Harrison Wells


Harrison Wells is the name of several fictional characters portrayed by Tom Cavanagh in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, primarily the television series The Flash. The character, created by Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, and Andrew Kreisberg, is an original creation for the series and is not based on any existing character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Most versions of Wells are from parallel universes, often defined by their high level of intelligence and scientific knowledge.
Cavanagh has played several different versions of Wells, most notably Earth-1's Harrison Wells; Harry Wells of Earth-2; writer H. R. Wells of Earth-19; detective Sherloque Wells of Earth-221; and explorer Nash Wells who temporarily became the series' version of Pariah. He has also portrayed, in a less prominent capacity, the Council of Wells and the Council of Harrisons, which consist of various doppelgängers.
Critics and fans have praised Cavanagh's performances as various versions of the character, particularly Harry, although some criticized his performance as H. R. and Sherloque. The Council of Wells and Council of Harrisons received a mixed reception from critics; some praised their humor and Cavanagh's versatility in portraying them while others criticized their skit-like nature.

Concept and creation

Executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, and DC Comics CCO Geoff Johns, created the character of Harrison Wells for The CW series The Flash, although he is first mentioned in the Arrow season 2 episode "Three Ghosts". While a character named "Dr. Wells" had appeared in "Elevator To Nowhere", a 1980 episode of the ABC animated series Super Friends, and another namesake character in Flash TV Special #1, a January 1991 tie-in comic book with the CBS live-action series The Flash, Johns has said that Harrison Wells is an original creation for the CW series. On February 10, 2014, Tom Cavanagh was cast in the role, described as "a rock star in the world of physics and the mind and money behind Central City's S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator." This differed from the comics where Garrison Slate founded S.T.A.R. Labs. Cavanagh described Apple founder Steve Jobs as an inspiration for the character. It was eventually revealed that "Wells" was actually Eobard Thawne, who assumed the real Wells' identity after murdering him. Subsequent seasons has Cavanagh portray other versions of Wells.

Characterization

Cavanagh has differentiated each version of Wells he portrays based on character mannerisms, voice, and origin story. He described Harry Wells of Earth-2, introduced in season two, as someone who "seems bad but he's good", the opposite of Thawne. Grant Gustin, who portrays Barry Allen, described Harry as a "douchebag". Cavanagh said, though he was not written that way, it was his idea to portray the character as egotistical. He also described Harry as "socially awkward", but ultimately "a good guy at heart". Kriesberg differentiated Harry from Thawne by calling him "a tortured man who's beset with guilt" who loves his daughter. He added, " a jerk, but he's doing everything he's doing because he loves his daughter more than anything in the world." According to Cavanagh, Harry was created to give the series a "daily antagonist".
Season three introduces "H. R." of Earth-19. Cavanagh described him as "a bit of a con man... But I didn't want to repeat myself from , so what I thought I would try is a guy who fills it up with comedy." He said the character was created to bring more "comedic power" to the series in a way that would not undermine its serious narrative. Regarding the relationship between Harry and H. R., he said, "Harry hated because he thought he was an idiot. H. R. thought Harry was the best thing ever." H. R. and the three other versions of Wells seen in the episode "The New Rogues" were created by Cavanagh.
Sherlock Holmes was the inspiration for Sherloque Wells, introduced in season five. Cavanagh described Sherloque as "a very intelligent human being who is maybe not to be trusted", and as being filled with "intrigue and deceit, fun, humor, intensity, and very loud." He called the character a combination of Harry's intelligence and H. R.'s comedic personality. Cavanagh later expanded, saying, "The idea of Sherloque, a master detective, who's really funny because he'll have this pomposity but also he'll actually be good at what he does, tracking down the Reverse-Flash, essentially me tracking down me... fits with the story and it's not indulgent". Sherloque was written as a French man, and a rival of Ralph Dibny because of them being in the same profession.
Season six introduces Nash Wells, who Cavanagh described as "a bit of an adventurer, a swashbuckler." He said the character was almost written as an Australian, but the writers "ended up going with something different – but we were very close to making him Australian." Season six showrunner Eric Wallace described Nash as "a man who can kind of get in a fight and hold his own", unlike any previous version of Wells. Nash eventually becomes the series' version of Pariah.
Regarding the creation of the Council of Wells, Cavanagh recalled:
We had a sprinkling of it when they were on their quest for H. R. Wells last year where we had Hells Wells, Mime Wells, and Steampunk Wells, and so that was just a one-off, but that got everybody's juices flowing like, 'If we were to do that, what would that look like with there being a Council of Wells that could convene?' We thought, 'Oh, this is going to be completely obnoxious and shameless when I get a hold of it,' and it is proving to be super obnoxious and ultra-shameless in hopefully the most appealing way.
The Flash season four and five showrunner Todd Helbing described the Council of Wells as being "all about intelligence and being the smartest people in the universe", and the Council of Harrisons as its " version". Cavanagh described Herr Wells as someone who thinks "everything that is not German is not good" and Wells 2.0 as a "bad ass from the Outback, who doesn't like anybody". Gandalf, a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth stories, was the model for Wells the Grey, Hugh Hefner was the inspiration for H. Lothario Wells, and the Mad Max franchise was the inspiration for Wells 2.0. Cavanagh commented that, despite the one-off and skit-like nature of these versions of Wells, "in my mind, they're real guys. They exist. The situation is comic, but they're not."

