On tonight’s episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, titled “Phone Home,” a visit to the 1980s shows the audience that perhaps Ray Palmer’s boundless enthusiasm is not entirely justified considering how his childhood went. Still, actor Brandon Routh, who plays the hero, does not think it will turn Ray cynical, but instead will give him a chance to grow by re-contextualizing some of the parts of his life that his mind has…embellished.
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In the ’80s, we see a verison of Ray who is tormented by bullies, has a domineering mother, and whose brother, Sidney, does not even appear onscreen (what’s with that? Routh says there were plans to have Sidney on by now, but they changed).
“I think it’s interesting for Ray to go back and see his young self, because it’s not always how we remember it,” Routh told ComicBook.com. “I think Ray has glossed over a little bit of that and made it seem happier, a much happier childhood than it was as a coping mechanism to not deal with it. But to say everything was fine; I had a great time as a kid. I had lots of friends! We see that’s not necessarily the case, but that doesn’t mean that Ray can’t be really happy as an adult; it just means he needs to rethink and reanalyze and go well maybe it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. That’s okay too. That’s not what I remembered it. It’s not like I remember it, and that’s okay too. That can help him to evolve as a adult Ray. More well rounded person, because you can’t have light without dark. It’s a detriment almost to Ray sometimes that he’s so happy, because there does need to be a balance with both happiness and then having some sad moments in life too.”
The Flash airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
