He may not be as well-known, well-respected, or well-regarded as other DC Comics supervillains, but in the world of The Flash, few members of the speedster's rogues gallery are as beloved as 'Captain Cold.' Now that villain has officially been cast for The CW's upcoming series, with Prison Break star Wentworth Miller landing the part - and confirming that the show will waste no time in bringing the key players in "The Flash" universe to TV audiences everywhere.

The news of the casting comes as The Flash's showrunners have begun discussing their hopes for the series at the Television Critics Association's fall previews, currently underway. More details or comments on why Miller has been cast have yet to be released, but it's a decision that is far from mysterious: Miller proved capable of carrying a series with Prison Break, earning a fan following in the process (bolstered by his appearance in the Resident Evil series).

What we do know, according to executive producer Greg Berlanti, is that Miller's character will be given a proper origin story which will also help lay the foundations for the rest of the Rogues (Barry Allen's various enemies, who regularly plot and attack en masse in the comic books). So those who feared the addition of Firestorm (Robbie Amell) to the cast showed that established "Flash" characters would be taking a back seat can breath a sigh of relief.

The Flash TV Show Captain Cold

Geoff Johns has made no secret of his affection for "The Flash," having returned Barry Allen to the comics after a decades-long absence with the acclaimed "Flash: Rebirth," and using the hero to launch the company-wide 'New 52' reboot. Given that dedication to the source material, it's no surprise that Johns plans to bring as much of it to fans as possible:

"It's probably the most faithful DC Comics adaptation ever... We'll add some things of our own, but we'll incorporate almost all the mythology of the comic — particularly in the first nine episodes."

It also makes sense to see 'Leonard Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold' one of the first regular villains cast, as we heard Johns explain to an audience at San Diego Comic-Con last year that out of all the DC Comics villains, Captain Cold was his favorite. In other words: it's safe to say that Wentworth Miller's casting was fairly scrutinized.

Comic book convention would suggest that the real villain of The Flash will turn out to be 'The Reverse-Flash' (and we've got some theories on that coming soon), but this casting confirms that Captain Cold isn't to be taken lightly. His powers are obvious enough (an array of freeze-rays and guns), although the S.T.A.R. Labs catastrophe which granted Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) his powers will likely imbue Snart with 'metahuman abilities.' In this case, the ability to "chill" the very air around him (as is the case with the New 52 version).

The Flash TV Show New 52 Captain Cold

Besides casting Miller, the new details on the origin story and faithful adaptation are promising. While the first synopsis and footage of The Flash's pilot episode implied a monster-of-the-week structure (with Barry hunting down metahuman villains on a weekly basis), Johns' claim that he'll be overseeing "the most faithful adaptation" fans have seen implies something very different.

For starters, Captain Cold is the de facto leader of the Rogues, enforcing a non-lethal approach to organized crime. To say Captain Cold is an unconventional 'bad guy' would be an understatement; and since it's those characteristics that presumably make him Johns' favorite, there's a very real chance that Miller could get to explore those aspects over the course of the series.

As if it weren't enough work bringing the mythology of "The Flash" and "Firestorm" to TV, the showrunners are already looking to make the most of their budding DC/TV universe, with executive producer Andrew Kreisberg revealing the imminent plans to (once again) fuse the Arrow universe with that of The Flash:

"Episodes 8 of both shows, Arrow and Flash, are going to be a two-hour crossover event... [Also] in Episode 4, Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] is going to come to The Flash."

The Flash Arrow TV Crossover Event

We'll know more once The CW arrives at Comic-Con to screen the first episode, but for now, what do you think of Miller's casting? Is he the kind of brooding tactician needed to do Captain Cold justice, or are you more interested in how closely the show follows the comic books? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Flash premieres Tuesday, October 7th, 2014 @8PM on The CW.

Source: TV Guide, NY Daily News