It was another delightfully bonkers episode of Legends of Tomorrow as the heroes went off to New Orleans to stop a magical fugitive that just so happened to be a serial killer, but more than just another unique adventure for the team the episode also featured a cameo from Pee-Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens — and that cameo might just surprise you.
Spoilers for tonight’s episode of Legends of Tomorrow, “Hell No, Dolly!”, below.
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As you may have guessed from the episode title, the fugitive the Legends are tracking down is a possessed doll. The team discovers this when a really creepy old-timey Chucky-style doll in a sailor suit attacks both Ray and Sara. Fortunately, Mick busts in and blasts him with his heat gun. Granted, that’s not quite enough to stop this evil spirit. Once on the Waverider, it manages to escape its mangled doll body only to possess another doll-like creature.
That’s right, the evil spirit takes over Puppet Stein.
So, what does this have to do with Reubens? It turns out that Reubens’ secret cameo in the episode was that of the voice of the evil spirit, going first from the scary dolly to the puppet version of the beloved late Professor Stein.
The cameo marks the latest DC Comics-related role for Reubens, who previously played Oswald Cobblepott’s dad on both Batman Returns and Gotham. He also has voiced Bat-Mite on various DC animated properties, including Batman: The Brave and the Bold. And while the idea of Reubens appearing on an Arrowverse show might seem a little over-the-top, some will surely argue that it fits right in line with the show’s sensibility.
“Sometimes you just get lucky with your performers and the themes and the world you create,” co-showrunner Phil Klemmer explained to ComicBook.com earlier this year. “The problem is we’re doing this stuff so far in advance that if you make a mistake, there’s not really righting the ship. It does feel like a small miracle when you get to the end of season and you look back on it and it feels coherent. You’re like, ‘You know what? It’s crazy and it’s wacky but …’ And not that we had any of this planned ahead of time because we’re not that conscientious or intelligent, but the fact that we’re able to pull all of the wild, disparate, loose ends in some semblance of a bow. It does feel, I don’t know, more than anything, you just feel like a giant relief and humility.”
Did you enjoy Reuben’s cameo tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Legends of Tomorrow airs on Mondays at 9/8c, following episodes of Arrow on The CW.
