The Flash season 6 has introduced Mirror World, but what exactly is this mysterious place? In DC Comics, the Mirror World is tied to the Mirror Master, a prominent member of Flash's rogues' gallery and a character who's already been adapted to the Arrowverse. Barry Allen battled the Sam Scudder incarnation of the Mirror Master in two episodes in The Flash season 3.
Unlike previous seasons, season 6 has taken a different approach to its "villain of the season" formula. The first half of the season focused on Team Flash's efforts to defeat Bloodwork (Sendhil Ramamurthy). Bloodwork was defeated in the lead-up to "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which means that the back half of season 6 is the beginning of a whole new story. Now, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and his friends are up against a criminal organization called the Black Hole, a recent addition to the comics that was teased earlier in the season.
An investigation into the Black Hole and McCulloch Technologies led Iris West (Candice Patton) into the clutches of her enemies. In the cliffhanger ending of the season 6 midseason premiere, Iris snuck back into McCulloch Technologies and, upon discovering a hidden mirror, was dragged into it by an unknown, silver assailant. It was confirmed in the following episode that Iris was replaced by a convincing look-alike. Meanwhile, Iris is force to watch from the other side of a mirror as this strange character steals her life. So what has happened to the real Iris, and what does it mean for the rest of season 6?
DC Comics' Mirror World Explained
Iris' prison will be recognized by fans as the DC Comics location, Mirror World, a place that has been described as a fourth dimension. The Flash comics have used multiple versions of the Mirror World, and none are consistent with each other except for one key theme: it can only be accessed through a mirror or reflective surface. Mirror World first appeared in 1962's The Flash #126 when the original Mirror Master (Sam Scudder) accidentally discovered a doorway to a new world when trying to escape from prison. After fleeing into Mirror World, Scudder found himself in a place occupied by the Orinocas, a race of telepathic warrior women. The Mirror World looks identical to Earth, but since the only people living there were the Orinocas, it lacked the modern technology developed by humans.
The Mirror World was reimagined in later DC Comics reboots. In the 1990s, the Mirror World reappeared again, but without the Orinocas. This time, the Mirror World was depicted as a rather empty, limbo-like dimension that the Mirror Master could leave and enter through reflective surfaces. Its only inhabitants were monsters made out of shattered mirrors. Another version of Mirror World looked like a replica of an American city, but the personalities of its citizens were reversed. While there, Flash encountered alternate versions of people that he knew, like Heatwave. Mirror World's Heatwave was a police officer - the polar opposite of the career criminal that Barry knew him to be.
Why Is Iris Stuck In The Mirror Dimension
After being pulled into the mirror at MCulloch Technologies, Iris wasn't seen again until the end of The Flash season 6, episode 11, titled "Love is a Battlefield". Somehow, Iris is able to look through the mirror at her home to see Barry embracing the fake Iris. However, Iris is unable to leave the same way she came. Unable to do anything about her predicament, Iris turns around and ponders over the nature of the strange world that surrounds her. It would seem that Iris is trapped there for the time being, and it could be that Barry is the only person who can save her. In the original Mirror World, Sam Scudder couldn't leave through the mirrors and had to find a way to trick Barry into following him inside. Barry's speed and ability to vibrate through solid walls - and mirrors - made it possible for him to enter Mirror World and rescue Scudder. The Arrowverse's Barry Allen may have to do the same for his wife.
The only person other than the Flash who presumably has full access to the Mirror World would be the villain responsible for Iris' imprisonment. The powers of the Mirror Master could allow this character to trap whomever they want inside, since only they may possess the freedom to come and go from the Mirror World.
What Iris' Fate Means For Flash Season 6
Synopses for the next few episodes of The Flash tease that the current storyline with Iris won't be wrapped up immediately, so this could be an arc that has consequences for the rest of the season. It may take a while for Barry to find Iris, and dealing with a villain who can travel to a different dimension could prove to be more challenging than his fight with the Sam Scudder version of the Mirror Master. Regardless, whatever is going on in The Flash is tied directly to a new character named Eva McCulloch (in the comics, Earth-2's Mirror Master was Evan McCulloch). Efrat Dor was cast as Eva McCulloch back in November, and Dor's character is set to debut in next week's episode, along with Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss).
How does Efrat Dor's Eva McCulloch and Mirror World fit into the story for the back half of the The Flash season 6? The midseason premiere confirmed that Eva is the founder of McCulloch Technologies and the wife of Joseph Carver, the apparent leader of the Black Hole. She disappeared some time ago, and it's obvious at this point that the Mirror World is the explanation for her absence. Black Hole may have been set up as the main antagonists, but the new Mirror Master - whether it be Eva McCulloch or a different character - could be the real villain of the season.