Star City has encountered its fair share of villains throughout the years. In fact, I'm really surprised anyone lives here at this point, given all the mayhem that's ensued. But Wednesday night's Arrow episode "Restoration" is about to bring a new Big Bad into the fold. JR Bourne will portray Arrow 's Jeremy Tell, a metahuman who has the unique capability of turning his playing card tattoos into deadly weapons that he controls with his mind. He's also known as being a con artist and compulsive gambler. And just like any hero/villain worth their salt, Tell also has an alternate identity. In the D.C. Comics, Jeremy Tell goes by the name Double Down and is a well-known member of the Rogues gallery.
And while Tell's arrival may seem a bit out of Arrow's wheelhouse (usually metahumans are more of The Flash's thing), the episode synopsis indicates that Tell gets deployed by Damien Darhk and the mysterious H.I.V.E. we've heard so much about. So that right there indicates that this guy is bad news and runs in some very dark circles. But even though the odds may seem stacked against Team Arrow, especially since Oliver and Diggle are currently on the outs, I have every confidence that our beloved vigilantes will deal out some of their best combat moves and shuffle this guy right out of town. (I sincerely hope you appreciated all of my card-related puns, by the way.)
Now, as for how Jeremy Tell received his magical capabilities is a pretty interesting story in and of itself. Tell gained his powers shortly after losing an important card game. In fact, he became so upset over the defeat that he attacked and killed the man he had lost against. But that burst of anger came with a price. It turned out that the man Tell murdered had been in possession of a cursed deck of cards, which attached to Tell's flesh and burned off a great portion of his skin. Ever since then, the cards have served as his greatest weapons that can do irrefutable harm to his attackers. So, in other words, don't ask this guy to show you his hand because odds are you'll end up seriously injured… or even dead.
But the Green Arrow might not be the only vigilante Double Down will end up doubling down with. In the comics, this character is also among the network of villains working for Professor Zoom. So there's always a chance that he could end up escaping Team Arrow's clutches and make his way over to Central City for some Zoom-centric mischief. And I, for one, wouldn't mind it one bit.
Images: Photo: Diyah Pera /The CW (2)