Fictional character biographies

Harrison Wells (Earth-1)

In season one, Harrison Wells is introduced as the founder and director of S.T.A.R. Labs, located in Central City on Earth-1. He activates a particle accelerator that explodes, allowing dark matter energy released to transform various people, including Barry Allen, into metahumans. Months later, Wells has become a recluse and a pariah of Central City while he and his assistants Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow help Barry as the Flash; Wells pushes Barry to run faster to increase abilities as a speedster by taking down metahuman criminals. While it is eventually revealed that "Wells" is actually Eobard Thawne, the real Wells was married to the late scientist Tess Morgan, whom he met when they worked as research partners in Maryland, and was injured in a car crash that killed Tess and was caused by the time-displaced Thawne, who then stole his likeness using a futuristic device, killing Wells in the process in order to develop the particle accelerator sooner and return to the future. In the present, Tina McGee tells Barry of always suspecting something was off about Wells after Tess died. An investigation into Tess's death eventually leads to Team Flash's discovery of Wells's corpse and Thawne's masquerade. In subsequent seasons, Thawne's various actions using Wells's identity make it difficult for doppelgängers of Wells to be in the general public.

Harry Wells

Harrison Wells, the founder and director of the S.T.A.R Labs on Earth-2, travels to Earth-1 in season two. Nicknamed "Harry" by Cisco, he tells Team Flash he plans to help them stop Zoom, who has kidnapped his daughter Jesse. Zoom extorts Harry into developing a Speed Force transmitting device to steal Barry's speed in exchange for Jesse's life, but when Harry cannot continue with the plan he confesses his collaboration with Zoom to the team. He gains Barry and Cisco's help rescuing Jesse from Earth-2; Harry and Jesse then seek refuge on Earth-1. After Zoom's defeat, they return to Earth-2.
In season three, Harry approaches Team Flash to dissuade Jesse, now a speedster, from being a superhero, but eventually comes to accept his daughter's intentions. The two return to Earth-2 after helping the team recruit another Wells as Harry's replacement. Later, Harry is captured and imprisoned by Gorilla City's denizens and Team Flash rescues him. He later helps Team Flash fight Savitar. Following Savitar's defeat, Harry remains on Earth-1 as a favor when Barry enters the Speed Force to stabilize it.
By the beginning of season four, Harry has returned to Earth-2 for undisclosed reasons; Cisco mentions him as one of the scientists who aided in developing a way behind Barry's retrieval from the Speed Force. Harry returns after an argument with Jesse, and helps the team fight Clifford DeVoe. He builds a "thinking cap" to augment his intelligence with dark matter to outwit DeVoe, but after the device is pushed past its safety limits, his brain is damaged; now the more he uses his intellect, the faster he loses it. Following DeVoe's defeat, with help from his wife Marlize, Team Flash manages to restore Harry's intelligence to a functional level, though he is unable to be restored to his previous genius-level intellect, and he returns to Earth-2.
As Earth-2 was destroyed by the Anti-Monitor months before the Crisis began, Harry was among those who perished. Following the events of the Crisis, in which the multiverse is rebooted, Harry is still presumed dead as Team Flash mistakenly believe the multiverse is gone, though they did learn his intellect was recovering prior to the event. However, it is later revealed that Harry's consciousness remains, along with that of other Wells doppelgängers, in the mind of Nash, the only remaining Wells with a physical body.

H. R. Wells

Harrison "H. R." Wells of Earth-19 is one of several versions of Harrison Wells in season three who finds the cryptogram sent by Harry through the multiverse and expresses interest in aiding Team Flash. Although Harry objects, Team Flash finalizes H. R. as his replacement. H. R. is later revealed to not be a scientist; he admits that he came to Earth-1 primarily to get material for a novel, and is only the founder and "idea man" for S.T.A.R. Labs on Earth-19. Barry suggests letting the overbearingly good-natured H. R. stay a few weeks, and he proves his worth by helping form plans and locating powered criminals. He trains Wally West in the use of his newly-acquired speedster powers and, after discovering how many criminals breached the facility, attempts to transform S.T.A.R. Labs into a museum to maintain Team Flash's cover. Gypsy, an enforcer from Earth-19, arrives to retrieve H. R. on charges of interdimensional travel as it is forbidden on Earth-19, but is defeated by Cisco. She spares H. R. and warns him not to return to Earth-19. In the battle against Savitar, H. R. sacrifices himself by disguising himself as Iris and taking her place to be killed by Savitar. His actions earn him Harry's respect, and his death is avenged when Iris kills Savitar.

