THE FLASH Casts Ashley Rickards as The Top

I wonder if she listens to the band Dead or Alive...

E! Online is reporting that the CW series The Flash has cast Ashley Rickards as Rosalind "Rosa" Dillon, a genderbent version of Roscoe Dillon, better known to DC Comics fans as the supervillain The Top.

According to the article, The Top "has the power to make people's heads spin.  She's the Bonnie to Mirror Master's Clyde and one of the most dangerous members of the gallery of Rogues."

Rickards, 24, is best known as Jenna Hamilton on the MTV dramedy series Awkward.  In addition, she's appeared in the movie Behaving Badly, and on episodes of American Horror Story: Murder House, Entourage, One Tree Hill, Ugly Betty, Zoey 101, CSI: NY, and Everybody Hates Chris.

The Top will debut in the fourth episode of the show's third season, which will also be an "an origin story of sorts" for The Mirror Master and feature the return of Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold.

"It's kind of the origin of Mirror Master...We're really excited," said executive producer Aaron Helbing.  

Added executive producer Todd Helbing, "It's the origin story of him, but it's this struggle between Mirror Master and Captain Cold and you get to see who comes out on top."

"We're excited to have Wentworth back because he always brings this amazing presence," said Aaron.

Created in 1961 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, The Top first appeared in The Flash (vol.1) #122 as Roscoe Dillon, a small-time crook who turned his childhood obsession with tops into a criminal persona.  Roscoe taught himself how to spin around fast enough to deflect bullets and produce other semi-useful effects.  The Top soon discovered that the spinning somehow increased his intelligence as well, allowing him to create a variety of trick tops.

He tried to blackmail the world with an Atomic Top that would destroy half the world when it slowed down and imprisoned the Flash inside it, but the Flash vibrated out of it and sent it into space.  His unique gimmick and moderate success in crime soon made him a respected member of the Flash's Rogues Gallery.  He dated Golden Glider, Captain Cold's sister, while coaching her on ice skating.  Eventually, the Top developed immense psionic powers, after years of spinning moved dormant brain cells to the outer areas of his brain, endowing him with mental abilities.

Unfortunately, the newly activated brain cells were destroyed by close proximity to the Flash's superspeed vibrations.  The Top died within days from the injuries sustained by his brain, but not before he planted a series of powerful bombs to destroy Central City as a final revenge.  In addition, he prepared a recording explaining his terminal condition and scheme to spitefully challenge his comrades to attempt to find and defuse the explosives, knowing that The Flash would surely stop at least one of the attempts and doom the city.  Knowing that neither the superhero nor the police would believe them if they tried to warn either of the crisis, the Rogues desperately attempted to find the bombs despite the Flash's unwitting opposition.  Fortunately, the Flash eventually realized the situation and aided the Rogues in stopping the Top's scheme in time.

When Barry Allen's parents were in a car accident, Dillon's spirit was somehow able to take possession of the vacant body of his father, Henry.  Realizing who Barry Allen was, The Top, along with Golden Glider, plotted to kill the Flash and take over his body.  He failed when he tried to take over the Flash's body while he was alive, leaving Henry's spirit to reclaim his body.

In the current The New 52 continuity, The Top appeared as one of the Acolytes of Zoom. This version of the character diid not use the codename of his Pre-New 52 counterpart, however, and also has the ability to control centrifugal force, having created a tornado in his hometown prior to being found by Zoom.

The Flash returns to The CW for Season 3 on October 4th at 8:00 p.m. EST.