Legends of Tomorrow Casts John Noble As Mallus

Screen Rant

Legends of Tomorrow Casts Fringe's John Noble As Mallus

By David Stephens

Published Nov 7, 2017

Fringe and Sleepy Hollow actor John Noble is voicing bad guy Mallus and will be in the upcoming episode of CW's Legends of Tomorrow.

Whilst the identity and form of the main villain in Season 3 of The CW's Legends of Tomorrow has so far been kept a secret, the actor playing him has finally been revealed. The mysterious Mallus is being played by Fringe alum John Noble, although in keeping with other 'big bads' from the Arrowverse so far he is only confirmed to be the voice-actor behind the menacing character, and we're just about to hear him for the first time.

Noble is the Australian actor who will be forever linked with the much-loved character Dr. Walter Bishop in Fringe, but has had plenty of recent significant appearances on US TV which has increased his fan base. He currently plays Morland Holmes, the morally dubious father to Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock in Elementary, and he also played Ichabod Crane's mixed-up son Henry Parrish in Sleepy Hollow. His distinctive theatrical voice also places him in great demand for voice-acting parts, with his performance as Scarecrow in Rocksteady's game Batman: Arkham Knight providing a highpoint in the narrative. This gives him more than enough credentials to play a worthy nemesis to the Legends.

Just ahead of episode 5 of the current season, it was EW that broke the news of the casting. The character of Mallus has only been referred to in hushed references and by supporting characters. Rip Hunter's Time Bureau knows all about him, and Rip thinks that the Legends might be the only way to stop him. But his objectives have been shrouded in mystery so far. He was instrumental in the resurrection of watery super-villain Kuasa (Tracy Ifeachor), and is said to be the reason for the reappearance of Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), but his motives have not yet been explored.

The Arrowverse is well-known for misdirection with its villains though, and it remains very likely that Mallus will be either physically played by another actor or a CG creation. This has happened twice in The Flash, with Zoom being voiced by Candyman Tony Todd and Savitar originally owning the vocals of Saw actor Tobin Bell, before being revealed as "known" characters. It remains just as likely that this will happen to Mallus, although Noble would still make a great villain in his own right as a physical presence.

At least the voice of Mallus is said to heard at some point during Episode 5, which promises to be an eventful one as the team apparently faces a vampire attack in Victorian London and reunite with Rip. Later episodes in the season also tease the appearance of John Constantine. With time still 'broken', it will be interesting to see how Mallus will figure into the overall arc and what his connection to Sara (Caity Lotz) and her team may be. At any rate with the vocals of Noble in charge, he's sure to be a charismatic and interesting adversary whatever form he takes.