A big new villain makes his debut on The Flash this week, as Wentworth Miller makes his debut as DC Comics villain Leonard Snart, AKA Captain Cold. Cold will be an ongoing threat this season, with Miller appearing in a recurring status, beginning with this week’s episode, “Going Rogue.”

Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart, AKA Captain Cold, in The Flash.

Director Glen Winter, Grant Gustin and Wentworth Miller on the set of The Flash.

Wentworth Miller in The Flash.

Speaking about the dynamic between hero and villain, Grant Gustin (“Barry Allen” / “The Flash”) told a group of visiting journalists, “It’s not fun for Barry like I think it’s fun for Snart. And that’s the whole thing that’s driving him, is like, 'Oh, what’s this new challenge?' It’s kind of reenergizing I think, trying to take his game to the next level, but for Barry it’s kind of a pain in he ass. It’s like this guy won’t go away. And there’s bigger things that Barry’s trying to focus on and it’s hard to focus on everything at once.”During the same recent set visit, we also spoke to Miller, as he took a break from filming a big confrontation scene between The Flash, Captain Cold -- who has no powers in this incarnation, but does have a very powerful gun -- and his associate Heat Wave (Miller’s Prison Break co-star Dominic Purcell, who will be introduced later this season). Miller discussed taking on the role and returning to TV in an ongoing capacity for the first time since Prison Break ended, after which he transitioned into screenwriting with Stoker and other upcoming film projects.I hadn’t heard of Captain Cold before but I had heard of [Flash executive producer] Greg Berlanti. I had a lot of respect for what he’s achieved in this business so I came in to meet with him and liked what I heard. And I saw the pilot, which I thought was really strong and I thought this was something that I want to be a part of.When I was cast, I went online and googled a few images and some of them I responded to and some of them I did not and I thought, “Let me take my cue from what the writers have planned." Because I got the sense early on that there was a willingness to respect what’s come before but also an interest in reinventing and giving things a fresh spin. So I thought let me take the character from the pages of the script specifically. What I responded to was this very powerful guy who has been at the top of his game for a long time and maybe he’s gotten a little bored, a little complacent and then suddenly this extremely worth adversary shows up and suddenly the game is interesting again. And I think while he has it out for the Flash, on some level there’s also an appreciation and a certain degree of resect. I like the fact that he’s a villain but there are hints that other things are stirring beneath the surface.Well I like the fact that I’m not strictly evil, that there are shades of gray, that there are things for me to explore and layer in that speak to the human side of Snart. Because he does have a history and it is complicated and it does speak to who he is now. It’s my hope that given time we have a chance to explore some of those things.Thank you for the compliment in there. What I missed most was the sense of community. There’s a sort of family dynamic that happens organically on a set. I feel it when I come and visit this particular set. It’s a very ambitious show and the cast and the crew are in it together t put together a great story week after week after week and that’s something I was familiar with or was familiar with on Prison Break. When I was writing for two or three years or just writing, it was me alone in my living room and I was my own boss to a certain degree but it was also sort of a lonely experience. I missed that sensation of we are all in this together and it’s about putting something great on TV each and every week.I don’t know that I would have listened to anyone who came to me with advice in the first season of Prison Break. I think you have to experience it for yourself and it’s impossible to anticipate and it’s probably different to a certain degree for everyone but he’s in for a ride, that’s for sure. But what I know about Grant and I think it’s one of the things that radiates from him on the screen in this character is he’s got this great heart and this innate sense of decency. You believe him as this character. I think given the various challenges of a challenging business, that should serve him well.I remember suddenly being recognized on the street, whereas the day before, the week before, I wasn’t. We were shooting in Chicago. It was from one airing of the show to the next, it seemed suddenly people were recognizing me. There’s something about coming into people’s homes every week, especially over the course of years, where when they finally do meet you on the street or what have you, approach you like a family member. There’s a real relationship and connection that can build up.

Wentworth Miller debuts on The Flash on Tuesday, October 28th.Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @EricIGN , IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman