The final episode of The Flash Season 2 saw a traumatised, grieving Barry Allen running back in time to prevent his mother’s murder. With the Reverse-Flash safely out of the way, the stage seems set to follow in the footsteps of DC’s Flashpoint.
According to Grant Gustin, the actor who plays Barry Allen, the first episode of the third season will indeed be titled “Flashpoint.” But there’s a problem: There shouldn’t actually be a CW Flashpoint. Here’s why…
The DC Flashpoint was amazing, and I enjoyed the animated film. But back in Fast Enough, Eobard Thawne lays out his plan to Barry. For a yet undetermined reason, he hates Barry for something his future self would do. Travelling up and down his lifetime, Thawne attempts to kill the Flash for whatever it is he did/will do. Eventually, he discovers Barry’s secret identity and resolves to kill him as a child. The pair run back to a night in his childhood and Thawne attempts to murder the young Barry, his mother caught between the two as they fight. Old Barry scoops up Young Barry and runs him away. Thawne then decides to kill Nora so that Young Barry will be so traumatised that he will never become the Flash. With his mother dead and his father framed for the crime, Barry becomes an orphan intent on proving the truth. Following the killing, Thawne finds himself without speed and realises that the only way to return to his own time is to create the Flash and use his speed.
So here’s the punchline – Thawne kills Nora to prevent Barry becoming the Flash. Therefore, Nora living doesn’t prevent the Flash actually happening, just delays it a bit. Actually, the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator would have exploded later but for Thawne’s meddling. But the Flash does still happen, regardless of if his parents live or die. According to Team Flash (and a somewhat unreliable Thawne-Wells) meta-humans only appeared after the accident. The only difference between the original timeline and Thawne’s altered timeline is the lightning bolt and the guys who chased around the Allen house. Nobody dies and they probably explain it away as delusions from the trauma of a home invasion (because only crazy people would see people moving that fast). All that the surviving Flash has to do is take Thawne somewhere and cement his legs together (or induce a mild coma). Reverse-Flash is put on ice, Nora, Barry and Henry live their lives and time-travelling Barry can either run back home or begin his career early in another town.
I’m not against the Flashpoint, I’m actually all for it. But Eobard said he tried to prevent the Flash being made. Barry stopped him and the Flash will still be born. How CW is going to pull this one off is beyond me, but the Arrowverse has been spectacular so far and shows no sign of slowing down.