‘The Flash’ Season 2: Adam Copeland Discusses The Layers Beneath ‘Atom Smasher,’ And The Fate Of Firestorm Explained
The Flash Season 2 might have already started, but Episode 1 left fans with more question than answers. The Flash fans were treated very early on in Season 2 to the Atom Smasher, who is played by WWE star Adam Copeland. As the Inquisitr has reported, there was some confusion regarding the character because he was a hero in the DC Comics, but cast as a villain in CW’s The Flash. Comicbook reports that, according the Atom Smasher Adam Copeland, the character has many “layers” to him.
“Yeah, there’s definitely more to this guy than just your prototypical, huge, destructive villain. There’s layers to him which you see, once you get to it, and those were the relations I drew from the book. Thankfully they were there, so that was very cool because just having a big super villain, one trick pony, that’s not necessarily what I think an audience wants to see. As a performer, you’re always hoping for kind of deeper things that you can peel layers back on. This guy has them. It’s not immediately evident, I don’t think, but if you’re watching, they’ll be there. So that was pretty cool to understand that it wasn’t a complete 180 from what people know him as if they came from the book to the show.”
Adam Copeland, possibly to the surprise of many The Flash fans, has been a long time fan of the DC Comics that these characters hail from. However, though Copeland said he had to brush up on his knowledge of the character, there was a lot that he had to simply let go of or forget for the CW Flash.
“I did but then I still did research because the last time I had kind of come across it I was in my teens. I’ve done a lot since then and had a lot since then. I figured I’d better brush up, bone up on my Atom Smasher-ism. It is a different take, too, so I didn’t want to get too attached to what he is in the books because I knew there was going to be tweaks to it after reading the script and everything. It’s always interesting, you know, finding that fine balance between the two because you do want to bring the elements of what he is in the book but then there is kind of differences too. You have to, at least for me, not get too attached to what you’ve kind of grown up reading.”
The Flash TV show has been considered by many fans to be one of the more faithful comic adaptations on the air to date, but the showrunners certainly chose to take some different paths to reach some of the more familiar DC Comics material. One of The Flash shockers that was not shown in season 1, but appeared in Season 2 – Episode 1, was the second death of Firestorm Ronnie Raymond.
Fans who have been following The Flash since Season 1 will recall that Ronnie Raymond, prior to the becoming one half of Firestorm, was presumed dead after infamous particle accelerator accident that created The Flash and all of Central City’s villains. Obviously, he came back as Firestorm.
Seemingly due to Robbie Amell’s career, Firestorm needed to change hands, so the singularity looks to have swallowed up Ronnie Raymond. Thus, Firestorm and Caitlyn’s husband, are no more. Though, producer Andrew Kreisberg has stated on more than one occasion that “Well, you’re never really dead when you’re on The Flash.” Reports indicate that Firestorm might be played by another actor for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and that someone would be Franz Drameh. It has been confirmed that Drameh will be the new Firestorm in the Flash, Episode 4 The Fury of Firestorm.
[Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images]
