CWThe Flash is about to heat up.
Robbie Amell makes his grand debut in tonight's episode of the CW's hit Arrow spinoff show as half of one of DC Comics' most powerful superheroes: Ronnie Raymond, aka Firestorm. And yes, we do mean half. The other half is Dr. Martin Stein—who will be played by Victor Garber—and the two polar opposite men find themselves fused together after the particle accelerator explosion...the same one that left Barry Allen with a set of speedy legs.
But when we meet Ronnie for the first time in tonight's episode, "Things You Can't Outrun," he won't be the Firestorm fans know and love.
"You don't meet Firestorm yet. You're just going to meet Ronnie Raymond," Amell told us of his first episode, in which he'll appear entirely in flashbacks. "But everyone loves a good origin story! You'll get to see what happened and everything that went down the same night that Barry was hit by a bolt of lightning."
Read on for more scoop Amell dished on Ronnie, Firestorm and more!
What was Ronnie like before the particle accelerator exploded, leaving everyone to believe that he was dead?
Ronnie is a little goofy. He's the mechanic of S.T.A.R. Labs. They're all a bunch of scientists, so you need someone that's a little more hands-on. You'll learn a lot about Ronnie just from his dynamic with his fiancée Caitlin, because she's very neurotic and smart and by the books, and then when she's with Ronnie she's able to open up more and he knocks that wall down. That's who Ronnie is. He brings people out of their shells and shows you a different side to them.
I think that's really portrayed wonderfully in your first flashback scene which viewers will see tonight, when the particle accelerator has just been turned on and everyone's celebrating. You can tell that everyone is just so drawn to Ronnie and they all love him.
That was actually the first thing I shot when I got there, and it was awesome that we got to shoot a celebratory scene like that. I really felt right at home since the crew was a lot of the same people from The Tomorrow People, and it was so early on in the season for The Flash that everyone was excited and it was like the honeymoon period.
On the flip side of that, there's an extremely emotional scene between Ronnie and Caitlin right before the explosion that everyone thinks kills him (even though we know we'll see you return later). What can you tease about that?
That was tough. Ronnie and Caitlin are not physically together in that moment and it's hard to share a moment like that with a barrier between you. But Danielle [Panabaker] was so awesome as Caitlin and I can't wait to see how that turned out.
Fans are going to find out that Cisco actually played a part in what happened to Ronnie, so what can you tease about what went down between Cisco and Ronnie before the explosion?
It's one of those moments where you know you're doing the right thing, but you know ultimately it's going to haunt you for time to come because you're a part of saving everyone else. But you're also a part of dooming a friend and sending them to their death, or so Cisco thinks. That's definitely going to come back to haunt him, but there would be no animosity felt from Ronnie because ultimately Cisco did what he had to do. If anyone would understand that, it's Ronnie.
Viewers know that Ronnie didn't actually die, and that we're going to see Ronnie again as Firestorm. What can you tease about how the explosion has affected Ronnie?
This episode you'll meet Ronnie Raymond but in December, you'll meet Firestorm. When they find him, he's not in a good place. Something happened when the particle accelerator blew up and he's this schizophrenic, homeless Firestorm. It's very dark. It's not the same guy you'll meet in episode three. It's really a shell of who you meet in episode three. There's not much of Ronnie left.
How did you react when you heard that Victor Garber was cast as Dr. Stein, aka the other half of Firestorm?
It was so awesome! I've worked with Victor before and he's amazing. And it's such a great opportunity to play opposite him and play a version of him, because Firestorm is sometimes Ronnie, sometimes Martin Stein, and sometimes split between them. I have to start watching Alias again and work on my Victor Garber impression!
What can you tease about how Ronnie and Dr. Stein will get along when they're fused together?
Oh, I don't think we'll be getting along for a while. [Laughs.] I think it's going to be a battle for a while before there's any getting along. We haven't shot any of it yet but I think the dynamic between Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond is going to make for a lot of fun.
How will Ronnie's new situation affect Caitlin? She's been mourning her fiancé for months now.
Things are going to be really difficult between Ronnie and Caitlin because it will have been almost a year when they find Ronnie. There's really not a whole lot of him left and it's definitely a fight and a struggle to try to get their relationship back.
What were you looking forward to most when you joined the DC Comics family?
Every kid wants to be a superhero! When [executive producer] Greg Berlanti asked me to do this, of course I said yes. I mean, if Greg Berlanti asked me to play a tree I'd say yes! It's just a bonus that it's actually a really cool character. It's really fun to play a superhero that is actually a casual, almost goofy character before he has to deal with the fallout of almost being killed and becoming a superhero.
What are you most excited for fans to see from you on The Flash?
My head and hands on fire! That's what I'm most excited to see! From what I've shot so far, the action scenes are going to be pretty badass.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.