Thanks to Tsukikomew for the heads up.
The upcoming, second season of The CW's The Flash will feature former WWE Superstar Adam Copeland as Atom-Smasher, ComicBook.com has learned and CW has confirmed exclusively.
He will appear in the season premiere, currently filming, and contrary to what the name might suggest, he's not on the good guys' side. Here's how The CW describes his character:
"One of the most powerful enemies we encounter this season, Atom Smasher has come to Central City to kill The Flash. His incredible strength and ability to grow to enormous size makes him more than a match for Flash and the entire S.T.A.R. Labs team will have to come together to find a way to defeat him.”
In the comics, Atom-Smasher is a hero. Al Rothstein, grandson to the villain Cyclotron, is godson to Al Pratt, the Golden Age hero known as The Atom before Ray Palmer took on the name. Prior to becoming Atom-Smasher, Rothstein operated as Nuklon.
He will appear in the season premiere, currently filming, and contrary to what the name might suggest, he's not on the good guys' side. Here's how The CW describes his character:
"One of the most powerful enemies we encounter this season, Atom Smasher has come to Central City to kill The Flash. His incredible strength and ability to grow to enormous size makes him more than a match for Flash and the entire S.T.A.R. Labs team will have to come together to find a way to defeat him.”
In the comics, Atom-Smasher is a hero. Al Rothstein, grandson to the villain Cyclotron, is godson to Al Pratt, the Golden Age hero known as The Atom before Ray Palmer took on the name. Prior to becoming Atom-Smasher, Rothstein operated as Nuklon.
Source:
Uhmmm, should I be worried?!
https://t.co/tTVcQjD3Oa
— Brandon Routh (@BrandonJRouth) July 16, 2015
Copeland's been acting ever since his legit retirement, so I wouldn't be too worried about this. He's possibly found some acting abilities along the way. Nothing like Batista and Kane being on Smallville.
ReplyDeleteDid Haven get canceled?
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope Atom-Smasher isn't just one one-and-done kind of villain. He could be a fantastic recurring villain for Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow as the anti-Atom, even though Atom-Smasher isn't really that....but, hey, this Arrowverse could do what they want as long as they fit the story.
ReplyDeleteHe's not bad. He became one of my favorite characters on Haven. Bonus, they are usually good at stunts.
ReplyDeleteRay Palmer in this universe...Al Rothstein....can we get Ryan Choi in the cinematic universe then?
ReplyDeleteAw man, Atom Smasher is one of my favourite low-key comic characters, so I'm all conflicted here. On the one hand, never thought I'd see him on television, but on the other, he's a villain? Hopefully it's fun regardless, because Copeland is a pretty enjoyable actor.
ReplyDeleteI just looked him up, before I made my comment, most of his stuff is wrestling, besides one or two TV shows. Big whoop. And I HATED when Batista and Kane were on Smallville too. Same for Charmed. (Rolls eyes).
ReplyDeleteWho was on Charmed? And I have heard he was pretty good on Haven.
ReplyDeleteNever said he won an Oscar either after retiring, lol.
Smh, it's all the same in my book. Wrestler acts on one of my shows, he HAS to be a bad guy b/c of his weight and height. Has to have some fighting with my main characters, going "Urgh Argh" as he does it. Not to mention the bad acting. With the "fearful facial expressions" Facepalm.
ReplyDeleteThere were 3 guys, idk their names. And it says he JUST stopped wrestling this year, AFTER Haven. So I'm really not counting on his acting abilities. 3 Yrs on ONE tv show, as an on and off character, doesn't provide me with much hope. No one on team Flash has won Osars either, but they've been in the game a lot longer and can act.
ReplyDeleteBrandon's a big guy. I think they'll look compatible next to each other. He has played good guys too, he's really likable on Haven and his acting is more than sufficient for the Flash. He's not The Rock, but he is much much better than John Cena or the Big Show or any of the other ones I can think of.
ReplyDeleteYou think he'll be compatible with whom?? Barry?? IDTS. And I said on MY shows, they HAVE to be bad guys. Most wrestlers audition for the bad guy role. Which, case in point, hello, he's playing a bad guy. Him being on one tv show doesn't provide me with any hope. Sorry. But you like him, so that's something. But I pretty much already figured out his character, so i'm not thrilled. It's w/e for me. Just hope they coordinate a good fight.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Routh who plays Atom is a big guy; therefore, I think Adam Copeland will look reasonable next to him and fighting him--not crazy steroid outsized as some wrestlers do.
