'The Flash' season 6 may recreate Barry Allen's iconic death in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' by bringing in anti-hero Future Flash
Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) has had quite a lot of problems to deal with in recent years. Not only did he lose his daughter Nora West-Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy) at the end of season 5, his own disappearance and possible death are looming on the horizon as ‘The Flash’ races into its sixth season.
To make matters worse, ‘The Flash’ season 6 will be introducing two new villains, one of whom might be the most personal opponent Barry has ever gone up against -- himself. During the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, the trailer and first villain for the new season were unveiled.
The panel also revealed there will be two big baddies in this season, the first being Dr. Ramsey Rosso aka Bloodwork (played by Sendhil Ramamurthy). The two story arcs will reportedly be split up like graphic novels and the second villain is expected to tie into the events of ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’.
In season 5, it was revealed that Barry disappears from the timeline at some point in 2049. However, Nora’s actions in the fifth season moved up that date to 2019, suggesting the Flash may die during the upcoming ‘Crisis’.
In the comics, Barry does die during the Crisis by running back into his own timestream, effectively erasing his own existence. While it is unlikely The CW would want to see their premiere speedster kill himself, even if it is for the sake of the multiverse, there is another possibility.
2014’s ‘The Flash Annual Volume 4’ unveiled the Future Flash, a version of Barry from the future who becomes a grim anti-hero after failing to prevent the death of Wally West (who is portrayed by Keiynan Lonsdale on the show). This version of the Flash kills many of his enemies in order to generate enough Speed Force energy to travel back in time and fix his mistakes.
Eventually, he comes into conflict with the present-day Barry and ends up crippling him, causing Wally to pick up the mantle of the Flash. Gustin has already teased that he may not make it out of ‘Crisis’ in one piece and that someone else may have to take his place as Central City’s resident speedster.
Some aspects of the character were used to create Savitar, the villain of season 3, who was revealed to be a time remnant of Barry from the future. Unlike Savitar though, the Future Flash is not a remnant but is in fact Barry himself.
Season 6 could have the future version of Barry travel back in time from the time of the 'Crisis' to prevent the death of a loved one, either Wally or Candice Patton’s Iris West or someone else. His brutal methods would undoubtedly make the Future Flash an enemy of the present-day Barry but that doesn’t mean he would be just another crazy bad guy like the previous speedster villains we have seen on the show.
The Future Flash is not a deranged monster like Teddy Sears’ Zoom or an outright villain like Tom Cavanagh’s Reverse-Flash. He is still Barry Allen and his actions are based on the same morality as our Barry’s. He does not wish to kill people for personal gain or from a selfish desire to be the fastest man alive, he does so because he wants, above all, to save the life of someone he loves.
Season 6 could have the Future Flash pop up at different points in the timeline, taking out villains or saving the lives of his friends and family, ultimately building up to the moment when he finally confronts the present-day Barry. By having the Future Flash run back through his personal timeline, trying to fix his mistakes, the show could give the fans a chance to see the Flash’s iconic comic book death recreated, without having to actually kill off Barry.
There’s no telling what surprises ‘The Flash’ may have in store when it starts its sixth season. All we know for sure is that it’s bound to be one hell of a ride.
‘The Flash’ Season 6 will begin airing exclusively on The CW starting October 8.