'The Flash' Season 6: Tom Cavanagh's Harrison Wells has been vital to the storyline in all his avatars
Every new season of 'The Flash' introduces us to a different version of Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells. He has brought a plethora of characters to life through the multiverse concept and ahead of season six, we can definitely expect yet another version of Wells.
So far, Cavanagh has portrayed Professor Zoom and Harrison Wells from multiple Earths. Most notable was his role as Sherloque Wells and Pariah in 'Arrow', 'The Flash' and 'Legends of Tomorrow'.
Each of these characters has been a vital cog not just for Team Flash, but for the show on the whole. In season one, Cavanagh plays the brainy Dr. Wells, who was also the villainous Eobard Thawne aka the Reverse-Flash. Posing as Dr. Wells, Thawne mentors Barry Allen aka The Flash (Grant Gustin) and leads a team he assembles to stop the city from meta-human threats. He also attempts to increase Barry's speed so he could establish a connection to the speed force and return back to his time.
In season two, he travels from Earth 2 to join Team Flash and help Barry take down Zoom (Teddy Sears) after the evil speedster kidnaps his daughter, Jesse (Violett Beane). In Earth 12, he's a self-absorbed author and a user of magic in 13 who resembles Dumbledore. He makes a brief holographic appearance as Hells Wells from Earth 16 after Team Flash reaches out for assistance from one of the Wells in the multiverse.
His best performance after Thawne perhaps comes in playing Sherloque Wells, a French scientist. Quirky, but clever, he is instrumental in taking down the dangerous Cicada in season five.
The upcoming season sees him play Pariah. According to comics, Pariah is Kell Mossa, a brilliant scientist from an undesignated Earth in the DC multiverse. He created a science experiment that would allow him to see the dawn of time. His superpowers include flight, immortality and the ability to teleport himself to different Earths.
While much isn't known about the TV version of Pariah, showrunner Eric Wallace shed light on Cavanagh's character during the San Diego Comic-Con 2019.
"In the original comics, Pariah is very much responsible for releasing the Anti-Monitor onto our multiverse and then more bad things happen," Wallace said. "For Tom to play such a pivotal character is not only exciting, but his interpretation that he is bringing to it is just going to tear your guts out and make you cry."
Season six will be broken up into three mini-seasons, which the showrunner had described as two "graphic novels" on either side of 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'. "The secrets of why he becomes Pariah are actually part of 'graphic novel #1' and will lead up to a very big twist at the end of the Bloodwork case that launches Crisis," Wallace added. This also suggests that Cavanagh will be playing Thawne, a new version of Wells and Pariah.
Five seasons have seen Cavangah essay multiple roles and each time he has been an important personality on the show. While Thawne and Pariah will see him portray an anti-villain, the rest of the roles are various versions of Wells, who despite coming across as irritating and bothersome at times has been a valuable addition to the team.
It is also fitting that we see him as Pariah in the final season. Each character he has played has had a reason to help out Barry and Co. and as Pariah, it remains to be seen what role he plays in 'Crisis'.
'The Flash' season six will premiere on October 8.