DC TV Universe happening on The CW. Will Traval's take on the character will first appear in Episode 5, when he takes on Oliver as his newest client. A bodyguard like no other, Christopher Chance's whole schtick is being a master of disguise that takes on his clients' identities whenever they're in danger from assassins or some other sketchy criminals. I know what you're thinking: "How did they not get Dana Carvey?"
I love it that Greg Berlanti & Co. are bringing in a classic comic badass that exhibits superhuman-level skills without actually being anything more than a human being. It sounds a little bit like our man Oliver - although he's got a bit of magic in him now - and I can't imagine that Oliver is going to willingly admit that he needs the help of someone like Human Target, so it should be interesting to witness that initial conversation.
First introduced in the comics in 1953 as Fred Venable, Human Target is more recognized as his second iteration, and Christopher Chance first debuted in 1972. He mostly appeared in other comics until the mid-2000s when he got his own solo series. On the small screen, we got a short-lived Human Target series in the early 1990s with musician Rick Springfield in the lead role, and then again in 2010 with Mark Valley as the unstoppable bodyguard.
An Australian actor who became a household name there on the drama All Saints, Will Traval got his first big break on U.S. TV for the ABC series Red Widow a few years ago, and he's also notable for portraying the Sheriff of Nottingham on Once Upon a Time. But for fans of comic book TV, Traval is instantly recognizable for his role of Will "Nuke" Simpson on Jessica Jones, where he was basically a good guy when he wasn't under Kilgrave's control. His next comic character sounds like he'll be similarly virtuous, so let's hope he survives his latest assignment.
With Dolph Lundgren also joining the cast, Arrow will return to assassinate viewers' emotions when Season 5 debuts on The CW on Wednesday, October 5, at 9:00 p.m. ET. To see when everything else is heading to your TVs later this year, check out our fall premiere schedule.
