‘The Flash’ spoilers: Meet the man behind Pied Piper

Given the immediate (and enormous) success of “The Flash,” it only makes sense to start looking ever closer at some of the characters that are coming up. For the sake of today, that includes getting to know a little bit more about Pied Piper!

Let’s start with the facts: TVLine was the first to report that we would be seeing the character, and they will be played by “Smash” alum Andy Mientus. The alter ego here is Hartley Rathaway, and in the context of the show, he is a former mentee of one Harrison Wells who ends up seeking revenge out of jealousy, and using a series of sonic weapons that he created. His hearing was damaged as a result of the particle accelerator incident, and that adds a layer to this character. Also, it’s worth noting that Hartley is one of the few openly-gay villains within the DC universe.

We like the casting for a variety of different reasons. For one, Hartley is a cool character, and we haven’t seen one with his story either here or on “Arrow.” Also, Barry Allen needs more bad guys with DC ties. It’s nice that the show is not shying away from any of that right now.

Still, who is the Big Bad here? Wells does not seem to be completely evil, even if he does have a secret or two. Meanwhile, Captain Cold feels more like a recurring player, and Girder could be this show’s version of one of those one-shot Green Arrow villains from season 1.

We dig “The Flash,” but we’re going to wait a little while before giving it our full endorsement. You can click here, though, if you want to read our full review of the premiere right now.

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