ReplyDeleteUnless they ask him to play the "wrestling guest star character" he can play normal, nuanced, emotive characters. And he wasn't just a one off on Haven, he had a big role and they expanded it because people liked him.
I agree a lot of wrestlers can't act and they typically play caricatures of themselves. I loved Chuck and I think Stone Cold Steve Austin is a fun guy, but he can't act and both guest star episodes were painful. Obviously you will come to your own decision, but from someone who has actually seen him act on television, he isn't like that and you don't need to worry that that is all he can do simply because he is a wrestler.
Well hopefully he'll work here. Like how Batista did in Guardians of the Galaxy.
ReplyDeleteOh awesome, Edge/Adam was one of my favourite wrestlers back in the day so I'm happy about this :)
ReplyDeleteI'd be down to that. Too many characters have one definitive version of a hero in adaptations like a Cassandra cain Batgirl would be sick. Or when Affleck wants to retire, Dick Grayson as Batman in the DCEU.
ReplyDeleteHe stopped wrestling about 4 years ago, although he has made appearances on shows where he hasn't been in the ring since then. He retired due to neck problems, if he fights competitively again he risks becoming paralysed, or worse.
ReplyDeleteOh sorry, you said Brandon, Smh yeah I completely rolled over that name. Idc about that. Why are you bringing him up? Adam will be on The Flash??
ReplyDeleteWell he's already an enemy of the Flash in this role he's playing. That's more than enough. Batista wasn't playing a wrestling character In Smallville, he was just supposed to be some alien that Clark couldn't take. (If i remember right) And I didn't say he was a one off character, I said him being in one TV show, doesn't really give me any hope. He was an on and off character, then went right back to his wrestling thing. If he did more TV after Haven, then I'd probably be a little more "go" about it.
Steve Austin sucks as an actor. On the contrary. I'm not worried about what he can do I'm more annoyed by what he can't do.
Copeland retired from WWE years ago, lol.
ReplyDeleteNot what it says in his profile.
ReplyDeleteI rephrase, not the sport, but still in that genre.
ReplyDeleteYeah, still in the WWE genre.
ReplyDeleteWell, wrestlers are actors, and the WWE are their agents, whether they are working in-house on their shows, or out on films/TV shows, lol.
ReplyDeleteLol, so appearing once or twice a year at a WWE event trumps the films and TV episodes he makes inbetween? OK....
ReplyDeleteHe hasn't done anything in between!! That's the point! He's done very little, and MOST of his profile is WWE related! He's barely branched out. He's not doing a variety of work, to challenge himself as an actor. He talks about his sports, ooOoo yay. = /
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I love Adam. Is he Ray's nemesis in the comic books or the name is an unfortunate coincidence? lol
ReplyDeleteDid you read the info? He's not a villain in the comics, he going the opposite way of Plastique, she WAS a villain in the comics and was a her on The Flash.
ReplyDeleteSo he's like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena?
ReplyDeleteLike i said they turned Plastique into a hero on The Flash, and she's never been a hero in the comics, so they're deviating from the comics on this character.
ReplyDeleteI think you're misunderstanding my point altogether.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't hurt to ask. It's fun to be the one asking for a change.
ReplyDeleteTrue that, i'm still hoping they turn Caitlin's alter ego into a hero, a FULL-on hero, not an anti-hero but a FULL hero.
ReplyDeleteChuck was a happy show, but was full of a lot of sadness and tragedy be it Chuck and Ellie losing their mom and later dad as kids, Sarah's often sad childhood that caused a lot of emotional problems. Bryce's death. Shaw's wife being killed by Sarah as a red test. The entire life of Hartley Winterbottom aka Volkoff. Chuck's dad's death. But what made that tragedy (including the amnesia stuff) work for me was the incredibly well acted and well done work put into it, the characters ability to deal with it and move on and become stronger and happy once more, and hell the characters themselves were just terrific. And now I want to watch Chuck.
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I love him in Haven. The Flash went thru villains pretty fast in S1 so hopefully he survives the premier episode!
ReplyDeleteI'm usually worried about wrestlers becoming actors but I feel like Adam as Edge was always pretty cool while he was in the WWE. I think he'll do well on the Flash.
ReplyDeleteHe may show up from time to time, sure. Even Dwayne Johnson does that.
ReplyDeleteBased on Routh's tweet and the name, I kinda assumed they'd be nemeses? Maybe I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying he won't be a villain--they said he would in the press release. I'm just saying as an actor he doesn't have to take that role. Because often when they have wrestlers guest star it's so they do over-the-top acting, and wrestling moves, and lift people over their heads and grunt a lot. Not playing wrestlers, precisely, but basically playing strong man thugs who act like their wrestling alter-egos.
