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Deadline has reported that Ciara Renee (Law and Order: SVU) has been tapped to play Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl on the upcoming Flash/Arrow spinoff series that is set to debut in late 2015/early 2016. The site was also kind enough to release this short but sweet official description about the character: "Kendra Saunders is a young woman who is just beginning to learn that she has been repeatedly reincarnated over the centuries. When provoked, her ancient warrior persona manifests itself, along with wings that grow out of her back, earning her the moniker…Hawkgirl."
Ciara Renee joins a very strange array of characters from both Arrow + TheFlash. Which so far includes The ATOM, Hawkgirl, Captain Cold, Heatwave, One half of Firestorm, and Sara Lance's corpse. Plus three DC characters, who will be new to TV, are expected to be introduced as well. I sure as hell have no idea what's going on, but you know what, I dig. A whole crazy ass list of DC characters being produced by the people who make Arrow/Flash. Sign me up. Especially since many of these awesome characters will never get the silver screen treatment. It's gonna be cool to see a separate team of lesser known heroes assemble on TV. Now just cast a Booster Gold and let's get this train rolling.
P.S. Why hasn't Robbie Amell aka Ronnie Raymond joined this cast yet? The other half of Firestorm, Victor Garber aka Martin Stein, has. I can only jump to one logical conclusion, Ronnie has left Firestorm. First Zayn leaves 1D, now Ronnie leaves Firestorm. #WorstWeekEver, I can't take much more heartbreak. #ComeBackRonnie UPDATE: Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who) has also been added to the Flash/Arrow spinoff as time-traveler Rip Hunter. His character description is "a roguish time traveler who hides the strains of being responsible for history itself behind a facade of charm and wit." This addition makes sense because of the recent discovery of time-travel on The Flash. Also since Rip is Booster Gold's son, I think it should be about time we bring him into this little party as well. So what do you guys think of Hawkgirl and Rip Hunter? Sound off in the comments. Source: The Hollywood Reporter
From holding up a casino for fun with the Snart siblings to shooting the shit about high school girlfriends with the Ramon brothers, this week's episode of The Flash sat us down and taught us all about the importance of sibling bonding.
Episode Description: After accidentally running back in time, Barry gets a chance to alter his future for the better. However, things take a bad turn when the Rouges return to Central City with their newest member, Lisa Snart, a.k.a. Golden Glider. High Points:
Scumbag Barry Allen: Is asked not to tamper with the timeline in any way. Goes ahead and tampers with the timeline in every possible way
Positives to this include the Weather Wizard being put away in record time and Cisco getting to live
I was interested by Harrison Well's reaction to learning Barry traveled back in time. We learned last week he is waiting for Barry to be able to break the time barrier so he can go home, but even when he was alone in his back room this week he seemed more nervous about Barry's newfound ability. We may know who Wells is now but we still need to find out what causes the Flash to "go missing" in 2024.
I loved the interactions between Captain Cold and The Flash this week. This is the third time this season the Rouges have faced off with the Flash and the arch-rivalry between Snart and Allen is really starting to show.
On top of that, I especially liked the exchange Snart and Allen had in the woods. It established A) a true superhero/villain arch rivalry between Captain Cold and the Flash and B) their "game". In the New 52, Captain Cold and The Flash have a similar relationship where they continue to go head-to-head over time as long as no one has to die as a result. I really enjoyed seeing this similar relationship form in this episode
I was a fan of Golden Glider as a character. I am not overly sold on her "gold gun" but I enjoyed the dynamic between her and her brother Leonard
Barry has a heart-to-heart with Eobard Thawne in which he asks Barry how many other people might have to die if he goes back in time to save his mother (Flashpoint Paradox anyone?)
