‘The Flash’ season 2, episode 14 reaction: Who is the Man in the Iron Mask?
In the wake of Tuesday night’s new episode of “The Flash” entitled “Escape from Earth-2,” we know that there are plenty of people out there who likely are wondering just who is under the mask as Zoom … and we totally understand that.
With that being said, though, we’re almost just as curious in who is the person under that Iron Mask. Metal Mask Dude is a guy responsible for signaling the name Jay to Barry Allen and Jesse Quick, but he is unable to speak. All we have so far to go on is his tapping … and a few theories dancing around in our head.
1. He is the real Jay Garrick – Maybe the Jay we’ve been seeing all along is Hunter Zolomon, and the Earth-1 version of Jay we saw was an afterimage in its own right similar to what Eobard Thawne did back at the midway point of season 1. Zoom has trapped this guy here, unable to kill him, so that he can be a threat to no one.
2. He is Henry Allen – It’s super-unlikely. Barry on Earth-2 didn’t say that anything strange has happened in regards to his father, but he is a character we really like.
3. He is Eddie Thawne – A very interesting guess, since Rick Cosnett has not been accounted for or even mentioned over on this Earth.
4. He’s someone we haven’t met – It’s possible, but what are really the odds of that?
5. He is Eobard Thawne – Hey, there’s got to be at least one of them within the Earth-2 universe as well, right?
We know that there are some other candidates out there, but judging from the photo above it’s hard to imagine Iron Mask as anyone else who is a major player on the show. That being said though, this is “The Flash” and they aren’t afraid to take big risks, so there could easily be a big surprise lying underneath that Iron Mask.
For now, what is your theory? Share below, and head over here to read our review of Tuesday night’s new episode right now! Also, sign up over here to get some other news in a flash via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: The CW.)
spitnTruth
February 24, 2016 @ 8:19 am
The man in the mask is Ronnie Raymond…aka 1st half of Orig Firestorm!
He was not killed as supposed, but was first to to cross over into Earth-2 breach, which allowed Zoom to discover Flash!
He is being held by Jay/Zoom of Earth-2.
JAY (killed by Zoom is Jay from Earth-1). Jay from Earth one coveted the speed that Jay/Zoom of Earth-2 had. He was the first person that Zoom located when he came to Earth-1!!!! ******REMEMBER THST I CALLED IT HERE FIRST******
2/24/2016
Ruthnie Angrand
February 18, 2016 @ 5:49 am
1. Iron mask is Wally West who is a speedster on Earth 2. He’s dark and not found part of Iris’ Earth 2 happy family.
2. Zoom doesnt know how to take speed which is why he needs a scientist: Wells (not Jay)
3. Zoom is Earth 2’s Jay Garrick who used science to obsessively increase his speed and it deformed him (much like Eobawd of the future obsessed with speed. Every timeline has a psycho that ruins themselves obsessed with speed). That’s why Masked man was upset when Barry assumed Jay was on Earth 1. He was trying to saz that Jay is Zoom. Those 11 taps were indeed him spelling “Z”.
4. Zoom killed and couldnt be beat by Garrick (who is on Earth 1) because he is a fake known as the Rival. Fake Jay knows about velocity formula because like Eddie he wanted to be a hero. He already confessed zoom didnt take his power in “Escape from Earth-2 part 1”. Also Velocity was/is degenerating him because he does not naturally have the speed force. He is a wanna be like in the comics.
5. Zoom kills Jay because there is no speed force to steal and doesnt want Barry questioning him. Remember, Zoom doesnt kill anyone he needs. If Jay could extract speedforce, he’d use him not kill him.
6. Iron Mask and Zoom will eventually die. The speedforce will redistribute to Jessie (to protect Earth 2) and Wally from Earth 1.
7. My theories.
Matt Carter
February 18, 2016 @ 6:09 am
Nice! At least a few things that I hadn’t thought of.
