Fans of The CW's vigilante justice show Arrow were left reeling by the finale of season 1, which didn't pull any punches when it came to the lasting effects of the Dark Archer's campaign against The Glades. Season 2 will apparently pick up with Oliver Queen returning after a period of travel, potentially to other DC cities like Blüdhaven, but there won't be much time to rest for the protector of Starling City.

Among its host of returning and brand new actors, season 2 of Arrow will feature a number of new characters drawn from the pages of the DC comic book universe. One of these is Michael Jai White, best known amongst comic fans for playing the title character in the 1997 movie Spawn, who joins Arrow as the expert martial artist and assassin Benjamin Turner AKA Bronze Tiger.

Courtesy of TV Guide, we now have the first image of White in the role, sporting what looks like a durable jacket to fit his title and a set of deadly weapons on his fists. The actual screenshot that was chosen to promote Bronze Tiger's introduction is unfortunately more funny than exciting. It kind of looks like Green Arrow and Bronze Tiger are about to go skydiving and Bronze Tiger is feeling nervous about it. Alternatively, it could be the two of them imitating Shaggy and Scooby Doo after seeing a ghost. If nothing else, the screenshot would be great as the subject of a caption competition (feel free to weigh in with your own caption in the comments).

Michael Jai White as Bronze Tiger in 'Arrow'

Bronze Tiger is just one of several members of the Suicide Squad who will be appearing in Arrow this season, not the least of which is mastermind Amanda Waller, who will be played by Spartacus star Cynthia Addai-Robinson. Waller isn't being introduced as the leader of the Suicide Squad, however, but as an agent of A.R.G.U.S., an organization that was briefly heard about last season when they were pursuing lethal assassin Deadshot.

The growing number of villains on the roster, including Oliver Queen's business rival Isabel Rochev (Summer Glau) could indicate a move towards some kind of villain team-up. Executive producer Marc Guggenheim has already dropped a few hints as to why Bronze Tiger is in town:

"He's basically the best of the best, so he has come to Starling City to see if the Hood can give him a challenge. To that end, he has aligned himself with China White [Kelly Hu] and the Chinese Triad."

If the various villains of Starling City do band together and attack at the same time, Oliver won't necessarily be alone in facing them. Not only does he have his trusty back-up in the form of tech expert Felicity Smoak (who has upgraded the Arrowcave during his absence) and bodyguard John Diggle, it's also likely that we'll see Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) in training to become Red Arrow, and Barry "The Flash" Allen (Grant Gustin) will appear in three episodes this season with the potential for his own spin-off show.

Tell us if you like the look of White as Benjamin Turner - and if you're impressed by his tiger claws - in the comments.

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Arrow season 2 premieres October 9th, 2013 @8pm on The CW.

Source: TV Guide