‘Arrow’ Preview: Seth Gabel Describes Vertigo Character As “Joker-Type”

To date The CW's 'Arrow' has earned itself some serious geek credibility, not only in weaving multiple DC characters into its first season, but for casting recognizable genre stars to play them as well. One upcoming guest star that gets us excited for 'Arrow's 2013 return is that of former 'Fringe' star Seth Gabel,' appearing as DC's villainous Count Vertigo in the January 30 installment. Gabel has opened up about what drew him to the role, but could he really be 'Arrow's equivalent of famous Batman villain "The Joker?"

Don't hold your breath for many recognizable Batman characters to appear on The CW's 'Arrow,' but upcoming guest star Seth Gabel's Count Vertigo might be closer than we think. Gabel will appear in next year's "Vertigo" as "The Count," whose titular drug makes its way through Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell)'s home base of Starling City. Speaking to the Huffington Post, Gabel offered a few tantalizing teases of his character, including the intriguing Batman comparison.

[Executive producer] Greg Berlanti called, who I worked with on 'Dirty Sexy Money.' And he said that there was a Joker-type character coming up on Arrow, which was intriguing and something I thought maybe I wanted to avoid, because you hear 'The Joker' and you think of Heath Ledger. There's just no way to come anywhere near that.

I was really interested to see if I could create something that had a similar energy but definitely distinct from what Heath had done. I worked really hard on it, and it's definitely the most risk that I've ever taken playing a part.

'Arrow' is certainly at no loss for villains, having most recently introduced the Dark Archer, and its alter-ego Malcolm Merlyn.  Merlyn's portrayer John Barrowman also recently spoke out on his role to the L.A. Times, noting how he hopes to stick with the series. "I'd love to be a regular on the show just to continue the role. I love playing [Malcolm]," he says.

What say you? Are you excited to see Seth Gabel's turn as 'Arrow's Count Vertigo? What other villains would you like to see on the series?