Production on The Flash‘s second season is underway, which means that a slew of casting and story announcements are on the horizon. We already learned at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend that Teddy Sears and Shantel VanSanten had joined the series as Jay Garrick and Patty Spivot, and reports arrived last night that Michael Ironside had joined the series as the convict father of Captain Cold and Golden Glider. Now, the show has added another recognizable name to the list: Atom-Smasher.
Atom-Smasher is the alter ego of Al Rothstein, the godson of Al Pratt, the original Golden Age Atom – who was later replaced by Ray Palmer (who’s currently played by Brandon Routh on Arrow). He’s long been a member of the Justice Society of America, but will be on the wrong side of the law when he makes his way to The Flash. According to ComicBook.com, he’ll make his way to Central City to take on the Scarlet Speedster, and he’ll be played by WWE superstar Adam “Edge” Copeland.
The CW describes Atom-Smasher as follows:
“One of the most powerful enemies we encounter this season, Atom-Smasher has come to Central City to kill the Flash. His incredible strength and ability to grow to enormous size makes him more than a match for Flash and the entire S.T.A.R. Labs team will have to come together to find a way to defeat him.”
Al Rothstein was actually one of several DC Comics characters that Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) listed as having died during the particle accelerator explosion that gave Barry Allen his powers. That list also included Ronnie Raymond, who later returned as Firestorm. The fact that two people on Wells’ list have reappeared shows that others – like the Elongated Man, Ralph Dinby, for instance? – may receive similar revivals in the future, especially now that Earth-2 is on the table.
You’ll be able to see Copeland’s Atom-Smasher when The Flash returns to the CW for its second season on October 6th, 2016.
