According to a recent report by EW, it seems that ‘Arrow’ will be adding yet another vigilante into the Arrowverse in Season 5, as Rick Gonzales joins the cast to play Jack Wheeler, the man who goes on to become the hero known as Wild Dog.
For those unaware of who exactly Wild Dog is (which I will admit, I did not know either), he is pictured above in his “costume” which is his old football jersey that he wears with a hockey mask. His backstory is that he was a collegiate football player who sustained an injury, and dropped out of school to join the Marine Corps. Upon his return to civilian life, he opened an auto-shop and met a woman while taking night classes, a lady who would eventually become his fiance. Unfortunately for him, that woman was killed by the mafia, inspiring Wheeler to become the crime-fighter known as Wild Dog.
Yes, if you are anything like me, you might be a little worried that Wild Dog seems like a relatively obscure character with a pretty ho-hum backstory, but it does fit in the world of ‘Arrow.’ According to EW, the Wild Dog in ‘Arrow’ is “a new vigilante in Star City whose reckless and cocksure nature prompts Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) to take him under his wing.”
It makes sense to bring in fresh blood, especially after most of the team either left or was killed by the end of Season 4, and Rick Gonzales is an entertaining enough actor that he seems like he will fit right in with Oliver, Felicity and Curtis (who I am assuming will join team Arrow full-time next season).
What are your thoughts on Wild Dog joining the hunt? Does ‘Arrow’ need to stop introducing new heroes and focus on creating compelling stories for the characters already on the show? Share your opinions on the matter down in the comments section below.
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
