The Flash season 5 theory: Could the Reverse-Flash be the season 6 Big Bad?
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In the closing minutes of that aforementioned 100th episode, we learned that Eobard Thawne still has a presence in the future, and beyond just that, he’s also in communication with Nora West-Allen. Manipulation is one of his greatest skills and clearly, he’s been using it to full effect. We don’t think that Nora is evil; she’s just naïve, and she was not aware of the emotional impact that Eobard had on her father’s life. It’s one of the problems that stemmed from him not being around and Iris growing cold and distant.
So why bring Eobard back? It obviously does raise the stakes for Nora in the future, but it does also make us wonder if The Flash, just like they did Nora in season 4, is setting up the Reverse-Flash for a big comeback, specifically as the season 6 Big Bad.
Does this make sense?
At this point, we’re not even going to try to untangle the timeline here, whether it be the character’s “death” on Legends of Tomorrow or that Tom Cavanagh is now playing the part again rather than Matt Letscher. It’s all too difficult to figure out and beyond that, it doesn’t really matter since the writers can write whatever they want. So long as it makes sense, we’re okay with it.
On paper, we know that the Reverse-Flash is one of Barry’s greatest foes and he’s got a vendetta that so few other characters have. The emotional stakes here are enough to make him compelling, even if Barry has now faced more-powerful foes. He’s always going to have that desire to destroy The Flash and if there’s a way in which he can come back into the present timeline and work, we say go for it.
The challenge, however, is finding a way for this to happen that feels somewhat different than what we’ve seen before. If you are going to go this route, we don’t want it to be altogether similar to the first go-around in season 1. There’d need to be another compelling story and way for it to build into something fascinating, dark, and different.
As for how much the producers are thinking about season 6 right now, it has to be on their mind somewhere … they do have to find a way to shape it around the enormous Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event that is coming up.
Related – Check out more debate on the future of The Flash!
Do you think that the Reverse-Flash could be the Big Bad on The Flash moving forward? Share in the comments! (Photo: The CW.)