‘The Flash’ EP Teases a Younger Version of the Rogues

When The Flash returns for its fifth season this fall there will be not just a new villain and a new suit for Barry to contend with, but a new version of a familiar villain group as well.

During the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con today, showrunner Todd Helbing explained that the show’s fifth season is going to be all about the concept of legacy — including the idea of a younger version of the Rogues.

“We will be doing a younger version of The Rogues,” Helbing said. He also explained that the season wouldn’t be without deaths and other challenges making people think about what happens after they are gone.

“There will be a lot of deaths this season,” he said. “I think everybody’s thinking about what it means after they leave.”

For fans, the idea of getting a younger version of the Rogues is an exciting one considering that with the departure of Wentworth Miller, who officially ended his run as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold last season — there hasn’t really been an element of the iconic Flash villains on the series. Last season, it was announced that Miller would no longer be part of the Arrowverse once he wrapped up his time on Legends of Tomorrow, something that Grant Gustin was sad about even as he remained optimistic, as he explained in a previous interview during a set visit last year.

“First of all, I hope he comes back.” Gustin revealed. “Because I remember when it was like, they killed off Wentworth a while back when he was a Legend, and then he was back, and I worked with him a couple times. So, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that I get to work with him again.”

Gustin said that working alongside Miller since The Flash’s early days has been a surreal experience.

“That’s been a really cool thing to have on the show since season one of The Flash.” Gustin explained. “He’s been a cool actor to have on set for me and just to talk to, he’s been around on Prison Break and all kinds of other things. He’s just been a good guy to have on set and talk to.”

With the actors bringing to life one of DC Comics’ beloved rivalries, Gustin knows that fans want to see more of that dynamic and thinks there’s possibly more story there to tell.

“And also, the fans love those two characters together. We always talk about when we act together. We’re like, ‘Man, I love these scenes.’ They’re different than anything else that the two of us do together on our show. There’s all kinds of dynamics there. They started as enemies, and they came to respect each other, and I think they came to care about each other even. But there’s trust issues there, probably on both sides. There’s a lot going on. There’s probably more going on with that relationship than almost any other Barry relationship.”

As for who the new, younger Rogues might be? That’s anyone’s guess but with Nora Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy) coming from the future and possibly having brought trouble with her, these new Rogues could be enemies of her as the hero XS as much as they end up being challenges for The Flash himself.

The fifth season of The Flash will debut on Tuesday, October 9th, at 8/7c on The CW.