Human history is filled to the brim with awe-inspiring stories that may or may not hold some truth to them; from the far eastern waters of Japan to the freezing Scandinavian peninsula, it is odd how writers aren’t falling over each other in a race to bring these characters to life on the small screen.
Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies!
We have scoured the archives and compiled a list of our 23 favorite characters of legend and matched them with shows that will be the perfect fit for them!!
Aradia (The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina)
Sabrina is a total badass, and we’re huge fans, but she’ll still be learning about her heritage and what she can do when this show begins. We couldn’t find anyone who could be the perfect co-mentor than Aradia — an Italian hipster witch who was a feminist long before it was cool. Even if the writers of this show don’t grant us our wish, this is one woman with a fascinating story everyone should read up on.

Jiang Shi (Van Helsing)
With the resurrection of the elder in this criminally underrated show that has already shown a willingness to portray different types of vampires, the time is ripe for the appearance of these creepy Chinese ‘vampires.’ Unlike a lot of other vampires, they move around by hopping with their arms stretched out in front of them. They are also capable of draining their victims of life without consuming a drop of their blood.

Cossack Sorcerers (Legacies)
In the world of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, witches have been on the receiving end of a lot of cruelty at the hands of vampires and werewolves. Without their magic, they are pretty much helpless. Not the Cossack sorcerers, because these guys kick ass and take names like it’s no one’s business. With physical combat skills that are said to rival that of the ninjas, these Ukrainian warlocks don’t need their magic to leave bodies in their wake.

Kappa (American Horror Story)
The Kappa is a sea creature of Japanese origin that feeds on the life force of its victims. That sounds like a pretty boring folk tale but here is where it gets weird — the Kappa feeds on a person’s life force which has hardened into a little ball situated deep inside a human’s rectum. You’ve probably guessed by now through which orifice this “chi ball” is violently removed. Mr. Kappa drowns you and extracts the ball — if you’re one of the lucky ones — because in a lot of cases, the order is reversed and the ball gets extracted while the victim is still alive. With American Horror Story being what it is, this nasty water-dweller will fit right in.

Humbaba (Wynonna Earp)
This misunderstood creature from Beowulf’s tale died protecting nature. We could really use someone like him in real life right about now. With the ghost river triangle home to a shocking amount of untouched forest cover, this guardian of nature will be at home terrorizing people for a just cause.

Ehecatl (The Flash)
The flash is a storied comic character with no shortage of comic book villains to draw from, and we know Ehecatl is not one of them but just hear us out: Barry has spent the better part of four years screaming into our ears how he is the fastest man alive, but we all know there are a few individuals around who might have a thing or two to say about that. Ehecatl was the Aztec wind god most notorious for his slippery nature. We’ve already had a few speedsters go up against Barry as his main opponents, but never one who draws his abilities from anything other than the speed force.

Oya (The Magicians)
The “Orisha” or physical form of an African goddess of thunder. Oya was in the top echelons of the West African pantheon of gods and a renowned sorceress. She could hop over to Fillory to teach Quentin and friends a few things about casting spells.

Rusalka (Siren)
Ryn and her band of mermaids have shown a capacity for compassion and love. Not the Rusalka. This species of Slavic mermaids are a bunch of total basket cases completely void of the ability to feel remorse. This will show the individuals trying to starve Ryn and her people that things could be worse. So. Much. Worse.

Samson (Lucifer)
Of all the Jewish Judges of old, none met an end as tragic or brutal as the long-haired strongman, Samson. This swift end came courtesy of Delilah, who if switched for Mazikeen could ignite an exciting look into Mazikeen’s past. Because let’s face it; Maze’s past has been so intertwined with Lucifer’s almost to the point of her not having any sense of agency before coming to L.A. The now blind Samson could return to pay Maze back in her own coin.

Huitzilopochtli (American Gods)
Yeah, no one gets the name right on the first try. Like Wednesday, this Aztec war god’s powers would have waned significantly, and his nature as a war god means he’ll easily buy into Wednesday’s call to arms and join his band of merry old gods seeking to reclaim their past glory.