Cisco has a heart-to-heart with Eobard Thawne that goes a lot better for Cisco this week than it did last week
Rest In Peace Mason Bridge. We thought your appearance in the show may signal a potential relationship with The Flash, but you barked up the wrong tree and got your heart stopped by The Reverse Flash (that really seems to be Eobard's go-to move)
Finally after everyone else has had a run at being suspicious of Dr. Wells, it is Barry's turn
Low Points:
I am still not overly sold on Heat Wave. I know that an unhealthy obsession with fire is kind of THE defining characteristic of Heat Wave, but right now he just kind of strikes me as a goon with a flamethrower. I'd like to see a bit more character development there
I also wasn't sold on Golden Glider's "gold gun". Sure it looked kind of cool but Golden Glider is named more for the ice skates that allow her to skate around in midair than anything having to do with gold. I feel like they just want Cisco to have to make a gun for every villain that ends up being on the Rouges.
Why the hell does Cisco's family give him such crap for being a mechanical engineer? "You think your mechanical engineering can help us now?" -Dante Ramon. And your piano playing is going to help out all the more Dante? Get a job hippie.
Preferably one that pays this time Dante
Verdict: As exciting as the last 15 minutes of last week's episode was, It was clear that all that ground was going to give way to an alternate timeline when Barry ended up running back in time. Zero time was wasted in wrapping up the whole Weather Wizard storyline which allowed time for the Rouges to make their third appearance this season. On a small side note I found it very interesting that very different events occurred because of one thing Barry changed when he went back in time. The Rouges didn't pull their casino heist the first time around, only after Barry went back in time. Sounds like there may have been a "time boom" involved in Barry's tie traveling, similar to the large scale one that occurs when The Flash goes back in time to save his mother in Flashpoint Paradox. I'm not speculating anything in the way of a full-scale Flashpoint Paradox scenario, but it is exciting to see that more events are effected by Barry's time travel than just the events he chooses to tamper with. This time the unforeseen event was Captain Cold and his gang rolling back into town to do what they do best: commit petty theft and crime just because it is so gosh darn fun. Gold gun aside, I enjoyed the Rouges' newest addition to the team, Golden Glider, and I think her personality compliments her brother's very well. I am also an ever growing fan of this Captain Cold and the dynamic he has with Barry Allen. As the leader of the Rouges, Captain Cold is one of The Flash's oldest rivals and this episode did a great job in really establishing them as just that. Like I was saying in my high points, The New 52 comic run of The Flash alludes to a "game" that Captain Cold and The Flash have. Essentially it is a sort of agreement that no one has to get killed in this constant back and forth between the two, and it is exactly what was established between the two characters in tonight's episode. Barry can't put Cold away without revealing his own secret identity to the world, but Barry was able to use Leonard's ego to keep him from killing people in the future. It is an interesting hero/villain relationship that commands that each party have a level of respect for the other while still being directly opposed to one another, which I think is going to make for a great arch-rivalry between the two in future episodes. Also, in the New 52 Captain Cold only breaks from their "game" when he suspects that The Flash was responsible for his sister's death, so there could be potential for a storyline involving the death of Golden Glider in the future. In the meantime there was not too much that happened on the Harrison Wells front during this episode. We saw him in his back room checking the newspaper from 2024 and we watched him as he killed Mason Bridge. We are starting to reach a point in the show where the questions start shifting from "Who is Harrison Wells?" to "What are his true plans/motives?". We know that he is trapped in this time and needs Barry to get back to his own time, but when is that? Usually Eobard Thawne is a man from the 25th century so why is he so obsessed with making sure that happened The Flash disappears in 2024? It appears to me we have two options on our hands. Either we are forced to wait through nine more seasons of The Flash before we reach an end to this storyline in the real 2024, or we are going to see some time-travel into the future fairly soon. As much as I would love to see the show run for that long, I hope to god it is the second one because the episode cliffhangers this season alone have made me speculate almost to the point of paranoia. I feel like I'm trying to get to the bottom of some huge conspiracy theory every time I flip on my TV on Tuesday night.
