The Flash returns tonight with a brand-new status quo, thanks to Barry's decision to save his mother from death at the conclusion of season 2. The third season, based on the "Flashpoint" storyline in the comics, finds Barry in a comfortable life, with both of his parents alive, and plenty of different circumstances for him and his friends.
Fans who are familiar with the comic version of Flashpoint know that Barry teamed up with Thomas Wayne's Batman to fix the timeline. While there's no sight of Batman (yet) on the CW, fans wondered if we may see Green Arrow's father, Robert Queen in Thomas' place, especially since the show hinted at Robert also being the Green Arrow of Earth 2 last season. Showrunner Andrew Kreisberg confirmed in an interview with
Entertainment Weekly that there are some nods to the comic storyline, but their version of the story will be a lot more personal.
"There’s a couple of nods to the comics in there. There’s actually some dialogue from the comic in the episode," said Kreisberg.
"But as always the movies are the movies and TV is TV, we’re not trying to infringe on their purview. The episode is a much more personal one. The stakes in the comic book in Flashpoint were global and the stakes in this episode are very much just about Barry, his existence and the people that he loves."
One of the notions that's reinforced throughout the show so far is that meddling with time too much has consequences, though there haven't been many for Barry, despite his rather flagrant use of time travel. While the show won't be spending very long in the "Flashpoint" universe, Kreisberg promises that there will finally be long-lasting consequences for both Barry and his supporting cast.
"Well, it does and it doesn’t [last very long]. It will be resolved, but there will be consequences that last throughout the season, and quite frankly, last throughout the series. That’s one of the things that we’re attempting to do is have the pitfalls of time travel be long-lasting and that some things can be fixed, and then some things are broken forever."
The Flash returns tonight at
8 p.m. ET on the CW.
About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.