‘Arrow’ season 3 spoilers: Meet the new ‘Count’

“Arrow” may have backed themselves into a little bit of a corner when it comes to the whole Vertigo issue. It was one of the most-popular plotlines back during the first season, and we felt like Seth Gabel was fantastic as the Count. Simultaneously, the man also managed to bring Thea Queen some of the best material that she has ever had, and it has been more than a massive win to have him around.

Unfortunately, that version of The Count is dead, and Gabel is a busy man these days anyway thanks to his role on “Salem.” So what better than to have a new version of the character pop up on season 3?

According to TV Guide, Peter Stormare of “The Blacklist” and other series has been booked to be the first villain of the season, who is a new man in charge of the Vertigo operation. While Gabel’s character went strictly by the name “The Count,” this one goes more by the name “Vertigo” (even though his real name is Werner Zyle). We feel like it is probably a little unfair to compare one version of this role to the other, but the reality is that there are going to be plenty of people out there who do this regardless of if we do or not.

It is certainly not a new idea for comics to have multiple iterations of similar villains, so from that vantage point it makes sense. We just hope that the show doesn’t dwell too much on the drug trade, given that we’ve seen so much of it already in between the first season and all the stuff with the mirakuru that took place last year.

For now, just let us know what you think about this casting in the comments, and click here to see some “Arrow” casting scoop from the Hong Kong-based storyline. You can also sign up today for some more fantastic TV updates courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: The CW