Well, we can finally put a face to one of Arrow season 6’s big bads, as the much talked about Richard Dragon has been cast. Technically, the character’s real name is Ricardo Diaz, but he went by the pseudonym of “Richard Dragon” in the New 52 comics, also being the son of the man to originally bear that name (more on that in a moment).
As it turns out, Kirk Acevedo (Kingdom, Insidious: Chapter 4) has found himself in the role. But before we proceed any further, let’s take a look at the character description provided by Deadline:
A hardened ex-con recently released from prison for crimes he didn’t commit, Ricardo Diaz (Acevedo) is bent on taking over Star City’s criminal underworld. A master in hand to hand combat, honed by years of life on the street, Diaz has yet to meet a foe he can’t take down.
If anything, this aligns with earlier statements saying Diaz would be a “very grounded” villain, and that he’d present one of the greatest challenges that Team Arrow has thus far encountered. And knowing how formidable Prometheus was last year, it’s safe to say that a high bar has been set.
Still, we can’t help but wonder who else he’ll be joining forces with aside from a returning David Nykl as Anatoly Knyazev (fingers crossed for a full-on KGBeast). Well, Michael Emerson will also be in the mix, but his character is yet to be named. Interestingly enough, early reports coming out of San Diego Comic-Con placed him as Richard Dragon, so we’ll have to wait and see if there’s any sort of relation between the two. If not, Emerson could be one of the Long Bow Hunters yet to be introduced in the Arrowverse such as Red Dart or Killer Moth – or someone else entirely. Only time will tell.
Arrow returns for its sixth season on Thursday, October 12 on The CW.