Chuck Charles
February 18, 2016 @ 4:10 am
I think he might be zooms other half (when particle accelerator activated) the person who became zoom was split into monster with speed and normal guy but speechless. This is a theory maybe but doesn’t explain why he reacted the way he did about jay Garrick
Julius Koh
February 17, 2016 @ 9:07 pm
If you look back at the original flash comics where jay Garrick is the flash (before Barry Allen was even a character) Jay’s primary adversary is someone called “The rival” who took a drug that gave him temporary super speed and at one point if I recall correctly, even had plastic surgery to look like jay Garrick. I propose that the man in the mask is the real jay Garrick and that the “jay Garrick we know that “had his speed stolen” is the tv show’s version of the rival. Two main reasons why this makes sense:
1. If Zoom was able to just take “Jays” speed why doesn’t he just do it to Barry and why does he need help to take it??? I think this implies that the jay we know is lying about zoom taking his speed because he never actually had super speed (just like the rival) and that zoom is holding the real jay in his prison with Barry so that he can take his speed when he takes Barry’s.
2. Simple comic book parallels. The rival took a drug to give him temporary super speed and “jay” needs velocity to give him temporary speed.
If you’re wondering why zoom hasn’t called out “jay” as being a fraud (assuming he cares) well think about it… Zoom and “jay” have never been in a scene at the same time and jay was never brought up around zoom, basically I’m proposing that zoom didn’t know about him or perhaps the rival “jay” was working for zoom.
Also as a side note about how Jessie and Wally get their speed I predict that when team flash eventually defeats zoom they’re going to take his speed and it will somehow be distributed between Jessie and Wally… Just a theory:)
Reice
February 17, 2016 @ 5:31 pm
The jay on earth 1 cant be the real jay he said zoom took his speed but if zoom was capable of doing that he would need wells alive to take barrys
Mark
February 17, 2016 @ 3:33 pm
The iron mask man is Leonardo dicarpio..
Matt Carter
February 17, 2016 @ 3:34 pm
Clearly. The bear messed up his face, hence the mask.
Mar
February 17, 2016 @ 2:38 pm
Iron mask is earth 2 Wally West that’s why he is still alive he is a speedster I’ve been wondering how they were going to give Wally his powers.. Of course this is my opinion and educated guess seeing that iron mask skin is darker so it def not Jay… But would explain why he so worried about him
Mar
February 17, 2016 @ 2:42 pm
And I’m not a comic head but is there a reason Wally West eyes glow like they do if it has to do with his powers maybe that’s why zoom covered his head for some reason.. Again I’m throwing stuff out there
Tiara
February 17, 2016 @ 12:26 pm
just saying, the guy in the mask is pure blonde. look at the back of his head.
guess your best.
Thomas Davies
February 17, 2016 @ 9:52 am
Guy in the mask is the real jay the other i think is a clone who dosnt know he is maybe zoom tryed to clone a speedster to get more speed but it didnt work thats y jay maybe dieing just a guess tho lol
Hempy mchemperson
February 17, 2016 @ 9:06 am
What is zoom is the professor from earth 2?
Or, what if the guy in the mask is the professor from earth 2? Where somehow he didn’t have to fuse with death storm….
If you’ll remember earth 2 death storm said that he (the professor) had been quiet for a long time, he didn’t say that he had died.
The hair for the mask guy was short and salt and peppery, so it might have been captain freeze, but earth 2 version.
But the one thing that would be difficult for zoom to mimick would be the red flash color, and also to suppress his blue sparks, how could that be imitated or dampened?
On the other side, the hunter zoloman on earth one was very very still. Almost too still.