Sherloque Wells

Harrison Sherloque Wells, a detective from Earth-221, is hired in season five by Team Flash to investigate the mystery of the metahuman serial killer Cicada. He is forced to stay on Earth-1 after his initial deductions prove incorrect because this version of Cicada has a different secret identity than the 37 versions Sherloque has previously identified. After investigating further, he announces Cicada's true identity: Orlin Dwyer. He is also suspicious of Barry's future daughter Nora West-Allen, and secretly investigates the speedster, leading him to discover her allegiance with his Earth-1 doppelgänger's impostor and killer Eobard Thawne. Sherloque has married, and subsequently divorced, Renee Adler of various Earths in the multiverse and eventually starts dating the Earth-1 version of her. He sends the Earth-1 Renee, who is a metahuman, to his Earth to keep her safe from Cicada II, who is continuing the late Dwyer's mission. After Cicada II is defeated, Sherloque returns to his Earth to reunite with the Earth-1 Renee. During the Crisis, Sherloque perished, but after the rebooting of the multiverse, his consciousness was fused with Nash's mind.

Nash Wells

In season six, Harrison Nash Wells, an explorer and self-proclaimed myth-buster from an unidentified Earth, comes to Earth-1 in search of a substance called eternium, which he eventually finds in the sewers of Central City. He later aids Barry and Cisco in a heist in exchange for a crypto-circuit he claims only Cisco can build. After obtaining it, he returns to the sewers and tracks the Monitor's movements. Joe tracks Nash in the sewers, but both become trapped until they are rescued by Ralph Dibny. After Team Flash offers to help, Nash reluctantly agrees and tells them he knows how to save Barry from his prophesied death during the impending Crisis. He brings the team to a wall he claims protects a portal the Monitor uses to hide out, expressing his desire to expose him as a false god. Nash later destroys the wall, and finds a door etched with symbols, before a voice promises him a new life in exchange for bowing down before it. Nash initially refuses, but ultimately agrees after the voice seemingly saves him. Following this, a blinding light appears and teleports him inside.
During the Crisis, it is revealed that Nash inadvertently freed the Anti-Monitor, who tricked him into thinking he was the Monitor and used him to escape his imprisonment. As a result, Nash became a "Pariah" cursed to bear witness as penance while the Anti-Monitor destroys the multiverse. As billions of Earths are wiped out, Pariah assists Team Flash in destroying the Anti-Monitor's anti-matter cannon, but the Anti-Monitor succeeds in destroying the multiverse anyway. Before he is killed, Pariah teleports the seven heroes capable of stopping him, the Paragons, to safety. After the Paragons and Oliver Queen defeat the Anti-Monitor and reboot the multiverse, Nash is restored to his pre-Crisis self on the newly formed Earth-Prime. Though he initially lacks his memories as Pariah, J'onn J'onzz restores them to ensure he never forgets what he did. When Nash learns the Anti-Monitor is still alive, he works with Barry, Ray Palmer, and Ryan Choi to develop a bomb capable of shrinking the Anti-Monitor for eternity.
After Cisco takes a leave of absence from Team Flash, Nash joins them as a substitute. He also starts seeing hallucinations of Harry. Allegra Garcia learns she had a doppelgänger who worked for Nash and starts to get weary around him. When Nash tries to explain himself, he hallucinates Sherloque warning him that "he is coming". Nash's body is eventually taken over by Thawne, though he remains alive. When Team Flash work to exorcise Thawne from Nash, they deduce that as the only surviving version of Wells following the Crisis, Nash was fused with all of his counterparts, explaining his hallucinations. As for Thawne, he had become a being composed of negative tachyons who possessed Nash following the Crisis. While in Nash's head, Team Flash learned that Thawne was using his negative memories against him to finalize the possession. In particular, he used the death of his partner and adoptive daughter Maya, who had died while on an adventure with him on Earth-13. With his friends' help, Nash comes to terms with what happened and accept that it was his fault, expelling Thawne from his body. Despite this success, Team Flash could not do anything about his other counterparts' consciousnesses. During Eva McCulloch's raid on McCulloch Technologies, Nash assists Allegra in fighting her villainous cousin, Esperanza Garcia, after which she starts warming up to him.

