Well, this is a twist - The CW has cast former Fringe star Seth Gabel as a dangerous new villain on their ratings dominating thriller Arrow. As previously reported, Gabel’s deadly new role will be based on DC Comics’ nausea inducing supervillain Count Vertigo, but the character’s name and back story will be significantly altered for the show.

Originally, Count Werner Vertigo was the last descendant of a disgraced eastern European royal family who comes to Star City to rob its wealthy inhabitants, but the CW’s more grounded take on the superpowered scoundrel will depict the character as a deadly drug dealer.

Making his entrance in an early 2013 episode titled ‘Vertigo,’ the yet to be named character will hit the streets of Starling City with a dangerous new drug called Vertigo  that will most likely take a heavy personal toll on Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) sloppy socialite sister Thea (Willa Holland).

Despite Gabel’s baby-faced appearance, an Arrow insider describes his new character as "Oliver’s deadliest adversary to date… He will be truly scary and nightmarish.” Yikes! With the likes of truly badass assassins and killers such as Deadshot, China White and Deathstroke the Terminator, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that Vertigo will have some serious lasting consequences on Starling City and her new guardian angel.

Seth Gabel Cast as Count Vertigo
The DC Comics version of Count Vertigo doin’ his supervillain thang

Coming off his most recent television endeavor as Lincoln Lee on Fringe,  Gabel's new gig on Arrow will reunite the actor with executive  producer Greg Berlanti after the conclusion of ABC’s short-lived dramedy Dirty Sexy Money in 2009.

While exciting, the announcement of Gabel landing the role of Count Vertigo (or whatever he goes by) does throw a wrench in the popular theory that Torchwood alum John Barrowman’s mysterious “The Well-Dressed Man” character would later be revealed as Vertigo. With the frontrunner for Barrowman’s enigmatic character crossed off the list of theories, it’s back to the speculation drawing board as to who he might be.

So what do you think about Arrow’s version of Count Vertigo? Is it a great way of modernizing the character? Or should The Cw stick to the comic book script?

Arrow airs Wednesdays @8pm on The CW. The ‘Vertigo’ episode will air in January.

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Source: TV Line