We did have the thing though where jay was in earth 1, when zoom was clearly on earth 2, and neither Barry nor zoom is fast enough to zip back-and-forth between the vortex without being noticed
Zach Borg
February 17, 2016 @ 8:39 am
1 more theory to prove Iron Mask is really Jay Garrick but bear with me because it requires the POW cipher itself they used and some DVR: when Barry starts telling Mask that Garrick didn’t come with them and is on earth 1, mask freaks out, but his tapping isn’t random, there’s rhythm to it. It’s disjointed unlike the when he spelled Jay, but it’s still there, he’s just frustrated and Barry says that they can’t understand him. He did say something in those seemingly random taps. I played it back because some taps are really close together, but in all I counted 11 total taps. so I looked up the actual cipher. Just as they said on the show, the first series of taps signals the line down. After a pause the next next series of taps signals the line across and there you find the letter. With in 11 taps it would have to be a very short word because, remember, the most one can tap is 5 x 5 (5 down and 5 across done quickly would be ten total for the letter Z but my count he tapped 11 times so that can’t be what he aimed for). However, if someone were to spell the letter M it would take three taps to signify down and two more to signify across. For the letter E it would take 1 tap to signify down and five to signify across. So for E it takes 6 total taps. The very last taps mask makes are quick but notice he finishes very emphatically.
So to spell the word “ME” a person would have to tap a total of 11 times. Mask taps 11 times. If that’s correct, he’s telling Barry “Me” as Barry is saying Jay Garrick is on Earth 1, he just isn’t doing it in the same Rythm and control he had while spelling “JAY” because he’s clearly upset as anyone would be if their identity was being stolen.
Okay, I know that’s a lot to process, but it would be an incredibly clever way by the writers to hide an Easter egg in not so plain sight.
Anant
February 17, 2016 @ 5:44 pm
You’re awesome!!
Zach Borg
February 17, 2016 @ 6:53 am
It has to be the real Jay Garrick. The way he freaked out when Barry talked about Jay being on Earth 1? Couple other things to think about-why is Zoom keep iron mask alive? He kills everyone unless he has a reason to keep them alive. Frost lived so she could lead Wells to him (but she double crossed him). Jessie was alive to force Wells to work with Zoom. Wells was alive to find a way to steal Barry’s speed. Barry was alive until his speed could be take. So why it kill Mask when Zoom catches him communicating? Mask has to be a speedster who Zoom will drain of speed force once Wells has given him the formula and he’s proven he can do it.
2-The mask ain’t just to hide an identity. Why would Zoom give a crap if other prisoners knew who the guy was? Zoom thought he’d built a prison no one could escape from. He never thought Barry would phase out because it wasn’t his universe, but Barry found a way. If the guy in the mask is a speedster/the real Garrick and he’s of Earth 2 he wouldn’t have the problem Barry had. That’s why we get the mask, somehow it keeps the guy from phasing out. That’s really why he wears it.
3-I’m not 100% here because I don’t know comics well, but I believe in the comic Garrick is MUCH older than Barry when they meet. The guy is like in his 60s. Yet the guy Teddy Sears plays isn’t nearly that old or much older than Barry
We will find out soon. Also another interesting twist would be that maybe getting Caitlyn on Earth 1 to fall in love with “Jay” only to have him yanked away is also some part of Zoom’s plan to start her on the road to becoming Killer Frost on Earth 1
Zekashis
February 17, 2016 @ 6:34 am
I’d say the iron Masked dude’s highly unlikely to be Eobard Thawne since if we go back in the beginning of the series, Eobard Thawne of Earth-1 (Barry Allen – The Flash’s Earth-1 that is) is originally from Future Earth-1 so unless Future Earth-2’s Eobard Thawne also has some anger issues towards The Flash of Present Earth-2, there’s no way Eobard Thawne would be in the same timeline as the rest of the current characters in Present Earth-2…
Matt Carter
February 17, 2016 @ 6:46 am
I agree that Eobard’s not the most likely contender. The issue we’re running into with Metal Mask Dude is that they’re really not giving us too many options who it could be, provided that it’s an established character. Should be fun to find out.
Joseph
February 17, 2016 @ 7:25 am
Eobard Thawne is from the future and travelled back in time on Earth-1 so there won’t be an Eobard Thawne on Earth-2 at this time, unless the Eobard from Earth-2 also travelled back in time.