Brian Stapf Won't Be Tamed As Wildcat On 'Stargirl'

The ranks of the original Justice Society of America continues to fill out for DC Universe’s upcoming series ‘Stargirl’, with the addition of Brian Stapf as the original Wildcat, Ted Grant. This will be a recurring role on the series. This news comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Lou Ferrigno Jr., the son of TV’s original ‘Incredible Hulk’, would be playing Hourman, with ‘Community”s Joel McHale appearing as Sylvester Pemberton, recast on ‘Stargirl’ as Starman.

Stapf has never had a regular role on a TV series, but has popped up on many, including ‘The Purge’, ‘Valor’, ‘Bloodline’, ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Queen Sugar’, ‘Powers’, ‘House of Cards’, ‘NCIS: New Orleans’, ‘Under the Dome’ and more. He also appeared in a bit part in the superhero box office bomb ‘Fantastic Four’.

The original Wildcat didn’t possess any superpowers, but was one of the best boxers in the world and used his skills with his fists to fight crime. He later passed his knowledge down to the next generation of superheroes, teaching Batman and Black Canary, among others, how to box.

J.R. Ramirez portrayed the Arrowverse version of Ted Grant on ‘Arrow’, while Roger Hasket appeared as Wildcat in a brief cameo on ‘Smallville’.

The character has also been featured in animation on ‘Justice League Unlimited’, ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ and ‘DC Superhero Girls’.

Shortly after the ‘Stargirl’ series was announced, it was also revealed that the show would feature a teenage version of Ted Grant’s successor, Yolanda Montez, who became the new Wildcat in the 1980s. Unlike Grant, Yolanda actually has superpowers– retractable razor-sharp claws, super agility, and other cat-like abilities. It is known that on ‘Stargirl’, Yolanda will be a student at Blue Valley High School, a classmate of the show’s lead, Courtney Whitmore, played by Brec Bassinger.