TGIF Friday: Another superhero with Asian American roots

SUPERNATURAL

Canadian Osric Chau will join the DC superheroes as Atom.

Some big news for superhero fans. Uh, small news?

Osric Chau has been cast as DC's Atom and his alter ego Ryan Choi. The DC superhero will help populate the Arrowverse on the CW network.

"This is not my victory, this is another step in a larger movement," tweeted Chau, acknowledging the growing opportunities for Asian actors because of the artistic and financiaal success of  the hit movie Crazy Rich Asians in 2018.

Ryan Choi is described as a physics professor at Ivy Town Universitiy. Atom, besides having the ability to miniaturize himself, or grow larger, he also has some control of atoms so that he can direct them into some sort of power beam.

Unfortunately, Chau won't have his own show. Atom/Ryan Choi will play a pivotal role in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Arrowverse crossover begins with Supergirl on Sunday, Dec. 8, followed by Batwoman on Monday, Dec. 9, and The Flash on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The crossover then resumes with part two after the holiday break with Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow on Tuesday, Jan. 14. 

The Vancouver-born Chau is best known for his recurring role on six seasons of the long-running CW fantasy series Supernatural as Kevin Tran, a brilliant, overachieving high school student whose life suddenly changes when he becomes a Prophet of God, according to Entertainment.

Chau is the fifth Asian American/Canadian actor to garner a superhero role. Most recently, fellow Canadian Simu Liu was cast as Marvel martial arts superhero Shang-Chi. 

Earlier, teenager Ella Jay Basco portrays a young Batgirl, a DC character, in the upcoming movie Birds of Prey. Chloe Bennett plays Daisy Johnson and Ming-na Wen plays bad-ass agent Melinda May in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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