Samael (Legends Of Tomorrow)
If you think demons and evil sorcerers were bad, then you clearly haven’t met the being who was the inspiration for the grim reaper. While often confused with Lucifer, this guy’s name translates to “Venom of God”, and you better believe he more than lives up to it. The Legends have cheated death more than once with their time ship and who better to come in and correct these aberrations than the one in charge of gathering up souls and delivering them to their maker.

Grendel (Midnight Texas)
Another foe of Beowulf’s. Said to be a descendant of the biblical Cain; this terrifying creature can return to scare the living daylight out of our heroes or he could join them. We know Midnight is the best place to let your freak flag fly. Plus, Beowulf was kinda arrogant, so it’ll be awesome to find out Grendel didn’t run off and die in the swamps as he made everyone believe.

The Second Beast (Preacher)
Preacher is another TV show adapted from a comic series that isn’t lacking in villains from which to draw inspiration. But, like every comic show out there, it wouldn’t hurt to keep people guessing, and there is no better villain to help keep Jesse and his companions on their toes than this chimera-esque beast whose sole purpose is to corrupt mankind.

La Tunda/ La Patasola (The Outpost)
The infected and the gray skins on this show have made the woods inhabitable for every living thing. As a guardian spirit of the wild, La Tunda will be the perfect teammate to help Talon rid the world of those abominations. Her one-leggedness does not make her any less vicious.

Seraphim (Charmed)
With the original including an angel as part of the cast and the reboot likely to have one as well, it’s safe to say this show is at least partly drawn from Judeo-Christian mythology. Enter the Seraphim: considered to be in a different class from your everyday Angels and Archangels. Described as the four-faced bearers of God’s throne, these fascinating creatures could be a refreshing take on the usual heaven-dwelling creatures.

Sango (Black Lightning)
Black Lightning: a black man who can manipulate electricity. Sango: another “Orisha,” but this time, it belongs to the lightning god of the African pantheon. It sounds like a match made in heaven.

Marduk (Stranger Things)
A Babylonian usurper god who has a long history of walking in and taking over the positions and powers of other beings with special abilities. We don’t enjoy seeing Eleven and her friends in danger, but there is no one better to teach this opportunist a lesson on how to be content with what you have.

Na Kika (American gods)
Unlike Wednesday and his group, this Micronesian god has been all but erased from memory despite the vital role he played in pulling the islands of the Pacific from the bottom of the sea. We can see this jilted deity returning to lay the hurt on the descendants of those he felt had wronged him.

Caishen (Good Omens)
This show is about an Angel and the demon Crowley (no, not the one from Supernatural) deciding to abandon their duty posts and have fun. They enjoy their getaway so much they decide they don’t want the world to end. They team up and try to prevent the world from ending. In Chinese myth, Caishen is the embodiment of wealth, and he seems like the perfect third wheel/benefactor to these two rogue characters and will likely have a vested interest in not losing his wealth when the apocalypse arrives.

Nemesis (Arrow)
The movie part of the DC Universe has established that the Olympian gods existed at some point, and we know magic is very much a part of the Arrowverse. What better time to introduce the lady in charge of retribution and deciding if your accumulated karma lies on the blue or red side of the line. There are more than a few characters in that universe whose karma is in need of some balancing.

Baba Yaga (The Witcher)
A Slavic crone who, depending on her mood, could either be a great source of help or the reason why you’re going to have night terrors for the rest of your life. The perfect adversary for Geralt to hunt if they crave a horror slant to this upcoming video game adaptation.

Kali (Preacher)
This Hindu goddess who ensures the demise of the human ego can be merciful and brutal in equal measure. She sounds exactly like the kind of person Tulip would love to hang out with, right?

Tyr (The Magicians)
One of the noblest Norse gods you’ll ever find. Tyr sacrificed his arm to help Odin subdue Fenrir the wolf with a rope forged from some improbable ingredients like the sound of a cat’s footsteps, a bird’s spittle, the beard of a woman, the roots of a stone and the breath of a fish. Look, it’s a long story, so just roll with it. Besides, they’re Norse gods so I’m sure they have access to that kind of stuff on Asgard. Anyhow, the gang over at Fillory seem like the best candidates to help him adapt to using one arm to cast spells.
