The Flash Boss Talks Grodd's Arrival and Another Arrow Crossover 

 has shown restraint when it comes to what its costumed crusader can do — but that won’t be the case for much longer, executive producer Greg Berlanti revealed to TVLine following his Film Independent panel at LACMA last Wednesday. In fact, Berlanti added, one of The Flash’s iconic powers will soon come into play in a big way.

Below, the EP also discusses the introduction of Grodd, the big confession Barry may make to Iris and upcoming tweaks to the titular hero’s costume. And on the heels of next month’s

crossover, the uber producer weighs in on the possibility of another similarly huge event.

TVLINE | Am I wrong in reading the situation as it just being a matter of time before Barry has to tell Iris either that he loves her or that he’s The Flash in order to salvage their relationship?

One hundred percent. I think that’s a fair assessment. One of those two things will be revealed soon enough.

TVLINE | You had a pretty juicy tease there at the end of the last episode about Grodd. Is that something that’s going to be more teased rather than introduced?

I wouldn’t say teased. I would say we’re going to deal with it this year. The comparison I make is a little bit to Slade the first year on

in the sense of we started with the mask in the pilot and then we saw which way we were going. He was, ultimately, in the back half of that first season even more than we would ever do with Grodd this first year because… We’re going to have to get the technology right and all the stuff right to make it look and feel real. But a lot of times, we do this stuff not as a tease as much as a challenge to ourselves of, “Can we do it?” Grodd’s definitely one of those, so we hope we pull it off.

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TVLINE | We saw so many different abilities with the last episode — running on water, running up a building, changing his voice. Are there other special abilities still to come?

Oh, he has tons. Definitely. We’re holding back on some big ones still. He famously can phase through things. We haven’t seen him do that yet.

That is the one that we deal with directly in the winter. We, obviously, hint at it from the pilot episode. That is a big — “theme” is the wrong word for it — but that is a big part of the DNA of who The Flash was, so we do deal with that.

TVLINE | And with his suit being destroyed by the bomb, is now the time when you’re going to evolve his costume?

We’ll keep evolving it and tweaking it as we go. I think people are waiting to see when it’s going to be a white emblem versus a red.

We just started talking about that. It’s so much fun to do. They’re so hard to do. But I think they’ll be so rewarding for everybody, ultimately, that that’s our hope, for sure.

I’m looking forward to Barry having “the talk” with Iris (whatever it may be).

Same here. I really need her to be clued in on one of those things before too long. I’m actually hoping that it’s the whole Barry is the Flash thing because the longer they go without telling her, the more draw out the fallout will be. As for him being in love with her, really hoping she realizes that one for herself.

As a matter of fact, I have been waiting for a white background on the lightning bolt symbol, so thanks for that

I’d like to see Ray Palmer give Barry the ring Flash uses in the comics to keep his costume in.

Barry will go to Iris set on telling her the truth but because he can do that she’ll reveal to him that she’s from the future, thus delaying his reveal by using her own.

I’m curious to find out if Grodd hails from Gorilla City or if they’re going to ground the concept by making him be a lab animal or something, like Ceasar in POTA. I hope they use Gorilla City.

As I miscommented to someone else below, that makes no sense for her to be from the future, as they grew up together.

She could still be from the future, having been sent to her past when she was really young.

I think Iris finding out that Barry is the Flash will happen before she finds out he’s in love with her. The writers have said so many times in regards to Arrow that it’s easier and more fun to write for characters who are in on the secret. I don’t think Iris will be in the dark much longer.

That makes no sense for her to be from the future, as they grew up together.

I….didn’t say anything about her being from the future? I think you meant to reply to another comment? Although for the record, I agree. Them growing up together seems to make the thing about her being from the future a little more difficult. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t they meet as adults in the comics?)

