- Spoilers for those not caught up on The Flash-
The Trickster is back in the trailer for next week's episode of The Flash, "The Elongated Knight Rises." The episode's title certainly indicates that the episode's focus will be on Ralph Dibny and his journey to becoming the hero that comic book fans known as The Elongated Man. But equal time in the trailer is given to an old, familiar face: Axel Walker, aka The Trickster.
Axel is not the only Trickster, of course. His father, Jesse James, was the original and has been seen a handful of times since both villains were introduced in season 1 in the episode "Tricksters." This is the first reappearance of Axel however, who was incarcerated in Iron Heights at the end of the same episode. Of course, with Barry now serving a life sentence for the murder of Clifford DeVoe there is quite a bit of irony. The Trickster is out of prison, while The Flash is locked up and unable to stop him.
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In the preview, released by The CW, The Trickster is up to his old antics, setting bombs and taking hostages, one of whom appears to be Cisco. Meanwhile, Ralph knows that he has to step up and save the day. Unsure that he is ready and feeling frightened, he turns to Barry for encouragement, and Barry advises Ralph, "Rise up. Rise above that fear."
Ralph has until this point largely been comic relief, he's even been at the center of a few cute "deleted" scenes that have aired during episodes in the first half of the season. But he's had more serious moments on his journey toward being a hero, including in the midseason premiere when he talked Joe out of planting evidence to save Barry by telling him about what he went through after committing the same crime. While his priorities can be off, his heart is in the right place and he does want to help people. With Barry in Iron Heights, his chance has arrived.
The second half of season 4 has quite a lot planned, with the returns of Captain Cold as well as the Mystery Girl from Barry and Iris' wedding. With Barry in jail and villains like The Trickster on the loose, Central City needs heroes more than ever. Vibe and Killer Frost can certainly use help from Ralph Dibny - as well as a possible new ally joining the group for awhile. With Axel up to his old tricks, the time has come for The Elongated Man to rise.
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The Flash returned to The CW with "The Elongated Knight Rises" at 8 pm on Tuesday, January 23.
Source: The CW