[This post contains SPOILERS for the season finale of The Flash]
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Season 2 of The Flash is behind us, and boy did it go out with a bang. Distraught after witnessing his father killed at the hands of Zoom, Barry Allen was unable to relish his victory over the season's main antagonist. While the rest of Team Flash celebrated defeating Zoom, Barry was left in a state of emptiness. He was unable to move forward with his long gestating relationship with Iris, telling her that he feels too broken. In fact, Barry was in such a state of despair that he ultimately decides to do what he courageously decided not to do in the season 1 finale -- save his mother.
While the ramifications of this decision are at the moment uncertain, it is hard to ignore the similarity to the popular Flashpoint storyline where Barry's decision to save his mother thrust the world he knew into an alternate timeline where things were drastically different than he remembers. The Arrowverse could not completely adapt Flashpoint for a number of reasons, mostly due to many of the storyline's most pivotal characters not being a part of The CW's universe. However, that does not mean there could not be some cool things done, particularly with the news that Supergirl is moving from CBS to The CW, opening the doors to even more crossovers with the rest of the Arrowverse.
So, assuming that this is where The Flash is heading, here are 13 Things We Want To See In An Arrowverse Flashpoint Adaptation.
13. Robert Queen as Green Arrow
One of the more notable changes in Flashpoint was that Bruce Wayne was no longer Batman. In fact, he was no longer alive. Bruce Wayne was murdered by Joe Chill in the place of his parents, driving his mother insane and Thomas Wayne to adopt an even more violent Batman persona.
This particular change could not be faithfully adapted in the Arrowverse since Batman does not exist in that universe - at least as far as we know. However, Oliver Queen's Green Arrow has always felt a bit like The CW's version of Batman. With this in mind, Barry's decision to save his mother could create a ripple through time that has Oliver Queen die in place of his father. Then we could see Robert Queen (played by Jamey Sheridan) as a more brooding, murderous Green Arrow, similar to Thomas Wayne in Flashpoint. It should be noted that Robert Queen is Earth-2's Green Arrow, but we unfortunately never get to see him in action.
While it would be a bold decision to remove Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow (given that it would mean Stephen Amell taking a back seat, at least for a while), we do not know how long this storyline will last, and frankly, with Arrow's tendency to use flashbacks, we could still see Oliver Queen in an alternate past. How cool would it be to see an older Green Arrow so distraught by the loss of his son that he completely removes the "no kill" rule from his vocabulary?
12. Thanagarian Invasion
One of the reasons the world is such a dark place in Flashpoint is that the Atlanteans and Amazons are in the midst of war. This, presumably, would not be adapted on The CW as there has been no indication that there is an Atlantis or a Themyscira in the Arrowverse. It is also hard to believe that Aquaman and Wonder Woman, two characters in the cinematic DC Extended Universe, to be adapted for television at this time (there seems to be a trend towards keeping the major players off of television).
Despite there being no war between the Amazons and Atlanteans, there is still a large conflict that could be the catalyst for the impending end of the world. On Legends of Tomorrow, the Timemasters teased a Thanagarian invasion in the future. It is quite possible that Barry's trip through time and subsequent "time boom" could speed up the Thanagarian invasion to the present.
In the DC Animated Universe's Justice League television show, we saw a Thanagarian invasion that would have seen the end of the world if it were not for efforts of the Justice League, along with Hawkgirl betraying her own people. Now imagine the invasion when there is no Justice League? Could be a lot of trouble.
11. John Diggle as Resistance Leader
Every good alien invasion needs a human resistance. In Flashpoint, Cyborg led a metahuman resistance against the Atlanteans, though a largely unsuccessful one. Of course, there is no Victor Stone in the Arrowverse, so who would lead the resistance? If Robert Queen were to parallel Thomas Wayne, he would be uninterested in anything going on outside of Star City. But there is another Team Arrow member that has military training and a sense of patriotism -- John Diggle.