Even Spidey wants to know what the hell is going on in this show
We also got the death of Mason Bridge tonight but I don't feel to shaken by that personally. He was a character who was known to be friends with Wally West so originally there was the thought that his presence in the show could signal a potential appearance of the second Flash. However, he only ended up serving as a character who poked his head in now and again to be generally suspicious of Harrison Wells. And who knows, with all this timeline hopping who can truly say who will remain dead for how long (I'm looking at you Cisco). All in all it was another strong appearance by The Rouges this week and Captain Cold has turned out to be a great foe for The Flash to butt heads with time and time again. An 8.0 out of 10 seems in order.
Thanks for checking out the review! Who do you think should be the next addition to the Rouges Gallery? Who had a worse time with the ladies this week: Barry or Cisco? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments and on twitter @Caped_Informers. Be sure to check back here for more show and movie reviews as well as news and original articles concerning your favorite comic heroes. The Flash returns same time next week with "Tricksters".
A Lesson in Time Travel from Professor Zoom: In case anyone felt like they were woefully uninformed on the scientific complexities of what constitutes a "time boom", please take a brief moment to watch as Professor Zoom explains this concept in simpler terms. Also watch him fight The Flash and get pumped for the potential showdown later this season.
A Note from Christian:Everyone who has every been alive needs to watch this video.
This week on The Flash, we watch as Dr. Wells tries his hardest not to fire Cisco, one of The Flash's more famous villains makes his debut, and we are graced with a special guest appearance by THE Ms. Felicity Smoak.
Episode Description: The Flash confronts his toughest enemy yet, Captain Cold, as he plots to steal the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond using a stolen "cold gun" from S.T.A.R. Labs
High Points:
Felicity!
Valid concerns raised by Felicity (increased aging, potential unknown weaknesses)
The "slow-motion" action scenes like The Flash breaking up the truck robbery
Barry training his ability to multi-task at high speeds
Leonard Snart! (finally a villain who wasn't put away after one episode)
Dr. Harrison losing his cool with Cisco (Be careful you don't show your hand Eobard..)
Cisco pulling a total Batman move by having a contingency plan for The Flash
The train rescue scene was awesome
Barlicity! The only acceptable substitution for Olicity or Biris
The ending features Mick Rory/Heatwave which means The Rogues are forming up
Low Points:
There was one too many cold-related puns while trying to introduce Captain Cold
Passive Aggressive Barry ("I don't feel like talking")
Eddie losing E=MC Hammer points during trivia night (It's the Millennium Falcon Eddie...pull your head out of your ass..)
Verdict: Lots to be excited about this week. Even though big villains have been implied for weeks now on this show, we finally got our first actual taste of one. Leonard Snart, a.k.a. Captain Cold made his debut tonight and the "cold gun" looked awesome. He was played as a little more trigger happy than usual. He straight up shot one of his crew members just for questioning him, but other than that he seems like the cold-hearted leader of The Rogues that we all know and love. Plus he looks to serve as a good arch-nemesis for Barry in this show, due to the fact that his powers counteract The Flash's, and that he exploits Barry's priority of keeping people safe over catching his man to his own advantage. Also, Captain Colds rendezvous with Heatwave at the end of the episode gave us something to look forward to for future episodes: The Rogues are assembling! It was also a very interesting detail that his gun was actually designed by Cisco, who made it specifically to stop The Flash if he turned out to be evil. Sounds an awful lot like the contingency plans a certain Justice Leaguer has set in place. I'm not saying that Cisco and Batman are connected in anyway, but it was kind of a cool nod to that. And of course, Felicity Smoak came to visit Central City in this episode, and as always she dazzled us with her fan favorite charm that we have come to love on Arrow. With so much excellent ground work being laid this week, and with the promise of Captain Cold reappearing in the near future at the head of The Rouges, this week's episode scores an 8.5 out of 10.
Thanks for reading the review! Let us know how you are feeling after this week's episode in the comments below or on twitter @Caped_Informers. Check back here regularly for weekly reviews of your favorite comic book shows! The Flash isn't airing a new episode next week, but they will return on November 11 with "Plastique".
