SDCC: The Flash crew reveal Bloodwork as Season 6 big bad and tease Crisis set-up

The Flash continued to push narrative boundaries last season, introducing Barry and Iris’ time-displaced future daughter while also weaving it all into a big ol’ Reverse-Flash conspiracy plot. So, where does the story go from there? Two different arcs, Wally West's return, Crisis set-up, and a new Big Bad in Bloodwork.

The cast and crew were on hand at San Diego Comic-Con to answer some of those questions while also offering up a video preview for what they've been shooting and some teases for Season 6. The video preview introduced a new baddie out to eliminate death itself: Ramsey Rosso, aka Bloodwork, played by Heroes alum Sendhil Ramamurthy.

Showrunner Eric Wallace said Bloodwork will be a villain unlike anything the team has faced up to this point, and promised that a unique connection between Barry and Rosso will develop as the season goes on. He also revealed that the new season will be split into two separate "graphic novels," with different Big Bads for each arc.

"We've made it to Season 6 and figured let's kick it up a notch. In the past we've done 22 episodes with one big bad, but now we're going to take those 22 episodes and divide it up into two 'graphic novels,'" Wallace explained. "Graphic novel No. 1 will be about Bloodwork, then we'll have Crisis as an interlude. Then in the back half there's a completely different self-contained story with a different big bad."

What about Thawne, who was last seen on the loose at the end of Season 5? Wallace confirmed the Reverse-Flash "is in the wind," and said we won't see him immediately. So, could Thawne be the mystery villain for the back half of the season? Who knows.

Check out the sizzle reel below:

Gustin also touched on the impending Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, saying the pending event becomes much more real once they realize the future newspaper date has changed, meaning the crisis hits this year. Gustin noted, "it's tough hearing that, no matter what happens, you're supposed to vanish." The date may have changed, but the headline remains the same: "Flash Missing, Vanishes In Crisis."

As for what Tom Cavanagh will be doing this season, the producers confirmed we'll meet a new version of Wells from the multiverse, which Cavanagh described as a "sensual" take on the legendary genius: "He's an adventurer, swashbuckler and living a life of intrigue." It was also revealed Cavanagh will be playing the character Pariah in the Crisis on Infinite Earths event. In the comics, the character is responsible for releasing the Anti-Monitor on the known world. Wallace promised the first arc of Flash's next season will do a good bit of heavy-lifting setting up the crossover, largely via Pariah's story.

Wallace also revealed Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale) will be making a return for a couple of episodes for a team-up to take on a classic DC baddie. Candice Patton also revealed fans will finally get to see the Iris West fans know and love from the comics, as she kicks off her upstart newspaper in earnest, hiring a staff and growing into the "ace reporter" fans have only gotten glimpses at to this point. Hartley Sawyer noted Ralph Dibny will also get some focus this year, as an arc digs into his family history. 

Gustin also took a moment to talk about his redesigned super-suit, which was built on the version from last year but with a redesigned cowl: "So, it's closer than ever before to looking like the suit from the comics. It's pretty damn cool."

The Flash returns to The CW’s Tuesday schedule this fall. The series looks to be come the de facto flagship superhero series at the network, as Arrow wraps its run, making Flash the longest-tenured super-show on the network at that point. 

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