Spoilers below for the most recent episode of The Flash.
The Flash's recent episode "Godspeed" wasn't entirely about the villain made famous first in the comics, or even halfway about him, but the installment DID feature August Heart's striking speedster costume for the first time in live-action. Godspeed's comic book creator Joshua Williams got to see him in action during the episode, and had some great things to say about the appearance.
We really only saw a sliver of Godspeed when compared to other speedster villains on The Flash, but that doesn't seem to have upset Joshua Williams in the slightest. He's was clearly thrilled to see Godspeed zooming around Central City in the future for any amount of time, and he might have gotten a kick out of Godspeed ultimately being the catalyst that unlocked Nora West-Allen's speedster abilities. Even if his origin story changed a bit, that doesn't seemed to have deterred Williams' enjoyment.
Such positivity was not necessarily the same sentiment shared by the entirety of The Flash's primetime audience, however, as some viewers were upset by the way Godspeed was portrayed. While there were few complaints about his actual appearance, costume or voicework (from actor B.D. Wong), many expressed their disappointment that such an iconic villain was being used for what appears to be a one-and-done appearance.
Godspeed's run was a lot shorter than it was in the comics, to be sure, and he didn't even get into a real battle with Barry before Nora apprehended the villain. It's understandable that shortened arc would be a little underwhelming to any DC Comics fan who'd been excited to see him debut ever since his appearance in the season was made public. Hell, some fans have been waiting since Day 1.
With that said, there's no guarantee this will actually be the last we see of Godspeed. Nora only apprehended August Heart, and while he doesn't actually have his chemically enhanced super speed, it's always a possibility he or another character could appear as the speedster for a narrative arc that comic book fans are more familiar with. All it would take is him breaking out of police custody, which all major villains in the Arrow-verse tend to do eventually.
Granted, if Godspeed does appear in the Arrow-verse again, he's probably not going to have his story changed to match the original arc by Joshua Williamson. That particular August Heart was a colleague of Barry's at the C.C.P.D. who eventually became a speedster hell-bent on solving the mystery of his brother's murder. His intentions started as pure, but he soon became emboldened by his growing power, and soon began bypassing the justice system by killing as he saw fit.
That's certainly different than the August Heart seen in The Flash, who more or less seemed driven to become a speedster permanently than anything else. Though he was portrayed more as a common criminal than righteous man-turned-corrupt, The Flash could always detail his motivations for becoming a speedster in a later episode to steer him closer to his comic counterpart. That's if he appears again, of course, which isn't a sure thing.
The Flash airs on The CW Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for updates on the state of the Arrow-verse, and other movie and television news worth keeping up with.