Who is the Flash?: Barry Allen is a forensic scientist that works for the Central City police department. While working late one night, a lightning bolt shattered a case of chemicals in Allen's office which then proceeded to spill all over him. The electrically infused chemicals is what gave Barry his super speed, reflexes and metabolism. The Flash uses his powers to defend the citizens of Central City, and is one of the original members of The Justice League as well as one of its most consistent members.
Director: Greg Berlanti
Why?: Time for some real talk. Ever since people went nuts for Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, the DC cinematic universe has decided to embrace a darker, grittier take on some of our heroes. Just watch Snyder's Man of Steel and count how many times anyone smiled. Now I am in no way saying dark and gritty is a thing to be frowned upon. Some of the best stories come from that edgier material. However, Superman was portrayed as very broody in his most recent movie and that is what scares me about The Flash. Despite his backstory of having lost his Mom when he was young, Barry is the farthest thing from being broody, or solemn. He is the type of hero who tosses witty banter and corny catchphrases around like it is going out of style. He is the type of guy who interacts openly with the citizens of his city, thus causing them to adore him to the point where they would build a museum in his honor. He reminds me a little bit of how Andrew Garfield's Spiderman holds himself when he is out and about solving crime (maybe not to such an extreme, but the basic gist of it). The tone of The Flash has got to be a bit lighter than usual in order to capture that and Greg Berlanti is the type of guy who can do that. Now you may be thinking to yourself "But Ryan, didn't that monster have a hand in producing the unforgivable, 2011 cinematic blunder known as The Green Lantern?". You would be correct in thinking that, but Greg Berlanti has also been a consistent writer and producer for one of our favorite shows: Arrow. Not to mention he has recently been doing some more writing/producing for a show alongside DC's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns. Which show? The Flash. By 2018, he will have had close to four years experience working with The Flash's stories, getting to really know the characters and how to do them justice. He is practically a director in extensive training for this project.
A small sampling of how the Flash is intended to behave:
Proposed Story: During our Wonder Woman editorial it was proposed by Christian that no origin stories should come of this DC movie slate and I could not agree more. The Flash is the movie that is on deck immediately following The Justice League Pt. 1. Although he has not been confirmed yet, it would shock me to no end if The Flash wasn't present at all during The Justice League's first film. So let's just assume he will be and then have a quick little nod to how he obtained his powers and be done with it so we can get to the good stuff. Therefore: After the events of The Justice League Pt. 1, Barry Allen looks into ways to increase his speed. He soon discovers that he utilizes a power source known as the "speed force" and learns that he can use it to not only use it to run faster, but also to augment his cognition. One day, as if out of the blue, an EMP blast blacks out Central City, causing crime to run rampant. However, Barry later realizes that it was himself who caused the problem due to his reckless use of the speed force causing inconsistencies in the time stream. Barry must deal with the weight of what he has done to his city, while also dealing with the vengeance of those he has wronged.
Inspired By: The plot I have in mind (as vague as it may have sounded) is essentially the one that is featured in the Move Forward storyline of The Flash's New 52 run. It is a great story when it comes to Barry slowly figuring out the full-extent of his powers, as well as the consequences of them. In the story, an EMP blast blacks out Central City and leaves its citizens in the dark. Later on in the story Barry tries to contain an explosion using his speed, but instead sends it back in time without realizing it, meaning that he sent the EMP blast that doomed Central City to darkness. The effects of this also cause Leonard Snart to lose his sister, which causes him to go after the Flash in a crazed frenzy. The movie obviously wouldn't be frame-for-frame the same but it could definitely draw heavily from this story arch.
Lead Characters (Cast): By following the Move Forward storyline, The Flash will feature some names that are probably not well known to most so I'll give a little explanation about the character as I go and how they would pertain to the plot.
1. Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller)
Why?: The Flash is steadily taking the DC television universe by storm and come 3-4 years from now he will get his shot at the big leagues. Ezra Miller is the only confirmed actor associated with the project thus far and I am deeply unimpressed. There is no reason for me to believe that Miller has got what it takes to portray The Fastest Man Alive based on his past work. However, I remember a time when I was not overly impressed with Grant Gustin either, and now I am all for his Barry Allen. All I can say now is prove me wrong Ezra. For the love of Christ just prove me wrong.
