Over the weekend, we heard that DC Comics character Ted Grant a.k.a. Wildcat would be making his way to The CW’s Arrow, but we didn’t have any casting or plot information to go along with the news. Now, Deadline has solved that little dilemma for us, as they’re reporting that Power and House of Payne alum J.R. Ramirez will play the boxer-turned-vigilante in a recurring role.
Wildcat fans will immediately notice that Ramirez is a bit young for the part, so it seems that they’re going in a more contemporary direction with the character on the series. In the comics, Wildcat was a founding member of the Justice Society of America (a precursor to the Justice League), who trained several modern day heroes including Black Canary and Batman and is usually shown as middle-aged or elderly.
Grant is a championship boxer, who gets tangled up in organized crime and creates the alter-ego Wildcat to clear his name. They may be making the character younger for the series, but they’re keeping most of his character traits intact, as Deadline’s report cites Grant as a former boxer who now runs a gym for underprivileged youth. He also has a mysterious past which plays a pivotal role in Laurel’s arc for the season. My guess is he’ll be the one who trains her to become the new Canary, and is younger on the series so that he can strike up a relationship with her.
As far as his vigilante alter-ego goes, we’ll just have to wait and see if he ever dons the iconic Wildcat outfit, or if he’s merely a loose adaptation of the character whose boxing nickname is Ted “Wildcat” Grant.
Arrow returns to the CW for its third season on Wednesday October 8th, 2014.
