ARROW Casts David Cubitt as Manhunter

Thought Arrow Season 3 bringing in Ra's al Ghul, Katana, Wildcat and The Atom was enough?  Think again.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that the CW series Arrow has cast David Cubitt in the role of DC Comics character Mark Shaw, more familiar as the superhero Manhunter.  Shaw will appear in the third episode of the upcoming season, titled "Corto Maltese," and is described in the article as "an A.R.G.U.S. operative in Corto Maltese who crosses paths with Diggle."

Cubitt is probably best known as Detective Lee Scanlon in the NBC series Medium, and has had roles in the 2001 film Ali, the television series Traders and Lonesome Dove: The Series, and the episode "Død Kalm" from the second season of The X-Files.

Created in 1975 by Jack Kirby, Shaw first appeared in First Issue Special #5 as a public defender frustrated by how easily criminals manipulated the justice system and got off without punishment.  Shaw's uncle Desmond introduced him to an ancient sect of crimefighters called the Manhunters.  Shaw contacted the Grand Master, the sect's leader, through a magical lion medallion and later assumed the Manhunter name and costume from a previous Manhunter.

The character later joined the Suicide Squad as a new hero called The Privateer, before returning to the Manhunter identity following the Millennium event storyline and starring in his own ongoing series, Manhunter (vol.1), that ran for 24 issues from 1988 to 1990.  In the current New 52 continuity, Shaw appeared during the Forever Evil event storyline as a U.S. Marshal who was assigned to find The Cheetah and was referred to as "one of the best manhunters" in the United States.

Another Manhunter, Kate Spencer, has appeared on Arrow, played by Chelah Horsdal.  Spencer was depicted on the show as Starling City's district attorney and appeared in the episodes "Damaged," "State V. Queen," "Birds of Prey," "The Man Under the Hood"  and "Streets of Fire" before being killed by one of Deathstroke's soldiers.

Arrow returns to The CW for Season 3 on October 8, 2014.