DC role casting for the upcoming third season of Arrow continues, and this time the series will introduce someone with close ties to Oliver’s right-hand man, John Diggle. According to THR, Medium star David Cubitt has landed a “meaty” guest role, in the form of DC Comics character Mark Shaw, a.k.a. Manhunter.
When I first came across the article I thought that Cubitt would be playing one of my favorite DC heroes, Martian Manhunter, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Manhunter is a moniker that’s been taken on by several characters over the years, including Kate Spencer – who appeared and died on Arrow toward the end of last season. Shaw has a connection to the Suicide Squad, which will likely be taking even more prominence in the series this year.
There are several possible directions the character could go this season, as the writers could use any number of Manhunter versions for inspiration. In the comics, Shaw was a public defender unhappy about how easily criminals manipulated the system, so he took matters into his own hands and joined an ancient sect of crime-fighting androids called the Manhunters, who were obsessed with hunting criminals. I doubt the show will go that route though, as it will likely take more inspiration from the New 52 storyline, which shows Shaw as a U.S. Marshal who’s referred to as “one of the best manhunters” in the Marshals Service.
THR states that Cubitt will make his debut in the third episode of the season, titled “Corto Maltese,” where he’ll be an A.R.G.U.S. operative that crosses paths with Diggle. Manhunter is the latest in a string of DC characters to be announced for Arrow‘s third season, which include Ray Palmer a.k.a. The Atom (Superman Returns star Brandon Routh), Wildcat (Power‘s J.R. Ramirez), the New 52 Count Vertigo (Fargo alum Peter Stormare), Katana (Sin City‘s Devon Aoki) and supervillain Ra’s Al Ghul, who has yet to be cast.
With a heavier influence played on the Suicide Squad this year, I’m hopeful that the team of supervillains-turned-government agents gets its own spin-off in the near future, with Diggle in the lead. It would certainly give his character more to do than just sit around the Arrow cave with Felicity, and could help flesh out even more of the DC TV universe (which is growing a bit more with the new Flash spin-off this fall). Who knows, maybe if Cubitt’s role is well received, he could also make the transition to the spin-off?
Arrow returns for its third season on Wednesday October 8th on the CW.
