SDCC 2016: The Flash Panel Liveblog

The Flash's 2016 Comic Con International: San Diego panel is starting now. We'll update live [...]

By Russ Burlingame

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The Flash's 2016 Comic Con International: San Diego panel is starting now. We'll update live throughout the panel.

The panel started with a sizzle reel from the upcoming season: Barry says that he knows some things happen by chance and some things happen because we make them happen. It shows him saving his mom, and a montage of moments from the first two seasons happening in reverse...ending with the word "ALCHEMY."

Barry is close with his mom in the new universe, but not with Iris or Joe. He doesn't know Cisco, who is the wealthiest man in the world. The Reverse-Flash names the world "Flashpoint," and soon after, we get to see Wally as Kid Flash. Then, the events of Seasons One and Two play back in the right order.

"This is something that's going to ripple throughout the whole season," says EP Todd Helbing, noting that Barry didn't grow up with the Wests, Cisco is wealthy, but it doesn't change Barry being blasted by the particle accelerator.

"We're doing a really cool thing this year that we haven't done before," says Todd Helbing. One of them is a speedster and one is Dr. Alchemy.

Alchemy is going to be voiced by Tobin Bell.

Flashpoint "has ripples throughout the whole universe," says Todd Helbing. One of those differences is with John Diggle, but they can't spoil it.

"I think when we find him, he's still living in blind bliss and ignoring or unaware of changes that are out there," says Grant Gustin of Barry. He still knows that the conversation with Iris on the porch at the end of Season 2 still happened. He thinks he'll be able to convince her to fall in love with him again. "When we find him, he's been living in this timeline for three months."

"I'll just say that I think in any timeline, Barry and Iris ultimately find each other," says Todd Helbing.

"I think the thing about Iris and staying off the market is that she had to fully grieve the death of Eddie," says Candice Patton. "She had to come to a place in her life where she had grieved and was ready to move on."

"I don't know what the female friendships are going to look like this season but anytime we can see women on television who are friendly and supportive, we should do that," says Patton.

"It was a treat" to be Killer Frost, says Danielle Panabaker. "It's bonkers to look around on set and to see Reverb and it's really a testament to the show as a whole that we were able to pull that off."

She loved the costume, and the wig started as a pixie cut and gradually grew.

"In [the Flashpoint] timeline, Cisco is an ostentatious billionaire," says Carlos Valdes. His specialty is "making money. Legitimately, that's all his arc....That's pretty much his best quality as a person."

"There are definitely quips. I think regardless of the fact that this is a different version of Cisco, it's still the same," says Valdes.

In the new timeline, Joe is "very unhappy. Things at home aren't going well. He's having a particular episode with [Iris] and it doesn't seem solvable, so Joe gets quite depressed about it," says Jesse L. Martin. "Barry is the one that makes sure Joe still has a job because things get so dire that Joe just doesn't want to do anything, to be honest."

"It's enjoyable. By the time this show has ended its run, if I can get to triple digits in the characters that I've played, that will be a nice little bucket list to check off," says Tom Cavanagh.

"We've been in that room shooting a version of [my mother's death] at least five or six times," says Gustin. "I can't think of that storyline without welling up."

"I had an idea that it would happen eventually, but when I got that script I was like ooo, this is happening," says Keiynan Lonsdale. "I tried to play him with a really young, lighthearted almost cockiness to him that can sometimes be his downfall, but he is just in a really good place mentally. He's never felt more sure of himself."

"I think the reason we can have those great family scenes is that we have a great rapport with each other," Patton says of her relationship with Martin and Lonsdale.

"Last time I was here I was representing a franchise symbolized by a lightning bolt," says Tom Felton. "That just hit me just now."

"Any character I play, you should see as a threat," Felton says, "I honestly don't know [his role.] I'm not sure. The first two episodes that we're into so far, there's definitely some friction between Barry and Julian. He definitely treads on the toes of Barry's expertise and there's some feathers ruffled pretty early on, so I'm intrigued to know where this goes."

"If the last two seasons are anything to go by, anything is possible," Felton says. "I could be playing a woman by episode six."

"The thing about Flashpoint for my character is that she's quite similar," says Patton. "This is one of the rare shows where you get to expand and play as an actor and that's really exciting. It makes me excited to go to work hopefully for many years to come."

"Harry left and he's gone, so in Flashpoint, he's not around," says Gustin.

"What's nice is, not being on the show but being allowed to come down to Comic Con," says Cavanagh.

Asked about building the dynamic for their antics, Cavanagh and Valdes talked fast, furious...and at the same time, with Valdes punctuating it with "...so there you go."

That led into thirty seconds of tapdancing between Gustin and Martin, ending with a chest bump.

Martin admits that he misses performing on stage, but says that The Flash's filming schedule makes it just about impossible to do.

"Candice and I don't have enough scenes together," Danielle Panabaker says, and Cavanagh started joking that he'd like to have less scenes with Valdes, which turned into the two of them joking over one another again. "And Keiynan," Panabaker adds.

"Episode 2, we're going to have a little Felicity on the show," says Todd Helbing. "She and Barry are..."

"She's giving advice," interrupts Gustin.

"Right now, we know what the story is, but it's future-us's problem right now," Todd Helbing says of the crossover episodes.

"The thing about Flashpoint is that there are many different changes that Barry discovers and every character has different relationships," says Aaron Helbing.

The floor opens to fan questions.

You guys have introduced a lot of speedsters. Are you going to introduce Bart Allen?

"As of now we're not, but it's The Flash, so anything is possible." - Todd Helbing

How critically will Barry's decisions play a role in Legends and vice versa?

"It's all one universe so they have ripples but those guys are traveling through time on their own mission so it's almost like they're in their own timeline, too. What we're showing is it's really affecting Arrow so we'll see it there." - Todd Helbing

What character would you play, other than the one you play?"

Everyone says Cisco, except Valdes, who says Harry.

"We think the world of Kevin Smith."

"We worked with him near the end of the season and we love our job but he came in and lifted our spirits and the crew's spirit. That's not a director's job, but he did it." - Grant Gustin

Cavanagh says that Smith teared up and "started to hyperventilate" when he first saw Gustin in the suit and "it makes you excited for what you do."

What show would you like to take your character to for a visit?

Lonsdale: Legends of Tomorrow

Patton: Supergirl

Martin: Supergirl

Gustin: Legends of Tomorrow

Cavanagh: The Walking Dead

Panabaker: Supergirl

Valdes: Rick and Morty

Felton: Supergirl

...and that's it.

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