Why The Original Flash TV Characters Won't Be Coming To The Comics

Harrison Wells The Flash

Comic book adaptations go both ways. Plenty of TV shows take inspiration from iconic graphic novels, but comic books themselves also have a habit of cherry-picking awesome original ideas that work on the small screen. That notion has led many fans to hope that Flash characters like Harrison Wells would soon make the transition to the pages of DC comics. That being said, don't get your hopes up, as we've got some bad news for you.

During a recent panel at San Diego Comic-Con, a convention attendee asked Flash writer Joshua Williamson, and Cyborg writer John Semper whether or not someone like Harrison Wells -- portrayed with gusto by Tom Cavanagh on the series -- would ever debut in the comics. Both artists came to an agreement that they currently have no plans to bring any original characters from The Arrow-verse into either of their current titles. The overall sentiment seems to be that DC continues to enjoy the insulated nature of their specific mediums (television, movies, comics, etc.) and they don't want to force characters into new formats simply for the sake of doing it.

John Semper also went one step further with his rationale. Aside from the fact there's simply no intention to bring Harrison Wells into the comic book world, he also feels that Wells wouldn't necessarily make his way to Cyborg's corner of the DC mythos to begin with. Although Wells has become known as a major player at S.T.A.R. Labs on The CW's hit series, Cyborg takes place at a S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Detroit -- rather than Central City. This means that -- even if the folks at DC change their minds about this -- it's still incredibly unlikely that Wells will make his way across the country just to interact with Vic Stone.

John Diggle Arrow

This news actually surprises us because there's precedent for characters to make their way to the comics from The CW's DC series. John Diggle quickly became a fan favorite hero as Oliver Queen's partner on Arrow, and the folks at DC quickly introduced him into the source material to mirror that. The official creation of the silver screen DCEU seems to have compelled DC towards further embracing the insulated multiverse.

Of course, entertainment is a fickle world and as such these things could always change. Perhaps Harrison Wells will one day make his way into the pages of DC Comics, but for now it doesn't seem very likely. The Flash will return to The CW this fall; make sure to check out our the network's fall premiere schedule and mark your calendars.

Conner Schwerdtfeger

Originally from Connecticut, Conner grew up in San Diego and graduated from Chapman University in 2014. He now lives in Los Angeles working in and around the entertainment industry and can mostly be found binging horror movies and chugging coffee.