Flash is back and so is Flashback! Join us for a look at the comic book ties to this week’s episode.
SHADE
When Wally starts having dreams about being Kid Flash, Barry realizes he has to tell Wally, Iris, and Joe about what happened to Wally in Flashpoint in order to keep him safe.
ONE PUNCH
Let’s get the big talking point of this week’s episode out of the way right up front – DON’T F**K WITH IRIS WEST! SHE WILL KNOCK YOU OUT WITH JUST ONE PUNCH!
While it was a very cool talking point for many around the television, let’s not forget the time Batman punched out Guy Gardner with just one punch.
This great moment in comic book history happened in Justice League #5 from 1987. Now will you please start reading the Bwa-ha-ha League?
THE VILLAINS
Shade
While The Flash does like to dive into the vast catalog of Flash villains, they often come from previous incarnation of the title character. Such is the case with Shade, a Jay Garrick villain from 1942. Introduced in Flash Comics #33, Richard Swift was a thief who could manipulate the shadows with a magical cane. During Flash of Two Worlds, Shade was one of the three villains the heroic duo had to fight. The others being the Wizard and Fiddler.
Shade has gone through many changes during his time in comics. The most notable is probably the Zero Hour retcon which turned Richard Swift into an English gentleman from 1838, who has achieved a measure of immortality, and was friends with Charles Dickens.
While it is a shame Shade was used as a bit part in this week’s episode, the use of the character may have saddened fans of James Robinson’s Starman series, where the writer turned the villain into a semi-likable acquaintance of Jack Knight.
It’s unclear if Shade was put in the STAR Labs Pipeline, or if he is in the custody of the Central City Police Department. At least he’s not dead… yet.
Savitar, The God of Motion
At the end of the episode we got our first real look at Savitar. A relatively new character in the DCU, Savitar was created by Mark Waid and Oscar Jimenez, and first appeared in Flash #108 in December 1995. In his origin story, a pilot for a third-world nation was flying a plane at top speed when the plane was struck by lightning. When he came to, our unnamed pilot discovered he had super-speed. Taking the name Savitar after the Hindu god of motion, Savitar became the leader of a cult dedicated to unlocking the secrets of speed.
Savitar can protect himself with a null-inertia force field, and could give and steal speed and kinetic energy from others. Savitar is very much a Wally West villain, so it will be interesting to see if TV’s Wally West will be the one to take down the big bad.
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Several names popped up this week that are worth noting:
Cecile Horton O’Malley
Cecile is getting a bit chummy with Joe West, and though she works in the District Attorney’s office in the Arrowverse, she was the Flash’s defense attorney during the Trial of The Flash arc.
Written by Cary Bates with art by Carmine Infantino, the two year tale focused on the Flash going on trial for the murder of the Reverse-Flash. Why would Barry kill the Reverse-Flash? Because Barry’s wife is murdered! Will we see a form of The Trial of the Flash in the Arrowverse? I’m betting on yes.
Randolf Morgan
The name itself may not seem like a direct match to anything from the DC Comics Universe, but in the Arrowverse, the original Harrison Wells was married to Tess Morgan, the co-founder of STAR Labs. Interesting that another Morgan appears to be a co-founder of STAR Labs in Earth-19. Could the fact that Tess and Harrison were married in Earth-1 be a hint about the relationship between Randolf and HR on Earth-19?
Helbing
The unit of currency on Earth-19 is the Helbing, which also happens to the be last name of the writing duo of Aaron and Todd Helbing.
Judge Hankerson
Sadly, I couldn’t find anyone with the name Hankerson from DC Comics.
Painfully discordant noise, pained groans, triumphant tone, tense music
If you ever get a chance, turn on the subtitles for the show. Some of the descriptions are brilliant.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Chubbuck
The location of Shade’s first victim this week happened in Chubbuck, a residential area and home to Central City Hospital.
Hofherr Park
A lot of people like to hang out in Hofherr Park, especially during big outdoor movie nights. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Hofherr Park. During season two, Zoom invited Caitlin to Hofherr Park to show her Earth-1’s version of Hunter Zolomon.
IT’S CALLED A SECRET IDENTITY FOR A REASON!
No new reveals this week, though I think we are about due, don’t you think?
Dr. Harrison Wells(deceased?)- Eobard Thawne
- Dr. Harry Wells (Earth-2)
- Dr. Caitlin Snow
- Dr. Cisco Ramon
- Detective Joe West
Ronnie Raymond(deceased)- Dr. Martin Stein
- Mrs. Clarissa Stein
- Hartley Rathaway (Pied Piper)
- Felicity Smoak
- General Wade Eiling
- Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)
- John Diggle
Bette Sans Souci(deceased)- Dr. Henry Allen (deceased)
- Iris West (in another timeline)
- Iris West-Allen (in the future)
- Iris West (via spark touch)
- Iris West (of Earth-2)
- Iris West (in yet another timeline)
- Leonard Snart (Captain Cold)
Detective Eddie Thawne(deceased)- Ray Palmer (The Atom)
- Brie Larvan
- Laurel Lance (Black Canary)
Hannibal Bates (Everyman)(deceased)- Gorilla Grodd
- Lyla Diggle (Harbinger)
- Jay Garrick (The Flash of Earth-2)
- Dr. Henry Hewitt
- Jefferson Jackson (Firestorm)
- Linda Park
- Malcolm Merlin/Al Sa-Her/Ra’s al Ghul
- Vandal Savage
- Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl)
- Cater Hall (Hawkman)
- Thea Queen (Speedy)
- Patty Spivot
- Barry Allen (of Earth-2)
- Killer Frost (of Earth-2)
- Jesse Quick (of Earth-2)
- Supergirl/Kara Zor-El (of Earth-CBS)
- James Olsen (of Earth-CBS)
- Alex Danvers (of Earth-CBS)*
- Martian Manhunter (of Earth-CBS)*
- Winn Schott (of Earth-CBS)
- Cat Grant (of Earth-CBS)
- Lucy Lane (of Earth-CBS)
- Everyone at the DEO (of Earth-CBS)
- Dr. Tina McGee
- Wally West
- Nora Allen (
no longer deceaseddeceased once more) - Zoom (aka Hunter Zolomon)
- H.R. Wells (of Earth-19)
And that should be everything! What did I miss? What did you catch? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts on this episode, and until next week – RUN, BARRY! RUN!
The Flash 3×07 Promo “Killer Frost” (HD) Season 3 Episode 7 Promo
The Flash 3×07 “Killer Frost” Season 3 Episode 7 Promo – KILLER FROST EMERGES – Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) uses her powers to save Barry (Grant Gustin) but…
FLASHBACK: THE PODCAST
Matthew Peterson and I sit down each week to discuss this episode in detail on the Flashback podcast. If you are a Major Spoilers Patreon Member, look for the Flashback Podcast very soon!
Dear Spoilerite,
At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.
Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...