‘Arrow’ Season 5 Spoilers: ‘Walking Dead’ Star Cast As Villain; Everything We Know About Tobias Church So Far

“Arrow” Season 5 officially has a villain. Chad L. Coleman will play the role of Tobias Church, Oliver’s next big adversary. The character doesn’t seem to be based on a famous comic book persona, but quite a few interesting facts have been revealed about the CW drama’s new big bad.

“The Walking Dead” fans know Coleman as Tyreese, but his “Arrow” character won’t be quite as likable. IGN reports that he is “an imposing gangster looking to unite the various criminal enterprises in Star City under his own singular command.”

The character is partially inspired by Stringer (Idris Elba) on “The Wire.” He’ll be a tough guy, but he is smart and has big goals. TVLine reports that the casting notice says Church is “an ‘apex predator’ who ‘cuts his way through the shadows’ by taking down ‘the biggest threat first.’ ” It seems likely that he’ll consider the Green Arrow his biggest enemy.

Luckily, Oliver (Stephen Amell) won’t need magic to defeat his latest opponent. “As far as I know, they don’t have superpowers. I’ll tell you that,” Amell told Variety last month.

Even without magic, Church will want to unite the criminals of Star City, which is a scary thought. Luckily, more good guys will be around. Wild Dog, Vigilante and Artemis are just three of the new superheroes who will help Oliver defend his city. But then, he might also get more help from other heroes. There will be a four-show crossover event next year with “The Flash,” “Supergirl” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”

Amell added that Church isn’t a villain Oliver would’ve been fighting in the earlier seasons of the show. “I’ve heard that our big bad, our villain, is something that you can really only do once you’re in the fifth, sixth or seventh season of a TV show,” he teased.

“Arrow” Season 5 premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. EDT on the CW.