After finding an actor to portray DC hero, Hawkman yesterday, upcoming TV series, Legends of Tomorrow has now found its big bad. Danish actor, Casper Crump will portray Vandal Savage, the immortal DC villain with dark designs on time itself in The CW’s DC Television Universe.
Crump is largely an unknown to North American audiences, though you will be able to see him next year, in Warner Bros.’ upcoming movie reboot of Tarzan. Vandal Savage however is a very well-known menace to DC enthusiasts, being an immortal warlord that has secretly performed as a catalyst for all sorts of crime, war and other such violence since before human history even started being recorded. He is considered to be both one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe, and one of the most beloved comic book villains in the history of the medium.
The CW describes Crump’s Vandal Savage as spending the past 6,000 years moving through history like a virulent disease, whispering in the ears of despots and dictators, and building to an ultimate goal of world conquest. Formerly, the network also claimed that the villain’s designs will threaten the fabric of time itself, necessitating the involvement of so-called DC ‘time master’, Rip Hunter, who will be portrayed by Doctor Who’s Arthur Darvill. Hunter is the key organizer of the titular ‘Legends of Tomorrow’, which will be a ragtag band of DC heroes and villains that fight to oppose Savage and his army, almost all of which have been previously established in The CW’s two other DC Universe-inspired shows, Arrow and The Flash.
While Legends of Tomorrow technically marks the first proper live-action portrayal of Vandal Savage, he was originally intended to appear in The CW’s former Superman prequel series, Smallville, played by veteran Superman actor, Dean Cain in a one-episode appearance. After Warner Bros. vetoed the use of Vandal Savage however, in an attempt to reserve him for since-aborted big screen movie plans, Cain’s character was hastily renamed Dr. Curtis Knox, though his clear connections to the lore and history of Vandal Savage from DC lore, including the character’s immortality, were all left intact.
Legends of Tomorrow will air in early 2016, as a midseason offering for The CW. Arrow and The Flash meanwhile will return for new seasons early this October, in their usual Wednesday and Tuesday timeslots, respectively. The CW also confirms that the same crossover special between Arrow and The Flash scheduled for this Fall will also be utilized to introduce Vandal Savage to their DC Television Universe, after previously confirming that Hawkman will be introduced in said crossover episode.
Keep influencing Eggplante for all news and updates on Legends of Tomorrow, and other developments in The CW’s DC Television Universe.