The Flash season 3 episode 22 spoilers: Captain Cold theory confirmed

How is Captain Cold returning to The Flash for season 3 episode 22? Many theories have been bandied about, but the truth is now revealed.

In the new sneak peek below from Tuesday night’s new episode, it is revealed precisely how Barry Allen and Leonard Snart cross paths, and how the former uses the latter in order to take on Savitar once and for all: Time travel … again. Yep, Barry’s been told not to do this! However, at the same time what else is he going to do at this point? Either he allows Iris West to die, or he tries to do something in order to change the narrative and turn the tide in some manner.

This Captain Cold is in fact the one from Legends of Tomorrow season 1, seemingly after the good-guy side of him is activated but prior to him sacrificing himself to stop Vandal Savage. Barry plucks him from that time in need of a master thief, one who could actually help him get the necessary piece of Dominator tech to stop Savitar once and for all. It’s needed for Tracy Brand’s Speed Force Bazooka, but it’s being guarded at an ARGUS prison by none other than King Shark.

This episode, fittingly, is also featuring an appearance from Lyla Michaels, who is certainly more adversarial these days than she was back before she became the leader of ARGUS. Her vantage point here is understandable, given that she doesn’t want technology to fall into the wrong hands. Yet, shouldn’t Barry be able to convince her that he is trying to stop an evil speedster from taking over Central City and becoming a god? That’s a conversation worth having.

Given the end of Legends of Tomorrow season 2 and the imminent death of Cold, you do wonder if this could be the last Wentworth Miller appearance on the show. If you were to bring him back after this, the only options that you could have are either plucking him repeatedly from the past (this would get old eventually), or meeting a version of him from an alternate earth and playing with that. Maybe there is a little bit of potential with bringing Citizen Cold aboard the show at some point.

What do you think about this Flash preview, and do you think that the Captain Cold return will be a worthwhile ending to his story if it is in fact the end? Share below!

Meanwhile, head over to the link here to get some further news right now when it comes to The Flash. (Photo: The CW.)