At he end of season 1, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) created a whole lot of havoc saving Central City, and it looks like season 2 of The Flash is all about the consequences of his actions. The CW's hit show is no stranger to universe-bending plots, having already dabbled in time travel, wormholes, and a powerful psychic gorilla, just to name a few. From the look of the newly released trailer, however, the alternate timelines and universes are only going to get more developed from here.
After creating - and presumably stopping - a black hole above his city, it seemed safe to assume that things wouldn't go back to normal for Barry, but we are now getting a better idea what impact this disaster had. As we can now see in the footage from the upcoming season, there will be a whole new world of enemies and danger - both from the known universe and beyond.
The promo above introduces Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears) another speedster from a parallel universe sent to warn Barry of the dangers headed his way. New enemies from the multiple alternate universes now seem to have access to Central City, thanks the vortex that ended season 1 on a cliffhanger. One of the new threats makes it onscreen, as the trailer offers an ominous glimpse of Atom Smasher (Adam Copeland) and, to lighten things up slightly, a continuation of the flirtatious relationship between Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and The Golden Glider herself, Lisa Snart (Peyton List).
Many people were expecting Garrick's appearance in season 2, as his trademarked hat with wings was seen emerging from a portal in the finale, and the multiverse has been hinted at for quite some time. While there is no way to tell whether or not Garrick will take on the role of mentor - teaching Barry about his lightening powers, or if he will help introduce a third speedster in Wally West - it is clear the show is embracing the Flash's parallel universe storylines, which have factored in to some major storylines for the Scarlet Speedster in the comics.
With so many new characters being added, the narrative thread of the show could also easily become lost. Hopefully, the series sticks to the formula that made season 1 so successful: balancing action with a strong sense of emotional storytelling. As long as they keep the heart of the show focused on Barry and his journey to become one of the world's greatest heroes, the show will likely end up in the right place.
Season 2 of The Flash premieres Tuesday, October 6 at 8pm/7 central; Season 4 of Arrow debuts Wednesday October 7 at 8pm/7 central; Legends of Tomorrow begins in 2016.
Source: The CW