Elongated Man will have an enlarged role in The Flash season 5, because Hartley Sawyer has been upgraded from a recurring guest star to a series regular.
Sawyer’s character, Ralph Dibny, began his life on the show as a washed-up cop and a lousy private investigator. However, thanks to some training with Team Flash and a few weeks trapped in his own mind, Dibny ended season 4 as an established hero with a real handle on his stretchy superpowers.
Danielle Nicolet, who plays Cecile Horton in the show, has also been upped to series regular status among the cast. This makes a lot of narrative sense, considering that she has just had a baby with Jesse L. Martin’s Joe West. Their raising of this child is bound to play a large part in The Flash season 5.
The Flash isn’t the only superhero show on The CW that’s promoting its guest stars, either. Over on Supergirl, Jesse Rath has been upped to a series regular for season 4. He plays Brainiac-5, aka Brainy, a member of the futuristic Legion Of Superheroes.
“We love the character of Brainiac-5 and can’t imagine anyone but Jesse Rath in the role,” executive producers Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller said in a joint statement.
“He brings such fun, heart and brilliance to Brainy and we’re so excited he’s joining the cast as a series regular for season 4. We have a lot of great Brainy stories to tell.”
It should be fun to see Sawyer, Nicolet and Rath enjoying increased episode counts as these two shows surge forward.
We’ll bring you more CW superhero news as we hear it.