I don't watch wrestling, but I don't think he was that active after he retired. I mean even the Rock goes back every once in a while and he has a huge career outside of it. Pro-wrestling is incredibly lucrative. Copeland has a steady gig on Haven--recurring if not regular. A lot of actors don't book multiple gigs at the same time.
I can understand the worry. But I would caution you that that worry is born out of assumptions. Batista may have been terrible in Smallville (as was most of the cast), but he was hilarious in Guardians of the Galaxy. It's not always a given that wrestlers will suck.
Dwayne Johnson has proven himself for years as an actor. He's transformed into an actor, an "action star" but he's also branched out in other genres. And he's on a completely different level then this guy. Doesn't even compare.
ReplyDeleteFor sure. :-) I just realized I'd heard nothing about Haven in a really long time and was hoping somebody would know if it got canceled and I missed it.
ReplyDeleteDon't think of pro-wrestling as a sport. Think of it as a soap opera geared towards guys. I had a boyfriend in college who loved it, and it made no sense to me until I figured that out. It's high melodrama with stunts all while employing a distinctive and heightened acting style. Instead of slapping people in hospital corridors, they hit them with metal chairs in a ring.
ReplyDeleteYeah now that you put it that way me too LOL, but i still hate that they gave us an ambiguous ending as opposed to a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteYes hun, I know the drill of the " tv wrestling" but it is still a sport. FTR, i did used to watch wrestling years ago. I know how it works. And i I wouldn't compare it to an actual actor. Or an "Actor's career". They have to transition to that. And he hasn't done so yet. He's still in his "wrestling persona" which is why he's being casted in this role he's playing on our show. Until he actually starts pursuing an "acting career" i personally can't look at him as anything else. Especially when he hasn't done much. It's like saying Serena Williams is an actress b/c she did a few commercials. Um no, she's an athlete. She is not branded an an actor.
ReplyDeleteThat's just how i feel about it. I'm not doubting his work on Haven or w/e. What i'm saying is, i don't like when wrestlers come on my show, they have very little acting experience, and they all get the same roles with their characters. (Especially with this network) The big tough guy that fights the main character. And the main character has to go "above and behind" to take the "evil character" out. B/c the "strength of the wrestler" is so overpowering. All the writers make them act the same way. (B/c of their wrestling history) It's dull and eye roll worthy to me. Not to mention terribly predictable. And they only stay on for like 1 or 2 episodes. Nothing for me to get thrilled about. Again, that's just how i feel about it.
You're not understanding what I mean. I'm only saying that Copeland might appear time to time, but it's not different than Dwayne. I'm not comparing the two as actors.
ReplyDeleteOh ok.
ReplyDeleteI miss Haven. It's been too long :(
ReplyDeleteYou keep making the same assumption, which I'm not going to disabuse you of apparently that he hasn't done anything to show he can act more than the "wrestler persona." He has. But no number of people who watch him on Haven telling you differently seems to make an impact. So, either stay disappointed erroneously, or watch a few Haven clips.
ReplyDeleteLook, I'll admit, that I DO NOT follow wrestling. I couldn't care less, I gave that up years ago. But I DO follow movie careers, and Dwayne has one, and has proven himself to be one. (an actual actor) A good respectable one at that. Not the case for the others (and John Cena is terrible). I definitely don't need to revisit anything. I stand by exactly what i said, and that's not going to change, and when this guy reaches that, I'll say it then too. I don't have a lack on anything, besides wrestling. That i admit. And am i supposed to be suprised by Dwayne returning? B/c i'm not. I never said he couldn't return. I mean hello, what "actor" and/or "retired performer" doesn't go back to his roots?? But it still doesn't change the fact, that he wanted to be taken seriously as a professional actor, and HAS done so. In this day and age he is known as actor. He is addressed as an actor. Actor first, wrestling second.
ReplyDeleteGuess we will have to agree to disagree.
I don't see it as ambiguous though and I don't think it was entirely intended as such. Sure we don't know if Sarah's memory is back, but on that beach one thing to me is clear: that the love they had was there and while it might not be easy and take some time, they're going to be fine and deep down Sarah is still all there. Chuck will just have to help her, it will take time but they're going to be fine and live the life they always wanted. And that's why I like the ending, because too me it doesn't matter how long it takes for Sarah to remember, because she wants to, she wants to be with Chuck and explore the person she was and be that again. And with Chuck's help she will.
ReplyDelete