[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for The Flash Season 2 Premiere.]

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The long, long wait for the next chapter of The Flash has come to an end, but that doesn't mean that fans were left with a complete grasp of what lies ahead. It may have been enough of a stumble to see season 1's gripping finale cliffhanger paid off in a flashback, but the changes coming to the villain, heroes, and even budding superpowers of everyday Central City citizens likely left casual viewers confused.

Those well versed in DC Comics history can connect the dots to see which comic book stories, theories, and crises are being built toward, but for those who are simply crossing their fingers that it will all make sense - we're here to help. We've singled out some of the most lingering questions from The Flash's season 2 premiere, and will do our best to lay out an explanation.

What Happened to Ronnie?

Flash Season 2 Firestorm Ronnie Death Explained

You have to respect a TV series that kicks off its second season by killing off a supporting cast member... especially when said cast member is able to fly and produce fire. Just when the DC hero Firestorm - composed of Ronnie Raymond (Robbie Amell) and Martin Stein (Victor Garber) - had reached full potential, one half of the equation was presumably killed. Or, more accurately, lost.

To explain what happened (and why Ronnie Raymond's time in the show probably isn't over) would demand an understanding of black holes/wormholes/singularities, so we'll stick to broader terms for now. When the Speed Force rupture resulted in a black hole - in this case, a rotating (Kerr?) black hole - over Central City, Barry Allen's super speed allowed him to slow the rotation and weaken it.

In the world of The CW's DC Comics heroes, the only way to close a black hole is to, apparently, deliver enough energy in a single burst to overwhelm it. Flash fans got an idea of the nuclear blast that comes when Ronnie and Stein separated without the use of S.T.A.R. Labs's Splicer, so when the men merged, and tore off the stabilizing device in the black hole, a similar explosion resulted.

Flash Season 2 Firestorm Stein Explained

Before heading in to his sacrifice, Caitlin Snow had warned that Ronnie (and Martin) might not be able to escape the "inrush" of the black hole's collapse. In other words, he might get swallowed up along with the nuclear explosion. In the end Martin Stein was thrown out of the explosion - but Ronnie wasn't so lucky.

Obviously, those paying close attention to the sci-fi of The Flash may see some problems. For starters, Ronnie and Martin didn't just decide to become and stay Firestorm - their molecules were drawn to the other, meaning merging was going to be inevitable after a period of time. So unless that has been thrown out the window with a wave of the writers' hand, Stein may need a new partner to shoulder the energy of Firestorm (and the top candidate has already been revealed).

But what about Ronnie? If the phenomenon in the skies of Central City was a standard singularity, and collapsed his mass along with the rest of the matter it sucked in, his story is over. But we know that the black hole more accurately acted as a wormhole, allowing people to enter from a parallel universe, leading to new villains and one ally.

If the wormhole was fueled by the extradimensional Speed Force, then Ronnie may be anywhere, at any time, on any level of existence. Or in keeping with the comics, he may simply exist as part of the Firestorm Matrix (the energy bonding both halves of Firestorm) but unable to speak or escape. For now...

Where Did Atom-Smasher Come From? Who Was Al Rothstein?

Flash Season 2 Atom Smasher Clone Explained

The reason for naming the villain may have been plain as day - he's atomic, and... smashes - but the existence of Atom Smasher was left largely unexplained in the premiere episode. And if any viewers decide to actually search the villain's name online, they will be more than a little surprised to see that according to DC Comics, the character is a hero. So what is The CW up to?

The answer to that question likely lies with Al Rothstein, the murder victim who kicks off the episode, and not the man responsible for his death (both played by Adam Copeland). What might have gone unnoticed by some is that the deceased Rothstein was employed as a welder at a nuclear power plant before meeting his end. That fits fairly well with the DC Comics origin of Atom Smasher, but The CW is pulling for a few canonical stories and characters for this version.

Traditionally, it was Al Rothstein's godfather, Al Pratt - the original Atom, a title later held by Ray Palmer - who gained strength by exposure to radiation. That radiation came in a battle with Cyclotron, a nuclear-powered bruiser who was only a reluctant villain, and also the grandfather of Al Rothstein (from whom he acquired his powers of increasing his nuclear density, size and strength).

Atom Smasher holds someone in his hand in DC comics

What TV fans got was clearly a blend of these origins, with the show's Atom Smasher only attacking The Flash at the command of the mysterious villain Zoom, promised a return home in exchange. But his first victim offers a major hint at how the show will populate its current world, and the alternate Earth accessed by the black hole above Central City.