I don’t know when the met in the comics. I know that they’re already in a serious relationship when he becomes The Flash in the original comics. But if you think Iris being from the future is impossible in the comics Barry meets his Twin brother who was raised in the future, and a young Iris eventually raises her great grandson from the future so her somehow being born in the future isn’t that far off from some of the comics.

In the comics, prior to the new 52, Iris was killed in the present, but her family, far off in the future, rescued her by transporting her consciousness into a new (but identical) body. Not making this up at all.

I can’t wait until Grodd become the central of the episode. Will Giganta the future girl friends of Grodd appear in the episode?

I still want Laurel to find her way to town and gain the Canary cry :)

While I no longer follow the comics for better than 40 years and thus have to real knowledge of what is likely to happen, I find that the TV development of the Flash is somewhat similar to the TV development of Arrow. Interesting to watch the little pieces come together.

I just can’t imagine them every pulling off a good Gorilla Grodd on a CW TV budget.

I can’t wait to see Gorilla Grodd in action and what he connection with Dr. Wells? I also can’t wait until the writer will tell the full story behind Dr. Well/Gorilla Grodd next year.

Thankfully he has mental abilities so they could do a thing where for most of it he’s in the shadows (figuratively rather than just literally I would hope) and only revealed for a few minutes or something. Dunno what would be better though: TV budget CGI or a costume.

I am absolutely over-excited that they are for real going to do Gorilla Grodd.

The “Iris doesn’t know” subplot is rapidly becoming more annoying than any “willtheywon’tthey” I’ve ever seen on TV, so even if they don’t get together, the reveal of Barry as the Flash needs to happen soon. I also wish they’d call him the Flash sooner than later.

I also think it’d be cool for him to get the costume ring, but I don’t know how they’ll pull that off.

I’m in the minority, and not the typical CW viewer, so a lot of my gripes are with the twenty-something relationship stuff that’s on the show. I’d rather they get that resolved so it can become a problems-solved-by-science type show. The little CSI/Sherlock evidence collection in the Pilot episode hinted at something very rich in the crime-solving department.

The main mystery of who Harrison Wells is and the identity of Reverse Flash in the Pilot are working quite well. There’ll be thousands who claim they know what’s up, but I honestly can’t believe anyone has figured it out. I’m hoping for some insane plot twist where it turns out Wells is a time-traveller whose being mentally controlled by Gorilla Grodd in secret, but who knows?

Ugh. I like the show but now fast forward through the whole Iris angst stuff. The writers have given Iris nothing to do – she pulls the show down. Barry had way more chemistry with that girl from Arrow than he ever did with Iris. Feel sorry for the actress as its not her fault.

Oh Barry will not have the talk – he will mope about how he needs to to do it all this season. But Iris will put it together/overhear something then will get mad she wasn’t told and put herself in jeopardy because she was so hurt that she wasn’t told. Sigh. Then Barry will save her and for a split second she realizes Barry’s feelings for her but yet go back to her boyfriend. Then we have awkward, across the room looks and things not said for another season and just as ratings start to slip (or the writers run out of ideas) to finally get together only to be torn apart (her father dies or something). Wish the writers were not so lazy.

Bring on Grodd and the other stories and table the whole “willtheywon’tthey”.

I am glad that Iris West don’t need to be save every episode.

The writers haven’t given iris anything to do? As opposed to caitlin and Cisco who we’ve barely seen outside of the lab? Iris is helping the world realize that Barry is a hero and not some crazy part of their imagination. She’s making the flash a beacon of hope for the city.

I am loving that the producers are.so dedicated to being as faithful as possible to the Flash of the comic books; the. Interview convince me that the Flash and the extended members of his universe are in good hands.

I’m really looking forward to watching the journey unfold not just for Barry, but for Iris as well. Let’s just hope TPTB stay on course and close to the comics as Barry & Iris are essential characters to The Flash story. Seeing as how they will be addressing the time travel aspect early on, perhaps we’ll get a peak at future WestAllen.

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