To say that Barry Allen's world is about to be turned upside down would be the understatement of the year. The nerdy CSI-turned-Scarlet Speedster literally made a life-altering decision during The Flash's Season 2 finale this year, and he will soon experience consequences to that decision in the form of Flashpoint. However, just because it's Flashpoint doesn't mean you should automatically know what to expect. We were present at The Flash panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, and we picked up all of the best bits of information that you should definitely know.
The cast of The CW's The Flash took the stage at San Diego Comic-Con to bring us some brand new details about the upcoming season of the hit series. After showing a downright awesome trailer, it was revealed the action will catch up with Barry Allen 3 months after saving his mother Nora from Reverse-Flash. This action changes his life to the point where he never actually became The Flash of the title, since his mother remains very much alive, and he has a happy life with both of his parents. His decision has also made none of his friends and allies recognize him or each other, as his tragedy kept him from ever meeting people like Caitlin or Cisco.
Up until this point, this should all start to sound pretty familiar to people who know Flashpoint. However, things very quickly start to deviate from the Flashpoint storyline that we have come to know and love over the years. In fact, Cinema Blend's own Nick Venable spoke to Grant Gustin about the coming Flashpoint storyline, and Barry Allen's counterpart specifically highlighted how this adaptation will different from what we have come to expect. He said:
It's pretty different. You know, obviously we can't have Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman running around in the first episode. I wish we could, but apparently we can't. So it's pretty different. They do a good job of kinda throwing little nods to Flashpoint Paradox and what the storylines were for Flashpoint in the comics using characters that have existed on the show for the first two years and the things that are changed now, I think, were done pretty well as far as what has existed over the past two years and how they've changed in a parallel way what happens in the comics. But it's very much its own thing, for sure.
For starters, the trailer shows us that this timeline's version of Cisco has become a self-absorbed billionaire somewhat in the same vein as Tony Stark. He's brash, cocky, and wears the hell out of a suit. It soon becomes apparent that this Cisco problem is not an anomaly; all of his relationships with Team Flash have changed, and Harrison Wells is nowhere to be found. As time wears on, Barry begins to realize that he has made a terrible mistake. And Gustin also revealed the effect that his decision has that will, at least by my own guesstimations, probably be the thing that makes him go back to the normal timeline.
One of the most notable things we learned from this panel is how deep into The Flash's lore this season will dig. Flashpoint is notable for the sheer number of greater DC characters that it uses, but the television version will seemingly explore more Flash specific characters like Kid Flash (who looks awesome by the way), Iris West, and Joe West -- to name a few. Barry's investigation into the chaos that he has created soon leads him to imprison Reverse-Flash, who mocks the Scarlet Speedster for creating this new personal hell.
During the Comic-Con panel, the cast also revealed arguably the most telling difference between the source material and the upcoming season: the villains. Season 3 of The Flash will indeed feature another speedster as a primary antagonist, but the series will go one step further and add another mysterious big bad named Doctor Alchemy -- a creepy as hell villain voiced by Tobin Bell from the Saw franchise. It's no longer about keeping his friends from killing each other; there are evil forces at play.
Check out the full trailer for The Flash Season 3 below:
It's safe to say that Barry Allen seriously screwed up by changing the past. We will just have to weight and see how much this decision rocks his world. The Flash will return to The CW on Tuesday, October 4. For more information concerning other highly anticipated fall premieres, check out our fall premiere schedule and mark your calendars.
