11 Years Ago Today, Marvel’s Newest Star Did the Arrowverse a Great Service

There are quite a few connections between the Arrowverse and Marvel. For starters, The CW’s franchise makes a couple of references to Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, including referring to its characters as “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” There are also a few actors who switch between working for DC and Marvel, such as Neal McDonough, who leaves his post alongside Captain America to take on the Green Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. With the Arrowverse done for good, though, it seemed like the passing of the superhero baton was over, with the only hope being that the MCU would find it in its heart to show some love to DC’s most successful TV endeavor.

The MCU doesn’t look like it’s in any rush to crack a joke about the team-ups between Green Arrow and The Flash, or cast one of the Arrowverse’s major actors in a project. However, one division of Marvel is making up for its subsidiary by extending an olive branch to The CW, making a major announcement about an actor right before a significant anniversary in their life.

It’s Been Over a Decade Since The Flash Took Down His First Meta

Arrow sneaks in a backdoor pilot in its second season that sets up the spinoff show The Flash. The end of the episode shows Barry Allen getting his powers during the particle accelerator explosion, but The Flash goes on to explain that he’s far from the only one affected by it. After waking up from a coma in the show’s pilot, Barry learns that two brothers, Clyde and Mark Mardon, also got caught up in the event and were presumed dead. However, Clyde resurfaces and begins using his own set of powers that allow him to control the weather. Nobody believes Barry’s story because he’s been searching for the impossible all his life, so as the new superhero in town, he takes it upon himself to defeat the villain.

Clyde dies at the end of The Flash‘s first episode, being shot by Joe West, who learns that his adoptive son is telling the truth. Things only get stranger from there because, later in the season, Mark resurfaces with the same powers as his brother and starts terrorizing Central City. Weather Wizard becomes a problem for Team Flash in subsequent seasons, and the fights the Scarlet Speedster has with him teach the hero so much about the limits of his powers. It’s honestly a shame that Mark doesn’t have a bigger role in the series, but at least the actor who plays him is finding success.

Read Next

8 Years Ago, the Arrowverse Fumbled the Greatest DC Cliffhanger Ever (And It Still Feels Insulting)

Liam McIntyre Is About to Tackle a Very Important Marvel Role

While appearing in five episodes of The Flash is Liam McIntrye’s claim to fame in the live-action world, animation is really where he makes his living. His credits include a major stint on Star Wars Resistance and numerous appearances in Fox’s hit comedy Family Guy. McIntrye also enjoys working on a video game here and there, playing the lead role in Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, as well as a supporting role in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. All of that is small potatoes compared to what he’s got lined up next, though, nabbing the lead role in Insomniac Games’ next project, Marvel’s Wolverine.

Wolverine is one of Marvel’s most important characters, and there are two people who get a lot of credit for that. The first, of course, is Hugh Jackman, who plays the character on the big screen in Fox’s X-Men franchise and Deadpool & Wolverine. Steve Blum isn’t trailing that far behind Jackman, voicing the mutant in numerous animated projects and video games. McIntrye will look to put his own name in the conversation with those greats when Marvel’s Wolverine hits shelves in 2026, and given Insomniac’s track record, he has a good chance of hitting the mark. While the actor probably doesn’t think much about Weather Wizard these days because the villain doesn’t have much in common with Wolverine, both characters are sure to end up as important parts of his fascinating career.

Did you know that the star of Marvel’s Wolverine, Liam McIntrye, played Weather Wizard in the Arrowverse? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!