ARROW Casts Wil Traval as The Human Target

The Human Target is getting a third Chance on the small screen.

KSiteTV has revealed that the CW series Arrow has cast Wil Traval as Christopher Chance, better known to DC Comics fans as The Human Target.  The article states that the character will appear in "Human Target," the fifth episode of the show's fifth season.

The official description for The Human Target states the character will be "a professional bodyguard and master of disguise who assumes the identities of those targeted by assassins. His latest client: Mayor Oliver Queen."

Traval, 36, is an Australian actor probably best known as Will Simpson/Nuke on the Netflix series Jessica Jones.  He's also appeared on episodes of Once Upon a Time, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Rizzoli and Isles, The Inbetweeners, Dexter, Leverage, and All Saints.

Created in 1972 by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino, The Human Target first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #419 as Christopher Chance, a private detective and bodyguard for hire.  Master of disguise and all manners of combat training, he was nearly unmatched in skill. Chance would assume the identity of his clients and personally handle any danger when they believed their life was being threatened.

Chance's father Philip was murdered by a professional killer after he owed money to Amos Sharkey, a local loan shark, and was unable to pay.  To make an example of him, a hitman named Dancer was sent to murder the man late one night.  Although Chris tried to defend his father, he was brushed aside and the gunman fired.  After the assailant was scared off by police sirens, his dad told him to make something of himself like he had never been able to, before passing away.  That day onward, Christopher Chance found himself unable to feel any fear.  He made a personal vow to never again let anyone else suffer the indignity and fear that his father had if he could do something about it.  He spent years obsessively studying martial arts techniques and weaponry, training to become a top athlete.  Then he began his own private business where people could hire him to impersonate them, and put his own life into danger in place of theirs. 

Traval will be the third actor to portray the character in live action, after Rick Springfield in the 1992 Human Target TV series that aired on ABC and Mark Valley in the 2010-11 Human Target TV series that aired on Fox.  

Arrow returns to The CW for Season 5 on October 5th at 8:00 p.m. EST.