John Diggle could have the arduous task of trying to recruit Robert Queen to the cause -- to no avail. Perhaps they knew each other from when John acted as Moira Queen's bodyguard. This would also give us a chance to see John in more of a leadership role than we've seen on Arrow. While he was the leader during Oliver Queen's absence between seasons 3 and 4, we really never got to see him in action.
It would sure be fun to see John searching for optimism while the world around him is being destroyed. If anything, it gives David Ramsey (the actor who plays John Diggle) a chance to move on from the current John Diggle, who is riddled with guilt and unable to overcome his emotions.
10. Citizen Cold
One of the more popular characters in the Arrowverse is Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold (played by Wentworth Miller). We have seen less of Snart on The Flash this season due to his starring role on Legends of Tomorrow. Most of us know by now (SPOILER: if you do not) that Captain Cold met his demise in the penultimate episode of Legends of Tomorrow. We do know that Snart will be back in some capacity next season and a great way to reintroduce him would be as Citizen Cold.
In the Flashpoint storyline, there was no Flash, but that does not mean Central City did not have a protector. Leonard Snart, using the alias Citizen Cold, was Central City's greatest hero. This would provide Wentworth Miller an opportunity to bring some more dimensions to his portrayal of Snart, and give the viewers a chance to see another hero who doesn't believe in the "no kill" rule.
9. Powerless Barry Allen
Granted we have already seen Barry lose his powers, and how far he is willing to go to regain them. However, when this happens in season 2 of The Flash, the S.T.A.R. Labs team and the rest of his immediate family know of his secret identity. In fact, it is that group that ultimately persuades him to make the risky attempt to regain his power.
Things would be a bit different in a Flashpoint adaptation. Barry would have nobody to help him regain his powers, because there is no Flash in the changed timeline. This could lead him to seek out Oliver Queen, only to find out that Robert is the Green Arrow. Or better yet, he would have to seek out Earth-1's Harrison Wells, and try to convince him that the reality he knows is not all that it seems.
8. Tom Cavanagh as Earth-1 Harrison Wells
Tom Cavanagh has been absolutely incredible as Harrison Wells, and has been one of the highlights of the first two seasons of The Flash. Cavanagh has had the opportunity to play three different versions of Harrison Wells so far. First, he played Eobard Thawne pretending to be Harrison Wells. Second, he played Eobard Thawne as Harrison Wells (there's a small distinction there), and finally he has played Earth-2 Harrison Wells. We did briefly see Earth-1 Harrison Wells before he fell victim to the Reverse-Flash, but not enough to get a feel for who he is.
Barry changing the timeline could likely mean Harrison Wells will never be killed and replaced by Reverse-Flash. If that's the case, Tom Cavanagh can get another opportunity to give Harrison Wells a new spin. There are no losers there -- we all win.
7. Matt Letscher as Reverse-Flash
If Eobard Thawne never assumes Harrison Wells' identity, we could see a Reverse-Flash that we have not seen much of yet. Matt Letscher has played the Reverse-Flash in flashbacks and briefly in the season 1 finale. He got his most screen time to date as Barry's archnemesis in the season 2 episode "The Reverse-Flash Returns".
Eobard Thawne is Barry's greatest nemesis and The Flash team is in the unique position to keep him around as a major antagonist without him becoming redundant. Having Matt Letscher return in a larger capacity would keep Reverse-Flash very active in Barry Allen's life without us getting bored of him as a villain.
6. Caitlin Snow and Ronnie Raymond Romance
While Caitlin Snow and Ronnie Raymond's romance has been a large part of their backstories on The Flash, we haven't really seen much of them together. First, Ronnie was believed to be dead. Then he finally came back as Firestorm and had to go off and figure out what that meant. They finally seemed like they were going to be together but Ronnie sacrificed himself in the season 1 finale.
