If the sun is shining outside right now, that means there is news out there about a new villain from The Flash, and today is no exception. It was revealed recently that a trio of the Scarlet Speedster's villainous Rogues from the comics would be making their debuts in Season 3, and let's all give a little spin and a clap for the devious Top, who will be played on the CW drama by Awkward star Ashley Rickards.
If you're familiar with Top from the comics, then you'll have an inkling that there's something different happening here. Yes, there's a gender swap at play with Ashley Rickards' casting, and it sounds like the show is making the right choice here.
Rosalind "Rosa" Dillon, as the Top is called when she's not out causing havoc, will reportedly appear in the fourth episode of Season 3, and she will have the power to spin people's heads. (She could have probably been a fantastic figure skater, but these villains today just want to be bad!) Rosa will team up with the recently cast Mirror Master, with E! Online calling her the Bonnie to his Clyde. I definitely dig that imagery, although their quests probably won't end inside of a bullet-ridden car.
First appearing in an issue of The Flash from 1961, Top first had the alias Roscoe Dillon, who was a bit crook that took his obsession with the namesake toy to extremes, teaching himself how to spin so fast he could brush off bullets. And it also made him a lot more intelligent. So...not impossible. Top's biggest appearance outside of the comics was in the Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox animated film, as voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
Ashley Rickards popped up on episodes of shows like CSI: NY and Ugly Betty before landing a recurring role on One Tree Hill during Season 6. But her biggest break by far as been as Jenna Hamilton for all five seasons of MTV's hit show Awkward. She's been in some movies as well, and here's hoping her entry into the DC TV universe keeps her a-ROUND as the Top for years to come.
With many more villains coming before and after Top and Mirror Master, The Flash will bring its Flashpoint beginnings to The CW when Season 3 kicks off on Tuesday, October 4, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see when everything else is hitting the small screen later this year, check out our fall TV schedule.