The fact that viewers were shown a version of Al Rothstein that was generally unremarkable, but employed at a nuclear power plant offers one explanation: on Barry's Earth ("Earth One"), Al Rothstein had yet to become Atom Smasher, or would simply never be exposed to the radiation granting him his powers (and hunger for radioactive material). But on "Earth Two" - the parallel world from which Atom Smasher came - things had proceeded as the comics had.

Does this mean Earth Two contains the same people as Earth One, but living different possible lives? Does that mean there's a Barry Allen living on Earth Two? A Jay Garrick unidentified in the show's world? Only time will tell, but the clues are enough to debate for now!

Next: Cisco's Visions & Jay Garrick's Arrival

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What's Happening to Cisco?

Flash Season 2 Cisco Vision Explained

Here is where we sympathize with those who forgot the reason for Cisco's strange visions of an alternate future or timeline. In the season 2 premiere, Cisco freezes when first witnessing Atom Smasher's arrival at the flash Day festivities, suddenly lost in a vision of the villain being given his orders by an unseen commander (now understood to be Zoom).

The style and colors of the vision match those from the previous season, so it's clear the writers want to align this glimpse with Cisco's ability to remember the alternate version of events which Barry's trip back through time prevented (specifically, his death at the hands of Eobard Thawne). There's just one problem: Cisco was actually present in those other alternate timelines. How could he see into Atom Smasher's origins?

What looks like a major leap or inconsistency to casual viewers could actually make perfect sense, provided we give a little background on Cisco Ramon's own powers in the comics.

Flash Season 2 Premiere Cisco Vibe Explained

In the newest version of the comic book character, his powers are best described as "vibrating between physical planes." What began as an ability to generate powerful shock waves from his body became something else, as new writers claimed his unique physiology separated him from the vibrations of a single universe. Like Barry Allen could vibrate from one universe to the next, Vibe could exist without being anchored to just one.

It's likely the show is following a similar path: Cisco first believed he could see the changed future/parallel timelines/events because he was a part of them. But as his powers begin to develop, he can now see the changes in time and events caused by Atom Smasher's presence - which carry the traces of a parallel universe. The obvious question then becomes: just how much can Cisco really see? The writers have confirmed that season 2 of The Flash will be taking its first steps into the DC Multiverse. Who's to say it's Barry, and not Cisco who could act as the real linchpin of the adventure?

Since the moment is cast aside and left unexplained, we would wager that the writers will expand on the idea in the coming weeks, especially as more and more minions from an alternate world begin to show up.

Who is Jay Garrick?

Flash Season 2 Jay Garrick Explained

We're willing to bet that at this point most fans have been made aware of Jay Garrick's existence in the show's marketing. But to offer a quick crash course in the character (and what the essential points of his character really are) and how he may fit into the coming season, we'll run down the most obvious/logical answers. New marketing has confirmed that Jay Garrick - Earth Two's version of The Flash - was brought to Barry's Earth in a battle with Zoom, the shadowy villain of this season.

Jay will have to rely on more than his speed, since his character in the comics has had a less clear tie to the Speed Force than Barry Allen (and Eobard Thawne lost his own innate connection when he traveled back in time). It might sound disappointing to hear that Jay won't be the speedy hero fans know and love until he returns to his own Earth, but then, having an older, more experienced speedster (with knowledge of each new metahuman Barry will face) isn't a bad plan, either.

Fans have already assumed that Jay will be teaching Barry a few new tricks (with or without his signature hat), and for once, viewers can rest a bit easier during his lessons. We're almost positive that Jay is the hero he claims to be, and not a villain deceiving the entire cast.

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Those are the biggest questions we feel fans will still be asking weeks after the Season 2 premiere, as The Flash doubles down on the comic book mythology of the Speed Force (with or without losing a few non-comic readers along the way). If there are other lingering questions you can think of, be sure to leave them in the comicsreturned with little rust to be shaken off, moving its cast members into new positions and potentially different roles to play in the coming season. And with a new villain teased, and his motivations and methods already revealed, the months waiting for the new season to begin are already a distant memory.

Next: 10 Jay Garrick Facts Flash Fans Need to Know

The Flash returns next Tuesday @8pm on The CW with "Flash of Two Worlds".