A Flashpoint adaptation could see the particle accelerator never blowing up -- at least not yet. This is almost certainly the case if Eobard Thawne does not assume Harrison Wells' identity, since we know he did that to move up the explosion of the particle accelerator. If that's the case, we could get a chance to see Caitlin and Ronnie in a very different place than we have before -- in love with no worries (other than the impending end of the world if there is a Thenagarian invasion).
5. Deathstroke the Resistance Fighter
While Deathstroke acted as a pirate in the Flashpoint comics, he has a slightly different role in the Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (DC's Animated Adaptation). In that movie, he and Lex Luthor search for Aquaman's doomsday device. This would be a cool way for Manu Bennett (the actor who plays Deathstroke) to return as Slade Wilson, but this time as a reluctant hero.
While Deathstroke's role is hard to predict, there will presumably be a host of things wrong with this new timeline, and even more people to fight. Perhaps he will be searching for Thanagar's secret weapon, or he could just be kicking some good old fashion behind. Either way, television is better when Deathstroke is wielding his sword.
4. Waverider Team
While a Flashpoint adaptation would certainly seem to have far-reaching ramifications for the Arrow and The Flash, it is less certain how it would impact DC's Legends of Tomorrow. The first season of Legends of Tomorrow ended with a cliffhanger that planted the seeds for the introduction of the Justice Society of America. But it also established that time travel will still be a large part of the show.
Well what happens if the Waverider and team is outside of the timeline when Barry travels back to save his mother? Frankly, we have no idea. It takes an advance degree to fully understand time travel, but presumably Rip Hunter and company could be protected from the "time boom" and be one of the few people who retain their memories of the original timeline. Perhaps they realize that something is not as it is supposed to be, and play a major role in Barry's quest to regain his powers. It would also be awesome to see Mick's reaction to Leonard Snart being alive.
3. Barry's relationship with Iris and Joe
A significant aspect of the first two seasons of The Flash is Barry Allen's relationship with Joe and Iris West. Joe has become an adoptive father to Barry, while Iris has been the love of his life --though that love wasn't returned until very recently. However, this strong relationship is unfortunately largely predicated on the demise of Barry's mother and subsequent incarceration of his father.
If Nora Allen were never to die, Barry presumably would never move in with Joe and Iris. This could lead to a drastically different dynamic than we are used to seeing. Perhaps it could be similar to Barry's relationship with Joe from Earth-2. What would be truly fascinating is that Barry Allen would retain his memories of his father-son relationship with Joe, and that will make it hurt even more if Joe does not return the love.
2. J'onn J'onzz Captured
A notable plot point in Flashpoint is the absence of Superman. Rather than landing in Smallville, Kal-El's ship lands in Metropolis and he is subsequently captured by the U.S. government and ultimately becomes weak in solidarity. It is fair to say that even in an alternate timeline, the Arrowverse will not be introducing a significant Superman storyline. So what else can they do?
One alien that has been established in this universe -- though on another Earth -- is J'onn J'onzz. While Supergirl does not take place on Earth-1, J'onn J'onzz appearance in the mainstream Arrowverse would be easiest to explain. Perhaps in the original timeline he was never captured and just lives among humans undetected. However, in an alternate timeline, J'onn J'onzz could be captured by the government and held in captivity as they try to create a super soldier. He could even be constantly weakened with fire.
This would certainly be a fun way for Greg Berlanti and team to begin introducing Supergirl characters into the mainstream Arrowverse.
1. Bring Supergirl to Earth-1
By now most people know that Supergirl will be calling The CW its new home. This makes a lot of sense for the show, considering The CW was already home to three other DC properties. But the biggest question is how will Supergirl be integrated into the Arrowverse? We already know there will be at least one major crossover between all four shows.
The ending of the Flashpoint storyline saw the merging of several DC Earths leading up to the launch of The New 52, the rebooted DC Universe. This would be the easiest way to merge Kara Zor-El's world with Earth-1. While we cannot presume to guess how this would be done -- it could be a narrative mess -- there is no doubt that crossovers will be easier with all four shows occurring on the same Earth.
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