2. Dr. Darwin Elias (Chris Messina)
Why?: Dr. Elias is the person who acts as a confidante to The Flash and he also helps perform tests to discover how Barry can maximize his powers. In Move Forward, he is essentially the one who tells Barry about the speed force. He is pretty new territory with not a whole lot of expectations about him so I trust Messina could make the character his own.
3. Roscoe Hynes/Turbine (David Oyelowo)
Why?: Roscoe Hynes is a Tuskegee Airman from WWII who got sucked into the speed force during a test flight. When the Flash goes to the Speed Force dimension he meets Turbine and ends up bringing him back with him. Turbine has potential to be either friend or foe depending on how they want to use him. Turbine is similar to Dr. Elias
Villans: The Rogues
1. Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Gabriel Macht)
Why?: Captain Cold is the main person that is out to get The Flash in this story line. The blackout that the Flash causes keeps his sister from getting the care she needs and she passes away. The other Rouges are not really included in the this arch, but it would be easy to switch things around a bit and get them all in there. A while ago our own Dan Lee wrote a fan cast for Captain Cold featuring Gabriel Macht and it was explains the choice very well. Check it our here: Dan's FanCast Friday.
2. Mark Mardon/Weather Wizard (Taylor Kitsch)
Why?: Another member of the Rouges who could be worked onto the team and into the story. Taylor Kitsch has superhero movie experience under his belt playing Gambit. Weather Wizard is a character that seems right up his ally.
3. Mick Rory/Heatwave (Vinnie Jones)
Why?: Because bring back the Juggernaut bitch, that's why. Another experienced superhero actor who could be fun to watch as Heatwave.
4. George Harkness/ Captain Boomerang (Tom Hardy)
Why?: Earlier this week, Christian cast Captain Boomerang for the Suicide Squad. Let's get some continuity going between these two movies by having Captain Boomerang also be a member of the Rouges.
Thanks for reading the editorial! You probably may have noticed I didn't say anything about Eobard Thawne. Although he is all I talk about when it comes to The Flash TV show, I decided to go a different route this time for two reasons. A) I think the New 52 Flash stories have been pretty good so far and would do well on the silver screen if done right and B) if there were to be a live action Professor Zoom, I would want it to be done Flashpoint Paradox style, which I know is way, way too much to ask for in The Flash's first movie. At that point it is practically another Justice League movie that just happens to focus a little more on The Flash. Anyways feel free to share your thoughts on anything having to do with The Flash coming out March of 2018!
The 12 days of Editorials continues tomorrow with a write-up on Aquaman! Be sure to check back here then to see it for yourself! And read our first 3 articles on the DCCU by clicking the links below.
Nick Tarabay (Star Trek: Into Darkness) has become the 4th Spartacus: Blood and Sand alum to be cast on CW's Arrow. He will appear as Flash villain Digger Harkness aka Captain Boomerang. Along wight the casting news, a short description of the character was also given."Harkness will be a former A.R.G.U.S operative, highly skilled in martial arts and espionage, with a deadly thirst for vengeance against his former employers." Tarabay is to appear in the 7th episode of Arrow and then jump over to the 8th episode of fellow series Flash. Sources: EW ComicBookMovie
Gotta love the CW shared universe. I'm excited to see these two shows sharing villains and story lines. Tarabay will be a great addition to the universe's ever expanding roster of villains. He was a real son of a bitch as Ashur on Spartacus and I expect nothing less of him for his portrayal of Harkness.
Plus I love that the Rogues are continuing to assemble. Miller, Purcell, and Tarabay as Cold, Heatwave, and Boomerang are a great start to bringing together one of the best villainous teams.
Hell Boomerang could even be a member of Suicide Squad/Task Force X at some point. I would like to see a back and forth between him and Michael Rowe's Deadshot.
