(Photo: DC Entertainment) There has been a lot of big news about new characters added to The CW's The Flash ahead of the debut of the series' second season in October...and here's where we'll try and keep it all together in one tidy spot. We won't touch on things like rumors that Vibe and Killer Frost (whose civilian identities are major players on the show already) might pop up, or the revelation that Linda Park will return for another season to be a potential foil for Barry and/or her in-comics husband Wally We... ...well, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Who are the new residents of Central City (and Earth-2) coming to the show this year? Read on...

Jay Garrick (Photo: DC Entertainment) As The Flash of Earth 2, Jay Garrick protects a world in the multiverse that’s similar, but also different, to Barry Allen’s. The image confirms that Barry Allen will indeed visit Earth 2, one of the marquee parallel worlds in DC Comics' multiverse. The image itself is a direct homage to the cover of The Flash #123, which introduced the concept of Earth 2 for the first time. Jay Garrick had existed for several years prior during the Golden Age of coics, but was reintroduced as an "alternate" Flash once Barry Allen became DC's new premiere speedster. The character will be played by Teddy Sears. prevnext

Wally West (Photo: DC Entertainment) The Flash has cast Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West. Racing onto the Flash’s second season later this winter, Lonsdale’s West will join the cast as a series regular. In the comics, Wally West was Barry Allen’s younger nephew who became the young speedster Kid Flash. Wally was Barry’s sidekick until he became The Flash himself, following Barry’s death saving the multiverse (as teased in Harrison Wells’ newspaper headline from the future). Lonsdale is best known for his work in the Divergent series, where he debuted as Uriah in Insurgent. He will reprise the role inAllegiant: Part 1. “Just like when we met Grant for the first time, we instantly knew Keiynan embodied all the heart and courage of a hero,” The Flash's executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said. “We are so excited to be bringing this much-beloved character onto the show.” prevnext

Patty Spivot Shantel VanSanten, whose credits include The Messengers, The Final Destination, One Tree Hill, will be playing Patty Spivot. Spivot, according to Deadline, is a cop and science enthusiast who is unaware that Barry Allen is falling for her. She is obsessed with metahumans and partners with Joe West this season following the death of Eddie Thawne and the advent of the metahuman task force. EP Andrew Kreisberg said that Patty Spivot’s addition helps “complicate Barry Allen’s love life in Season 2.” prevnext

Doctor Light Ex-S.T.A.R. Labs employee Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi-Light will apparently be making her small-screen debut on The Flash this season. First referenced in the Arrow episode “The Man Under the Hood,” Dr. Light in this instance will be the female version of the legacy hero/villain. The "classic" Doctor Light is a villain named Arthur Light who troubled The Flash, the Teen Titans and other DC heroes. Eventually a female version was introduced named Kimiyo Hoshi, who was a hero and served on the Justice League International. In the New 52, the pair were revealed to be married -- although Kimiyo hasn't yet appeared as Dr. Light in the new continuity. Prior to the relaunch, Arthur Light had become one of DC's most controversial characters, loathed by fans for his role as a rapist in the best-selling miniseries Identity Crisis. prevnext

Atom-Smasher The upcoming, second season of The CW's The Flash will feature former WWE Superstar Adam Copeland as Atom-Smasher. He will appear in the season premiere, currently filming, and contrary to what the name might suggest, he's not on the good guys' side. Here's how The CW describes his character: "One of the most powerful enemies we encounter this season, Atom Smasher has come to Central City to kill The Flash. His incredible strength and ability to grow to enormous size makes him more than a match for Flash and the entire S.T.A.R. Labs team will have to come together to find a way to defeat him." In the comics, Atom-Smasher is a hero. Al Rothstein, grandson to the villain Cyclotron, is godson to Al Pratt, the Golden Age hero known as The Atom before Ray Palmer took on the name. Prior to becoming Atom-Smasher, Rothstein operated as Nuklon. During The Flash executive producer Geoff Johns' time on JSA, Rothstein briefly took on a vengeful and unhinged personality following the murder of his mother, eventually traveling back in time to save her. That storyline seems like it has a lot of potential given the over-arching story of The Flash last year. At Comic-Con International: San Diego last weekend, producers said that while the particle accelerator explosion had been the main source for introducing powered characters in the show's first season that it would be Earth-2 providing many such characters this time around. It stands to reason that Rothstein's connections to Earth-2 staples the JSA and Infinity, Inc. will be explored. That Rothstein was one of a number of DC characters named as having died during the particle accelerator explosion -- a list that also included Ronnie Raymond, who later returned as Firestorm -- also throws into question whether we might see some of those characters re-emerge as their superheroic selves soon. prevnext

Jesse Quick Newcomer Violett Beane has been cast as Jesse Chambers, better known as the speedster Jesse Quick, on The Flash. TV's Jesse Quick is "a brilliant but quirky college student who gets caught up in the battle between The Flash and Zoom." Jesse Chambers is the daughter of Golden Age superheroes Liberty Belle and Johnny Quick in the comics, and played an important role during Geoff Johns' runs on both The Flash and JSA. Her father taught Jesse the formula that let him draw energy from the Speed Force, 3x2(9yz)4a. Given her character description, one has to wonder whether she will be the daughter of Earth-2's Johnny Quick or whether she will have figured out the formula on her own. Chambers eventually took on her mother's Liberty Belle identity. It's interesting to note that TVLine referred to her as Jesse Quick, while The CW generally refers to casting news by the character's civilian identity. Perhaps in this instance that's to prevent too much confusion or speculation as to which name Chambers will take. prevnext

Tokamak Demore Barnes has been cast as Henry Hewitt, better known as the Firestorm villain Tokamak, on The Flash. The CW describes the character as "a charming, but cocky scientist who was affected by the same Particle Accelerator explosion that created the Flash. When Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) recruits him to join the team at S.T.A.R. Labs, Hewitt jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his destiny as a powerful meta-human." In the comics, Hewitt was the head of a corrupt energy conglomerate who tried to play hardball with Congress to manipulate markets on his behalf. Tokamak's most notable accomplishment was probably the creation of Firehawk, a superheroine with powers similar to Firestorm's who was created when Hewitt kidnapped a Senator's daughter and subjected her to an experiment designed to recreate the accident that birthed Firestorm. He later attempted the process on himself, which is what gave him powers. The character has made only sporadic appearances, most recently during the Dwayne McDuffie run on Firestorm in 2007. The New 52 villain Dataxen has been compared to Tokamak, but their only real commonality is having energy-based powers and operating in armor. prevnext