The FLASH TV SERIES

[Jim Kelly]

Was he talking about just the show or the Flash in general?

It sounded to me like he was saying the problem with the Flash as a DC super-hero is he doesn’t have a lot of great villains.

[Osiris-Rex]

It sounded to me like he was saying the problem with the Flash as a DC super-hero is he doesn’t have a lot of great villains.

Other than Batman and Dick Tracy most heroes don't have that big of a villain's gallery.

[The Cool Thatguy]

It sounded to me like he was saying the problem with the Flash as a DC super-hero is he doesn’t have a lot of great villains.

Then I'd call that an ignorant statement, at best.

Flash is one of the few heroes with great villains up and down the weight class spectrum. The writers just have no stinking clue how to use them.

[Midvillian1322]

Then I'd call that an ignorant statement, at best.

Flash is one of the few heroes with great villains up and down the weight class spectrum. The writers just have no stinking clue how to use them.

Yea I'd put Flash behind only like Batman and Spiderman as far as villians.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I think the biggest problem is that writers just don't know how to deal with super speed.

Which, granted, isn't easy, but not impossible. Phasing, 360 force fields that can come many a powersource, telepathy, etc.

Hell, an AI would run rings around Barry

[The Cool Thatguy]

Ya know, it just occurred to me, about Iris and the finale....

So she publishes Devoe's secret plan. Everyone believes her, to the point of Barry getting his old job back...

So why didn't they do that when Barry was on trial for murder? What made her more credible now vs. earlier?

[90'sCartoonMan]

I think the biggest problem is that writers just don't know how to deal with super speed.

Which, granted, isn't easy, but not impossible. Phasing, 360 force fields that can come many a powersource, telepathy, etc.

Hell, an AI would run rings around Barry

The Flash has an amazing Rogues Gallery. They may not have the psychological depth that Batman's do, and many of them don't individually pose a threat for the hero like Spider-Man's do (you can make a Spider-Man movie where the main villain is one of the weaker ones, like the Vulture, but no way in heck does a Flash movie only use Heatwave as the villain), but the sheer volume plus originality in gimmicks in addition to some character depth does make Flash's bad guys some of the best in comics.

I agree that there are various power sets that can be used effectively against super speed. They used Dr. Light, and they could've given her some kind of force field or lightspeed defense mechanism reflex that would zap Flash at the speed of light if he got near her. I always thought Mirror Master's use of illusion and dimension hopping poses a good challenge. Weather Wizard can use fog, rain, or ice to make the terrain very dangerous for Flash just to run through.

Ya know, it just occurred to me, about Iris and the finale....

So she publishes Devoe's secret plan. Everyone believes her, to the point of Barry getting his old job back...

So why didn't they do that when Barry was on trial for murder? What made her more credible now vs. earlier?

Probably because the people of Central City could actually see DeVoe out there and then his Kilg%re power took effect. Harder to come up with actual evidence during Barry's trial.

[Jim Kelly]

When you have a goofy, non-sensical, comic book explanation for how the powers work, like Mark Waid’s Speed Force, then there’s no excuse for not having a similar excuse for why the powers fail. It’s sheer carelessness from the writers not to explain this “Kryptonite” to cover any and all fluctuations in Barry’s abilities.

The thing I liked about most of the Rogues and a large number of Schwartz era villains in the DC books is that they weren’t Hollywood leading men. Many looked like Joe Average, while others were weird. It felt to me like the relatable characters in the DCU were the crooks. Many of them schlubs who were looking for a good gimmick to get rich and lucked into what they thought was the perfect plot.

[AdamFTF]

It seems to me that the writers approach the show less from the heroes vs. popular villains side as much as they approach it from the science fiction side. Namely, that they plan episodes more around looking for some kind of super-science phenomenon for Barry to deal with and then find a name from the DC Who's Who to apply it to. "Today we want Barry have to deal with technology turning against him. Who can we use. How about Kilg%re?" You know, something like that.

[Jim Kelly]

Along with the Rogues, the stories I liked best with Barry and Wally were when they went to other fantasy realms. I don’t just mean Earth-Two or the 25th century, but into the distant past or dimensions of time where other beings existed or exotic places like Gorilla City or Chunk’s inner world. I guess we get a bit of that, but that’s the kind of science fantasy I enjoy most.

“Secret of the Three Super-Weapons,” in THE FLASH 135 (March ‘63) is a classic example. Wally meets Ryla when he’s running and vibrating at super speed. I’d like to see them adapt that story, if not on FLASH then on LEGENDS.

[Frontier]

Danielle Nicolet (DA Cecile Horton) has been bumped up to a regular for season 5.

Hartley Sawyer (Ralph/Elongated Man) has also been bumped up to regular status.

[Jim Kelly]

I honestly did not expect Hartley Sawyer to get bumped up to regular status and feared Ralph would go the way of Julian Albert, Hartley Rathaway and Tracy Brand.

I guess with Harry going back to Earth-2 and Tom Cavanagh in a new and different role, they need a foil for Cisco to generate some humour at STAR Labs. But can the budget afford his stretching tricks?

[The Darknight Detective]

Danielle Nicolet (DA Cecile Horton) has been bumped up to a regular for season 5.

Hartley Sawyer (Ralph/Elongated Man) has also been bumped up to regular status.

Good to hear, Frontier. I like both of them.

[protege]

I honestly did not expect Hartley Sawyer to get bumped up to regular status and feared Ralph would go the way of Julian Albert, Hartley Rathaway and Tracy Brand.

I guess with Harry going back to Earth-2 and Tom Cavanagh in a new and different role, they need a foil for Cisco to generate some humour at STAR Labs. But can the budget afford his stretching tricks?

I don’t know why- but i had the exact opposite reaction. I had a feeling he’d be back on the flash- too bad i wanted him over on legends.

[Jackalope89]

Danielle Nicolet (DA Cecile Horton) has been bumped up to a regular for season 5.

Hartley Sawyer (Ralph/Elongated Man) has also been bumped up to regular status.

Cool. Which means we see more of Iris and Wally's little sister and step-mom, along with the newest team Flash member (who may have a part in the crossover, and find his future Sue Dibney).