Who’s the Better Thawne: Tom Cavanagh or Matt Letscher?

Each brought their own interpretation that fits the timeframe of their respective appearances. But after 5 seasons of revolving-door-Wells, I prefer to see Letscher’s version going forward.

 

I think Cavanaugh has diluted his Thawne by playing all these other versions of Wells that it's hard to take him seriously anymore. He has almost retroactively undone some of his work.

I voted they were both equally good because Cavanaugh's season 1 work is still good but Letscher is the more consistent portrayal. You don't start seeing all these other caricatures when you watch him.

 

Sherloque Wells is just awful. I don't have any idea why Cavanaugh thought it was a good idea to use that fake ass accent. I get that it's supposed to be exaggerated, it's just so goofy it really takes me out of the show whenever he's onscreen.

S1 Cavanaugh is awesome though. So I voted Cavanaugh.

 

I've gotta' agree with Raven here; Tom's initial portrayal of Thawne back in Season 1 was perfect, but every time he's portrayed Thawne since, he's lacked something with that portrayal, and it's probably that he's struggling to get back into the old role.

Letcher as Thawne (especially in Legends) was superb, so as great as Tom was in the role of Eobard, Matt is much more consistent in the role, and so gets my vote.

 

I wish that the Thawne they used in 2049 or whatever year it was had been portrayed by Letscher instead. I'm a bit bored of Cavanaugh playing the role again because it just seems like another Wells now.

Maybe they're getting rid of Sherloque though and that is a way for Cavanaugh to continue having a role in this season of the Flash.

 

I'm sure they'd have got Letcher back if they could; he's a regular on another show (I forget the name of it) so his lack of appearance was probably down to his schedule.

It is, as you've said though, Tom just doesn't pull Thawne off for me anymore. He's essentially become the opposite of typecast, and not for the better. Tom's best portrayals are, and will forever be Eobard Thawne and Earth-2 Harrison Wells - and for very different reasons. Even 'HR' was a joke really, even though he became accepted. This latest version though, nope. Can't see anyone remotely being drawn to this character.

 

HR was a bit of a step down and a joke, but he was just about tolerable. I think Cavanagh really started jumping the shark when he brought on the Council of Wells onto the show last season. From then on, every other alternate universe version of him has seemed like a caricature.

Sherloque Wells is like one of these caricatures from the Council of Wells. Imagine we had to put up with one of them for an entire season.

 

I think I'd say season 1 Tom Cavanagh is the best Thawne, with every other other Matt Letscher appearance as a close second. I think anytime Cavanagh has been Thawne since somethings been off, likes he's forgotten how to bring the menace. Still I have hopes in the new Season that he can bring up aagin, I lived how when we sa him in the future his hair was part blonde, like he's stuck in Tom Cavanagh's body but his old hair is growing through. Really clever.

 

The problem with Cavanagh's more recent appearances as Thawne is he's way too animated. In season 1 the character is very reserved, and in the last few times we've seen him play Thawne he seems to be taking a lot of the more quirkiness of the other Wells and integrating them into his Thawne. Harry kind of suffered from this as well, but not nearly as much I don't think.

I still love him as Thawne in the first two seasons, but I think Letscher has been more consistent and only improved each episode overtime. Hard to compare since they're playing two very different characters. Both of them have really great chemistry with Grant though which is a plus.

 

Yeah I'd say Cavanagh's Thawne has started to become more quirky and eccentric as he's gone along. Last season's Harry Wells also became like this. It's like he was influenced by his HR Wells from Season 3 and wanted to be a bit like that, whereas Season 2 Harry Wells was more similar to Season 1 Thawne.

At this rate, Cavanagh's Thawne is soon going to end up more like Sherloque, which would be terrible! Or like that Australian version of Wells (whatever his name was) or Gandalf Wells.

His Council of Wells was really the start of his undoing because they gave him free reign to play him however he wanted, and now he seems to be incorporating bits of each of them in every successive performance.

Because he's become a bit of a tired character, that's why I would rather see Letscher playing the role from now on. He doesn't have all of that baggage.

 

Yeah I agree, it's making the character worse. It was a little weird seeing how there was kind of a bit of goofiness to his performance in 5x08, especially when you compare it to his performance of Thawne in almost the same scene back in 2x17.

Him directing the episode probably isn't helping much as he's relying on himself to guide the performance. I wonder what a different director would be able to do.

 

His season 1 Thawne was very dry and serious. He would've considered being goofy a bit beneath him, especially since he considered the likes of Cisco inferior.

But even Harry Wells had become much goofier last season and was incorporating elements of HR Wells.

I would hope that Cavanagh doesn't direct an episode where he's playing Thawne and thinks it's acceptable to play it like HR or even like Sherloque. Who knows what he would think is acceptable when given completely free reign?

I'd say Cavanagh's real personality is more similar to HR Wells though, and playing Thawne or Harry were playing against type. When he was in that series "Ed" a few years ago with Julie Bowen where he played a lawyer who ran the Stuckey Bowl, that was far more quirky and goofy. I think with all subsequent Wells he's just been reverting to his usual self because he can't keep up the serious act any longer.

 

Matt is really good as RF but Tom really makes the character stand out.

 

I think people need to change their votes to Letscher now. Cavanagh no longer knows how to play Thawne and probably forgets which version of Wells he's even playing. Soon we're going to end up seeing Sherloque Thawne or Eobard Holmes.

Or maybe even Gandalf Thawne.

 

Tom was gold in season 1 but Matt really does remind me of the comic book Thawne brought to life. It was pretty brilliant casting.

 

Tom Cavanagh IMO. I consider his Thawne to be the best DCTV villain ever, as well as one of the best live-action comic book villains ever. IMO, the only live-action comic book villain on a higher tier than him is TDK Joker.

 

We still (as of 5x13 "Goldfaced") don't know for certain that that's Thawne in the future cage. At this point in the series, identity fake-outs are a bit too over-used to do again, but these things seem to gain a kind of momentum.

 

Uhh, we're pretty sure that it is.

 

He says he's Eobard, and Nora believes him, and he knows things that Eobard (or any number of informed people) could know. I'd call the evidence consistent but not compelling. TV drama convention is for the audience to trust characters' exposition because of limited storytelling time, and that makes for an easy opportunity to set up a surprise twist. Even seeing Future Guy go really fast wouldn't be entirely convincing, given how common speedsters are in the Arrowverse. People here have pointed out that his behaviour is different from how the actor portrays Eobard in other situations, and there could be an in-universe reason for that.

 

I don't know if his behaviour is that different. At least it's consistent with Cavanagh's inconsistency in playing Wells/ Thawne. Cavanagh isn't even consistent with his Season 1 portrayal of Thawne anymore. He's been playing all these goofy characters so long that it's taken over his whole performance and he is stuck in that.

Last season, his Harry Wells started becoming like HR. And his Season 1 Thawne now is like Harry Wells influenced by HR. If HR came back to life, he'd probably be more like Sherloque now.

 

I think you're confusing his behaviour with Tom's acting. He (as Thawne) seems different, but that's only because Tom can't quite (seemingly) get back into character.

You're obviously free to speculate otherwise, but I fear it's wasted speculation. Caged Wells is Thawne. I have no doubt about that.