Five Questions With The Flash Writers Aaron and Todd Helbing
During a roundtable with The Flash writers Aaron and Todd Helbing (along with actor Teddy Sears) earlier this week, ComicBook.com joined a number of outlets to hear the trio talk about the future of the series.
As we noted last night, for the most part their remarks had to be held off for after the next episode airs on Tuesday, but here are five quick points that speak to the first episode and the season in general terms:
How do you deal with balancing fan expectations with the show's universe, which sometimes can't be exactly like the books?
Todd Helbing: It's always a balancing act. I guess the way we approach it with every episode is we want people who have read all the comic books to get all the joys that they got from reading those but we also want people who aren't comic book-savvy to get that same experience. So we just try to make them as cool as possible and swing for the fences every episode.
Can you tell us a little about Zoom? How is he different from the Reverse Flash?
Todd Helbing: He's a speed demon. I think last season, Wells had to sort of hone Barry to get what he wanted....He's the scariest speedster on the planet.
Aaron Helbing: I think while Wells had a bit of a conscience when it comes to Barry, Zoom is just a monster.
Before the episode airs, what do you want to tease about Barry and Jay's dynamic in "The Flash of Two Worlds?"
Todd Helbing: I think it's a coach/athlete relationship. Jay is the older brother that he didn't have. He's more experienced and his attitude is a little more confident and I think he's the teacher to him.
Last season, Barry was juggling three father figures. Is Jay going to step into that role, too?
Todd Helbing: In a different way, I think. Last year he didn't have anybody that he could speak about being a speedster with. It's not like he could go out and have drinks with Wells and talk about being a speedster but he can with Jay and Jay can mentor him on some of the powers that he has and figure out the best way to sort of get him to use those.
How off the chess board is Henry Allen at this point? Is he gone, or should we still expect him to be part of the fabric of the show?
Todd Helbing: No, he's still part of the fabric. He still provides an emotional support that Barry needs, and he will make an appearance down the road.