The CW’s sophomore hit series ‘Arrow’ has already featured sci-fi fan favorite Summer Glau as corporate heavy hitter Isabel Rochev. Glau is perhaps best known for playing the damaged but deadly River Tam on Joss Whedon’s ‘Firefly’ and it’s spin-off movie ‘Serenity’. Now her on-screen brother Sean Maher (who played Simon Tam) is also jumping on the ‘Arrow’ bandwagon!
While Isabel Rochev is a business rival for Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), Maher will take on a more sinister role, that of Mark Scheffer, who in the comics is the villain Shrapnel. The comic version is made of jagged metal and can “explode” shredding everything around him. The character has been sort of a generic criminal in the DC Universe, not serving as a member of any specific hero’s Rogues Gallery, but has battled, among others, the Doom Patrol, Superman and Green Lantern.
The TV version is described as “a serial bomber who places Starling City in a grip of terror and threatens the life of Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro).” Sebastian Blood, it should be pointed out, is an adaptation of Teen Titans’ villainous cult leader Brother Blood, but it seems the show is taking a different approach to that character. Sadly, there’s no indication that Maher and Glau will share the screen. We can only hope!
In the comics, Shrapnel hasn’t had a full origin explained, but it is known that at one point he was human, he was married and had two daughters.
Maher most recently appeared in another Whedon production, his black and white adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. His last TV role was in the short-lived period piece ‘The Playboy Club’.
Maher’s Scheffer is due to pop up on the tenth episode of the new season which should air sometime in December, barring any hiatuses.
Are you excited to see Maher return to television? Are you hoping to see him share the screen with Summer Glau? Comment below!
Source THR
