The Flash Star Just Diagnosed With Autism
A star from The Flash is sharing their personal diagnosis story.
This article is more than 2 years old
One of the most popular villains on The Flash revealed he is on the autism spectrum. Wentworth Miller, who was one of The Flash’s chief antagonists in early seasons of The CW show, took to Instagram to reveal in a lengthy post that he has been formally diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. That term has a myriad of diagnoses that go along with it and a diverse community with a storied history at its back. As a result, Miller noted that he did not want to speak too much on the matter until he educates himself on his situation to the point he feels comfortable saying anything more than that he can count himself among the ranks of people on the spectrum.
The Flash actor made sure to note, though, that one of the few things he does understand about his diagnosis is that it has been a part of shaping who he is and would therefore not change it if he could. Autism Speaks defines Autism Spectrum Disorder as a range of conditions and challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. There is no one form of autism but rather many subtypes that should be thought of less as deficiencies and more as a set of strengths and challenges that neurotypical people simply don’t have.
Although it typically is diagnosed in children, as information and understanding of autism becomes readily available, more and more adults like The Flash star are being diagnosed later in life.
Wentworth Miller played the villain Captain Cold in the early seasons of The Flash before transporting the character over to Legends of Tomorrow in season one alongside his Prison Break brother, Dominic Purcell, who played another brother, Heat Wave. Unfortunately, his character was killed off at the end of season one and he has only returned a handful of times since, a situation that’s further complicated by his decision to stop playing heterosexual characters in 2020. In 2013, one year before he would be introduced on The Flash, the man known best for Prison Break revealed he is gay in a letter declining an invitation to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival. At the time he said that, as a gay man, he could not condone the Russian government’s treatment of the LGBTQ community.
In 2020, long after his character on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow had died, Miller disappointed fans when he responded to calls for more seasons of Prison Break. The show made him a household name thanks to the breakout role of Michael Scofield. Miller played the character from 2005 until 2009 before reprising the role again for a 2017 Fox revival. He broke the news to fans when he noted in an Instagram post that he has no intention of playing heterosexual characters anymore. He argued at the time that straight people’s stories have been told ad nauseam.
Comicbook.com notes that Miller’s last two appearances in DC’s The Flash universe stood by his promise. Captain Cold returned only twice, once to play an alternate reality version of the character that was in a relationship with the hero The Ray (played by Russell Tovey). The other time was as a voiceover for a computer program — neither performance bucked with his decision to stop playing heterosexual characters.
