Comic Vine News

23 Comments

The Flash: 12 Things You Need to Know Before Season 3 Starts

Looking forward to Season 3? Here's what you need to know before the October 4 premiere.

The Flash returns for a third season on Tuesday, October 4, and if you watched season 2, then you know some crazy things happened during the season finale. With the next season days away, what can we expect for Barry Allen and the cast? We gathered the information you need to know for the premiere.

Warning: There may be spoilers for the third season, as well as the end of the second season.

It's Based on the Flashpoint Storyline

No Caption Provided

At the end of season 2, Barry went back in time and saved his mother, Nora Allen, from being killed by Reverse Flash. This was a moment that Barry had to deal with in season 1, but chose not to save Nora, to preserve the timeline.

Now that Flash changed the past, it's going to affect the future. This is exactly like the comic book storyline Flashpoint. In fact, back in June, Flash star Grant Gustin revealed episode 1 is titled "Flashpoint." Obviously, because the past has been changed, the present won't be the same.

Barry's Mother and Father Are Alive

Because Barry saved his mother in the past, she's alive in the present. In addition, his father, Henry Allen, did not go to jail for the murder of Nora, even though it was Reverse Flash who did it.

In an image revealed by the CW, we see both Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) and Nora Allen (Michelle Harrison) standing arm-in-arm. Because these two are still in Barry's life, it's going to change everything.

Wally West is Now Kid Flash

As we've seen in a few images from the CW, Wally West (Keiyan Lonsdale) has his own speedster outfit. He revealed that he'll be called Kid Flash this season.

Last season, we saw hints at Wally West getting his speedster powers. However, in this alternate reality, he's apparently already a superhero, with his own costume. What's interesting is that it is the same color scheme as Reverse Flash, the villain of season 1.

Iris Doesn't Know Barry

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Flash weren't just about Barry Allen using his powers to save the city. There was also a lot of building on the relationship between he and Iris. At the end of season 2, it seems like they were finally going to connect.

However, all that has changed in the new universe. During San Diego Comic-Con, the CW revealed a trailer which showed that Iris is not familiar with Barry. She's seen him before, but they're never really talked. It seems like all of Barry's current peers don't know him, so who will Barry go to, and who can he trust?

Reverse Flash is Back

No Caption Provided

During season 1, Barry Allen took on Reverse Flash, the man that killed his mother. The villain uses a whole lot of trickery, and a little bit of face morphing, to make Barry Allen faster, so he could steal his powers.

Matt Letscher returns as Eobard Thawne (Reverse Flash) in this third season, and from what we've seen, he's locked up in a holding cell. He is still wearing that Reverse Flash costume, so why doesn't he just vibrate through the bars? There is something bigger at play here.

Gorilla Grodd Returns

Gorilla Grodd, the psychic ape, was created during season 1. In season 2, he was sent to Earth-2 to live in Gorilla City, with more like-minded individuals (apes).

The CW revealed during the Television Critics Association's summer press tour that not only will Grodd return, but he will be involved in a two-part story. In addition, it will take place on Earth-2 in Gorilla City. It seems the Flashpoint story won't take up the whole season, and Barry will be back to Earth-hopping in no time.

Black Flash is Coming But We're Not Sure When

At the end of season 2, the Flash beat Zoom, and while Zoom was dying, he looked suspiciously like the comic character Black Flash. Said character is like the grim reaper for speedster characters in the books.

Well, there is a reason that image popped up during the finale because Black Flash is coming to season 3 of the show. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg discussed this with EW, saying they did this on purpose. They love working with actor Teddy Sears, who played the villain, and while there are no immediate plans, he's sure we'll see him in the future. There have been other reports that the character is coming to season 3, but nothing confirmed as of yet.

Todd Lasance Cast as The Rival, Not Savitar

No Caption Provided

Once again, The Flash will have a speedster as one of its villains for the new season. Todd Lasance (The Vampire Diaries) is reportedly playing The Rival, according to IMDB. He was originally rumored to be playing the season-long baddie, Savitar. However, producer Greg Berlanti came out to say that it couldn't be Savitar because he had not been cast yet.

The Rival is an evil speedster who fought the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. Because this villain is included in this season, does that mean Jay Garrick will return as well?

Doctor Alchemy is One of the Two Big Villains

The San Diego Comic-Con sneak peek gave fans a look into what's coming down the line for the third season, and one of the images we quickly saw was the other big villain for the season, Doctor Alchemy.

Tobin Bell (Saw series) is doing the voice for the character, who is a chemist who uses his knowledge of chemistry to commit crimes. Later on, in the comics, the character came upon the Philosopher's Stone which he uses to transmutate elements. Considering that one of the villains is rumored to not be a metahuman, we're thinking the show may go the chemist route with this one.

Mirror Master is Finally Coming

One of The Flash's most well known villains is coming to the television series: Mirror Master, a villain who travels through mirrors. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but he has the potential to be one of the most frightening villains in Flash's rogues gallery.

Grey Damon (Friday Night Lights) was cast as Sam Scudder, and his first appearance will be in episode 4 of the third season. This may be a tricky character to pull off on the show, so there may be a chance they mix in the Mirror Gun, which the second Mirror Master, Evan McCulloch, used in the comics.

The Supergirl/Flash Crossover Musical

On the first season of Supergirl, The Flash popped in for a couple of episodes in a pretty entertaining crossover event. It was a bit of a surprise considering that The Flash was on the CW and Supergirl was on CBS. Now that both shows are on the same network, there is a lot more crossing-over coming this season.

During the back half of both Supergirl and The Flash, these two characters will meet up again. What's different about this event is that it will be a musical. Executive producer Greg Berlanti said the cast will be using preexisting songs in a two-episode event (via EW). Thus far, that's all the information released.

All The DC/CW Shows Will Crossover

No Caption Provided

For folks who don't like musicals, don't worry. There's going to be a giant crossover between all the CW DC shows (The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow) coming in December.

All the heroes are teaming up for the biggest crossover yet. There hasn't been a whole lot revealed aside from that. However, we do know that Arrow villain Damian Dahrk will be appearing on the new season of Legends of Tomorrow, so maybe that ties into the crossover.