Tonight’s Villain on ‘The Flash’ Had Ties to the 1990 Series

Tonight’s episode of The Flash, titled “Elongated Journey Into Night,” featured a surprising villain — and an actor who has been playing the same role since the 1990 pilot for The Flash starring John Wesley Shipp.

Vito D’Ambrosio, who plays Mayor Tony Bellows on The Flash, had been playing versions of Bellows for years; he was a police officer on the original series who often just missed the “good part” of The Flash’s adventures.

Before being revealed as a villain in the episode, responsible for a handful of deaths and an attack on Ralph Dibny’s office, the show revealed he was a former police officer before working his way up to the role of mayor.

D’Ambrosio first appeared as Mayor Bellows in season 1, joining his former castmates Mark Hamill and John Wesley Shipp onscreen in Episode 17. Like Hamill, D’Ambrosio went by the same name he did 25 years ago…but it was not clear whether this Bellows shared the other’s backstory.

Amanda Pays, who also starred in the 1990 series, has also made occasional appearances as her original character, although obviously Shipp — who played Barry Allen in the original — has a different role this time around as Jay Garrick instead.

The Flash airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.