Other variants of Wells

Throughout the series, many versions of Wells from across the multiverse have made brief appearances. In season three, several variants of Wells, along with H. R., appear as candidates to replace Harry from Team Flash, such as "Hell's Wells", a cowboy from an unspecified Earth; Wells of Earth-17, a British-accented steampunk scientist; and a French-speaking mime artist from another unspecified Earth. During the fourth season, Harry briefly creates the "Council of Wells", which consists of the smartest versions of himself from across the multiverse: Herr Harrison Wolfgang Wells, a German author and scientist from Earth-12; H. Lothario Wells, a playboy-scientist from Earth-47; and Wells 2.0., a cyborg from Earth-22. Also shown is a wizard named "Wells the Grey" from Earth-13. Following Harry's expulsion from the Council because of his declining intelligence, Cisco introduces him to the "Council of Harrisons", based more on empathy than intelligence. Along with Harry, this group includes Lothario Wells ; the Italian Sonny Wells of Earth-24; and H. P. Wells, a French poet from Earth-25. During the Crisis, all existing versions of Wells perished, but after the rebooting of the multiverse, their consciousnesses were fused into Nash's mind.

Reception

Adam Holmes of Cinema Blend ranked Harry sixth on his list of 10 Best TV Characters DC Introduced in 2015. Reviewing Cavanagh's performance as Harry in the episode "The Darkness and the Light", Eric Walters of Paste said, "Having Tom Cavanagh back is wonderful, and he has brought a renewed energy with him. When Harrison 2 referred to Cisco as 'Crisco,' I knew this episode was going to be hot fire." Screen Rants Jason Berman ranked Cavanagh fifth on his 2016 list of 20 Best Actors in the Arrowverse, saying, "By now, it has become clear that actors on The Flash are tasked with playing various incarnations of their characters. But Tom Cavanagh has had to take that to the extreme. Cavanagh has showed off his acting chops by playing no less than different versions of his character on The Flash." In September 2017, Irina Curovic of Comic Book Resources described Cavanagh's portrayal of the versions of Wells introduced to that point as "flawless", noting that, "Harry was the best fit for team Flash. Not only did he contribute to the team, but he also established meaningful relationships with the members of the team." In his review of the season 4 penultimate episode "Think Fast", which shows Harry's declining intelligence because of the effects of the Thinking Cap, IGNs Jesse Schedeen felt that "Cavanagh is doing a fine job of depicting Harry's deteriorating mental state, playing it both for laughs and tragedy as the situation demands."
Reviewing the episode "The New Rogues", which features Cavanagh portraying multiple versions of Wells, Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture said that the different Wells "let Tom Cavanagh stretch himself even more as an actor." However, she criticized his portrayal of H. R. in the episode "Untouchable", feeling he was an "annoying character" who was "just another symbol of the show's inability to grow", with his only purpose being to "continue the Harrison Wells mythos." Writing for Comic Book Resources, Stephanie Holland also criticized H. R., describing him as a "hipster Wells, who carries around drumsticks, wears a stupid hat and skinny jeans." She felt he was included only to "keep Tom Cavanagh around in a new role." Holland added that while Cavanagh was "fantastic at making every Wells different, HR just didn't fit on the show." Digital Spys Morgan Jeffrey felt H. R. did not contribute much to Team Flash except for "plenty of enthusiasm", and was "a tad annoying", but wrote that, by sacrificing his life to save Iris, H. R. "eventually proved his worth."
The Council of Wells and the Council of Harrisons received a divided reception among critics; some praised their humor and Cavanagh's versatility in portraying them, while others criticized the skit-like nature of both Councils. In his review of "When Harry Met Harry...", Schedeen felt the Council of Wells was "basically an excuse for Cavanagh to put on funny wigs and ridiculous accents." He had similar feelings for the episode "Harry and the Harrisons" where Harry joined the Council of Harrisons. Scott Von Doviak of The A.V. Club said this Council did not "make a whole lot of sense, even from a comic-book multiverse perspective", and that its members felt like "community theater skit characters."
Mike Cecchini of Den of Geek said he was initially skeptical of Sherloque during the character's introduction in the fifth season, but while reviewing the episode "Godspeed", said he turned into an "absolute delight". He claimed that, despite the character's limited screen time in the episode, he used it "incredibly effectively", appreciating "the way that he doubles down on not telling the team about his Nora suspicions." In contrast, Schedeen said that while Cavanagh was able to differentiate the various versions of Wells through subtle intonation, body language and personality changes, "Sherloque relied far too heavily on a silly French accent. He felt gimmicky in comparison to his predecessors. And while Sherloque definitely had his moments in Season 5, the character too often felt superfluous."

Other appearances