Ever since taking on the role of the Flash's flame-obsessive enemy Mick "Heat Wave" Rory, Legends of Tomorrow," the villainous portion of a mismatched, time-traveling band of heroes hoping to avert an apocalyptic catastrophe in the DC Comics-derived spinoff series.

Purcell joined Moviefone to reveal exactly how incendiary things are about to get for the wisecracking, flamethrower, including a shifting dynamic with his longtime criminal cohort... and maybe the possibility for romance?

Moviefone: Who is the Heat Wave that we know from "The Flash" becoming in the context of "Legends of Tomorrow"?

Dominic Purcell: We're exploring different components of Mick Rory. Indirectly, he's extremely funny. Just so you know, I'm unaware of what's going on. I just go to work. I do my job, and I go home. So I have no real reaction. I don't know what the suits are thinking or what anyone's thinking. I know they're all stoked on the show, but Peter Roth, the head of Warner Bros., he came to me this morning like a fanboy. He was like, "Oh my God. I love Mick Rory! He's the funniest guy in the world!" So that's good. I'm on the right track, it appears.

What's fun about making this move with Wentworth Miller, and what's it meant to you to keep that relationship between Captain Cold and Heat Wave going?

Well, it's special. It's unique. I can't recall a combination who is so synonymous as a pairing for one iconic show, "Prison Break," and then, we're pairing again on another show that looks like it's headed in the same direction. So it's a blessing for that, and it's also a blessing that I get to work with Wentworth, who I consider one of my closest friends -- family.

How is "Legends" testing the relationship? Are we seeing stress fractures?

Yes, yes. Of course. I mean, it's the Yin and Yang, and that's why it works so well. We're at that point now in the storyline where things have dramatically changed.

What's been fun for you in playing that?

I mean, there's so many similarities between Mick and myself. Obviously, I'm not a psychopath. I'm not a killer, but there's obviously a lot of dark psychology. I have a dark psychology, and maybe that's why it's working so well.

He gets those great one-liners. Do any of those come from you?

Everything's on the page, but I tweak it!

What did you feel clicked with you and that character?

I didn't find him -- the opposite. When we first saw Leonard and Mick, on "Flash," I found that I was on the floor on the day going, "What the hell am I going to do here?" And I was rehearsing at home, of course, and I just came to it. I think I hit my stride with Mick the day we started "Legends." That's how I look at it.

Can you say what turned the corner for you?
For me, personally, it took a couple of episodes to really discover him. And once I discovered him -– bang, that's it! Now, I have him dialed down.

The new show will be mixing and matching you with various members of the ensemble. Which characters have you been paired with where you feel the chemistry's especially strong?

Brandon Routh's character, The Atom. I have a lot respect for Brandon, as a human being, and I love that we're so polar opposite in personalities. And our characters are polar opposites. And it's perfect symmetry, really.

Is there much room for character growth for Mick, or is he determined to stay exactly the same?

Very, very determined to stay who he is. He knows who he is, and he's not changing for anyone. That's the way we're playing it, thus far. Down the line, I mean, he's always going to be dark. He's always going to be angry and pissed off. He's not going to lose that. He's always going to have the one liners, always. But I'm sure the gentler, the sensitive components, the humanity of him will start to leak out a bit more.

Do you look forward to keeping one foot in "The Flash" world?

"Flash" gave me everything. "Flash" gave me the start, so I'm loyal to them. If they want Mick to revisit "The Flash," I'll do it for them... I'd come back as a much different Mick Rory, I'd imagine. A much more defined Mick Rory.

How much would you like to play Heat Wave in love?

I'd love to do that. And I think what's really interesting is I've said before "She'd have to be pretty badass." But then I thought, "No, you know what? It would be more interesting if the girl was sweet." Polar opposite.

Did you rely on what they've written in the scripts to inform the character, or did you look at the comics?

I haven't once looked at a comic book. It's just not a genre that I've taken to. I'm an actor first. So I go off and I do my job to the best of my abilities. Obviously, I'm becoming versed in the comic book world now, and it's a wonderful escapism. My kids love it. So I'm stoked just on that part.

First of all, they don't take much interest in what I do which is wonderful. My elder son kept on going on about "Game of Thrones" being the best show he's ever seen. I said, "Well, you haven't even seen 'Prison Break' yet?" This is last year, and he's 16 years old. He saw "Prison Break" and went, "Oh my God, Dad, 'Prison Break.' It's the best show I've ever seen." And he spent like a week watching the whole entire series. Couldn't get him out of his room. He was enthralled. And now, he's looking at "Legends of Tomorrow," and my youngest boy, and my two girls -– I have four kids -– they're all just really pumped on "Legends."

What was the entertainment that you were sucked into as a kid?

I love "CHiPs." I loved cop genre stuff. My favorite show of all time -– and will always be -– my favorite show of all time is "Magnum P.I." And Tom Selleck is genius in that show. It was so funny how random life is. He was cast as Indiana Jones, and he would have had the career that Harrison [Ford] went on to have. But he was so charismatic and engaging. I'd love getting to meet Tom Selleck sometime. I'd get my American hat, and get my hair curled on the sides. I love the guy.