Legends of Tomorrow has found plenty of ways to incorporate big names from real life into its weekly wacky time travel adventures. A fictional version of George Lucas has already appeared, and a Legends of Tomorrow version of Barack Obama is set to appear as well. An upcoming episode will do something that it's never done before to incorporate none other than John Noble playing John Noble. We've known for a while that Noble would turn up playing himself, but the folks at The CW have been tight-lipped about how he will appear. A first look at Noble on Legends of Tomorrow has finally been released, and it revealed John Noble in all his past Lord of the Rings glory:
John Noble is arguably best-known nowadays for his role as Denethor II in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Despite only appearing in the second two films of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Noble was a pivotal member of the cast as Denethor, and his character got to go out in an unforgettable blaze of glory. While he did go on to land some juicy parts on the small screen -- ranging from roles on Fringe to Elementary to Sleep Hollow -- Noble is still most famous for playing Denethor. For his appearance on Legends of Tomorrow, Noble will evidently go back into the wig and robes of Denethor II, Steward of Gondor.
Of course, even Legends of Tomorrow isn't crazy enough to pretend that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is based on a true story and Denethor's real name has been John Noble all along. The shot of Noble on Legends of Tomorrow places him in a trailer, smiling in a most un-Denethor way, and chatting with what seems to be Ray pretending to be a production assistant. The John Noble who appears on the Legends of Tomorrow episode -- which is perfectly titled as "Guest Starring John Noble" -- will apparently be John Noble circa the filming of The Two Towers and Return of the King. Obviously this one photo isn't enough to say much about the John Noble of Legends of Tomorrow, but he certainly looks like a goofier guy than Denethor II.
Interestingly, the fictionalized John Noble won't be the first role that John Noble has played on Legends of Tomorrow. He signed on to voice the Season 3 big bad Mallus, and his first episode aired back in November 2017. While this won't be the first time that an actor on one of the Arrow-verse shows played dual roles, I don't think any of us will confuse John Noble as John Noble with John Noble as Mallus.
Tune in to The CW on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET to catch new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow. For more viewing options, take a peek at our midseason TV premiere guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere guide. Check out our rundown of TV renewals and cancellations to discover all the shows that will and will not be back next season.
