EXCLUSIVE: Legends of Tomorrow Casts Peter Francis James As Key Part of Hawkman/Hawkgirl Story

Peter Francis James has been cast in the role of Dr. Aldus Boardman on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, ComicBook.com has learned exclusively. The character, who appears to be unique to the TV show, will first appear in the Arrow crossover episode, then continue in the role on DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Warner Bros. Television describes Boardman as a Classics professor at St. Roch University, who has devoted his life to researching the story of Chayara (Hawkgirl) and Prince Khufu (Hawkman) and their link to Vandal Savage. Professor Boardman is our team's only hope of finding Vandal and destroying him, so they can return home. But when the Legends learn a secret about Boardman, they insist on making him a part of their journey, only to learn the kind of sacrifice it will take to save the world.

The character isn't one we recognize from DC mythology, but St. Roch University is indeed something that has previously existed in Hawkman lore. It sounds a bit like he may be a good way to facilitate the relationship between fellow academic Ray Palmer and Carter Hall, his longtime best friend in the comics.

This isn't James's first foray into comic book adaptations; he previously appeared in the 2010 adaptation of Vertigo's The Losers. He also portrayed two different judges in recurring stints on two different Law & Order series, and had runs on Oz and Guiding Light.

When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known? DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW stars Victor Garber ("The Flash," "Alias"); Brandon Routh ("Arrow," "Superman Returns"); Arthur Darvill ("Doctor Who"); Caity Lotz ("Arrow"); Ciarra Renee ("Pippin"); Franz Drameh ("Edge of Tomorrow"); with Dominic Purcell ("The Flash," "Prison Break"); and Wentworth Miller ("The Flash," "Prison Break"). Based on the characters from DC Comics, DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti ("Arrow," "The Flash," upcoming "Pan"), Marc Guggenheim ("Arrow," "Eli Stone," "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"), Andrew Kreisberg ("Arrow," "The Flash," "Eli Stone," "Warehouse 13") and Sarah Schechter ("Arrow," "The Flash," upcoming "Pan").