In season 4 of The Flash, the Scarlet Speedster will be facing off against a "reimagined" version of the Thinker, a villain that was created during the Golden Age of comics. It's been known for a while that the Thinker would be "the big bad" of the new season, and now we know that the writers will be taking a new approach to the character.

 The Thinker, played by The 100 actor Neil Sandilands, will be a new kind of main antagonist for the Flash, since the character is the show's first "big bad" that's not a speedster. It could be that the Thinker had to be "reimagined" so that he could interact with the other characters without being easily apprehended. As a character without super speed, he can't escape the Flash as easily as Reverse-Flash, Zoom, or Savitar. He will also be accompanied by an assitant called "The Mechanic", played by Kim Engelbrecht, who will use her technological expertise to design devices for DeVoe.

At San Diego Comic Con 2017, The Flash showrunner Todd Helbing spoke to Cinema Blend about bringing the Thinker to the show:

We've reimagined The Thinker, in a way, that he can interact with speedsters and Vibe and Kid Flash and Joe in ways that...He has a way of being involved and not being involved at the same time, is about as much as I can explain it.

Also, Helbing neglected to mention Barry Allen as one of the characters who interacts with the Thinker, which could suggest that the Thinker will possibly appear prior to Barry Allen's return from the Speed Force.

The Thinker was referenced twice on season 3 of The Flash by characters who had knowledge of Barry's future. The character was referred to as "DeVoe". Clifford DeVoe is the real name of the Thinker, a villain that debuted in All-Flash #12 as an enemy of the original Flash, Jay Garrick.

The Thinker was a failed district attorney who decided to use his intellect to commit crimes. He built a powerful device called a "Thinking Cap," which he could use to project illusions, control minds, and lift objects into the air. Helbing has described the rivalry between the Flash and the Thinker presented on the show as "'The Fastest Man Alive' vs. 'The Fastest Mind Alive.'"

NEXT: The Flash Season 4 Comic-Con Trailer

The Flash season 4 premieres Tuesday, October 10 at 8 P.M. on The CW.

Source: Cinema Blend