Two corners of the DC television universe have just added exciting new members to their cast. Over on the CW, Arrow has gained Fargo and Armageddon’s Peter Stormare as Count Vertigo, while Academy Award nominated actress Carol Kane (Annie Hall, Dog Day Afternoon) will put down roots in Fox’s Gotham.
The DC comics villain Count Vertigo has already appeared and died on Arrow, but Seth Gable’s cringe-worthy performance didn’t sit well with fans. Stormare will play the New 52 version of the character, Werner Zytle, who is the ruler of the tiny nation of Vlatava and involved in organized crime.
Already it’s easy to see how Stormare will be able to portray a more formidable and intimidating enemy for Oliver Queen than Gable ever was, so his involvement is incredibly exciting. According to Screen Crush, he will simply go by “Vertigo,” and take over the distribution of the previous Count’s street drug, serving as the first villain the Arrow will face in season 3 (making him that mysterious guy “Seth,” who was teased in a previous casting call).
Kane, on the other hand, will play Gertrud Kapelput, the mother of Oswald Cobblepot, the future Penguin. According to TV Line, she will be a “proud and faded beauty with delusions of grandeur” and first appear in the second episode. Her involvement suggests that we’ll be seeing a bit of background into the “First Families” that once had control over Gotham city, which include the Cobblepots, the Waynes, the Kanes (whose descendant becomes Batwoman), the Crownes, and the Elliots (whose descendant becomes the villain Hush). That, or we’ll get some insight into some serious mommy issues that push little Oswald over the edge and toward a path of darkness.
Gotham will air on Fox this fall on Monday nights at 8 p.m. Arrow, on the other hand, will air on the CW on Thursdays at 8 p.m.