Hey, readers! There are mild spoilers for The Flash, Arrow, and its characters in this post. You have been warned.

My goodness, there’s going to be a whole lot of universe-expanding this year in the CW’s DC Comics programs. Not only is there now a show devoted to Green Arrow and one for The Flash, Black Canary as a recurring character, and Ray Palmer (a/k/a The Atom) has already made an appearance on the former show, but now another Justice League-type has been cast, or should we say, has been double-cast. The role of one half of the entity known as Firestorm, the older scientist part, has been cast with Broadway and Hollywood legend Victor Garber.

Garber will have a recurring role on The Flash this year as Dr. Martin Stein, the arrogant but brilliant scientist (because they all are, huh?) who sacrifices everything for his work on transmutation, including a marriage. [Sidenote: when you marry a scientist who says his work is “transmutation,” that should be signpost one that he MAYBE not going to be the most present of partners.] After the explosion of the particle accelerator in Star Labs, Stein is fused together with the younger and brash Robbie Raymond (played by Robbie Amell, brother of Arrow star Stephen Amell), which we comics readers know is the makeup that brings about Firestorm. Stein will race to defuse them (unfuse them?), but I’m guessing he won’t succeed, because, well, Firestorm.

HT: Deadline

The character of Stein seems like he’s going to be ultimately good but with a dark side, which is right up Garber’s alley having played double agent Jack Bristow for five years on ABC’s Alias (are you happy, Editor Rachel? [Editor’s Note: YES.]) and the Canadian actor has a real innate ability to be both malevolent and benevolent at the same time. A rare skill indeed. I’m just stoked that the writers of these two shows seem to really be interested in building the greater DCU on the shows and not just leave them insular. Maybe one day we WILL get to see Gotham City or Metropolis residents in a real way. But, for now, The Atom and Firestorm are a good starting point.

Is this exciting to you? Do you care at all? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: ABC