When The Flash returns from its midseason hiatus, there will be plenty of villains, both new and old, for Barry to go up against. We’ve already met Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell), and the two will team up in next week’s midseason premiere. Liam McIntyre will join the series as Weather Wizard, seeking revenge for his brother who was killed in the pilot. And even Cold’s sister, Golden Glider (Peyton List), is set to appear.

When it comes time for another of The Flash’s infamous Rogues to join The CW show, there will apparently be two of them. Earlier, we were (pleasantly) surprised to learn that Mark Hamill was reprising his role as James Jesse a.k.a. The Trickster from the original Flash television series. For this version, however, Hamill’s Trickster will be serving a life sentence in Iron Heights, and when a copycat criminal starts terrorizing Central City, Detective West and Barry ask Jesse for help in taking him down.

ComicBook.com has learned that Devon Graye – best known for playing teenager Dexter Morgan on Dexter – will play that copycat criminal, Axel. Presumably, this character is Axel Walker, who in the comics becomes the second Trickster after Jesse quits the criminal lifestyle. On The Flash, it’ll be Axel’s emergence on the scene that spurs Jesse into helping the police put a stop to this Trickster imposter.

When it was first announced that Hamill would again play The Trickster (coincidentally reuniting him with former Flash John Wesley Shipp) many had guessed we’d see something along these lines, with Hamill as an older, possibly retired Trickster and another actor as a new incarnation of the character. That appears to be exactly what’s happening, but the twist of an incarcerated James Jesse helping to thwart his impersonator is a fun spin on what’s already been done before in the comics.

Both versions of The Trickster are set to appear in episode 17 of The Flash, though an exact air date or title is unknown. Whether or not we’ll see Graye’s Trickster join up with the rest of The Rogues is also unknown, but before then we’ll definitely see Captain Cold and Heat Wave join forces in next week’s midseason premiere, “Revenge of the Rogues.”

Watch a preview for next week’s episode below, which also includes our very first glimpse of The Flash‘s Pied Piper, Andy Mientus.



Sure seems like Barry will have more Rogues than he’ll know what to do when The Flash returns.

Do you think the series is at risk of introducing too many villains too soon? What do you think of Devon Graye’s casting as the second Trickster, Axel Walker? Let us hear from you in the comments below!

The Flash returns next Tuesday, January 20th @8pm on The CW.