Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Flash season 8, episode 3.
The ending twist in the third episode of The Flash season 8’s Armageddon event hints at the real villain’s master plan and indicates that the fan theories about Reverse-Flash’s involvement were right all along. Many believed that even though he didn’t appear in the crossover’s first two episodes, Tom Cavanagh’s Reverse-Flash would somehow turn out to be responsible for Barry Allen’s current dilemma in the Arrowverse. The series has yet to outright confirm that Eobard Thawne is the true mastermind of Armageddon, but Barry’s trip to 2031 certainly points toward that being the case.
While Despero (Tony Curran) has proven to be Barry’s greatest threat in The Flash season 8’s five-part crossover event, he doesn’t seem to be the one who is the catalyst behind Armageddon. According to him, it’s Barry (Grant Gustin) who will cause the end of the world. The events that transpired in the three episodes have made a strong case for Despero’s claim, which is that Barry will succumb to madness and turn on the people around him. Even so, characters like Iris (Candace Patton) have become convinced that there must be more to the story.
Barry not being the real cause of Armageddon in The Flash season 8 has been the opinion of fans as well, with quite a few drawing the conclusion that Reverse-Flash is the one who’s actually pulling the strings. He’s certainly a candidate for this role, considering that Thawne is among the crossover’s confirmed Arrowverse guest characters. Plus, he has a track record for interfering with the timeline and wrecking Barry’s life. Following the release of the crossover’s third installment, it’s looking increasingly obvious that Reverse-Flash is the real villain. Here’s what Thawne may have done, and why’s it’s the perfect villain plan.
Barry Allen’s 2031 Future & Armageddon Role Explained
The final scene in The Flash season 8, episode 3 paints a clearer picture of what happened in 2031 when Barry supposedly kicked off Armageddon. Barry showed up at an engagement party where he discovered that Thawne was about to marry Iris. Many of the people in attendance were his longtime friends and fellow Arrowverse superheroes. None seemed to have any qualms about Iris marrying a villain, but they all expressed disdain when Barry entered the room. Their reaction to him signified that Barry’s relationship with each of these characters has deteriorated to a point where he’s no longer welcome.
The impression left by the episode’s ending is that in the future, Barry is a washed-up, fallen hero who alienated everyone around him. Presumably, it was his alleged “madness” that put him in this situation. Reverse-Flash, on the other hand, appears to have the respect and admiration of Team Flash and the superhero community, in addition to the love of Barry’s wife.
Barry’s Armageddon Future Is What Reverse-Flash Always Wanted
There’s no denying that what The Flash has revealed about 2031 is a nightmare for Barry, but for Reverse-Flash, it looks like a dream come true. It’s been established in the past that long ago, Thawne actually admired Barry and looked up to him as a role model. However, he changed his course when he realized that his destiny was to become Barry’s biggest enemy. Thawne developed a deep-seated hatred of Barry that stemmed primarily from jealousy. Barry was an esteemed and beloved hero to the world, which was something that Reverse-Flash could never be. He tried (and failed) to ruin Barry’s life on numerous occasions, but has always come up short. He’s certainly caused hardships for the Scarlet Speedster, but hasn’t been able to destroy the happiness that Barry currently shares in the present with Iris and his Team Flash family.
What Barry saw of 2031 in The Flash season 8 looks like Thawne’s idea of a happy ending. Barry’s life is in shambles and Thawne has apparently taken everything from him, including his friends, his reputation, and even the woman he loves. Not only that, but Thawne – and not Barry – is the hero everyone respects. 2031 is essentially a future where Reverse-Flash finally has what he wanted from the very beginning. And while there’s never been any hint of him having any romantic interest in Iris, Thawne wanting to marry her makes sense for his character, even if the decision isn’t motivated by love. Instead, it’s likely that he’s doing it out of hate. Since he understands how important Iris is to Barry, he knows that Barry seeing the two together is the most devastating gut-punch he could ever deliver to his greatest enemy. For Thawne, this is arguably the best form of revenge he could possibly achieve.
How The Reverse-Flash Twist Can Explain Armageddon’s Story
Barry and Thawne’s lives couldn’t have worked out this way without some major changes being made to the timeline. Although Deon (Christian Magby) said he would have noticed any timeline alterations, it seems Thawne must have slipped some things past him. With help from Iris, it was discovered that someone did indeed interfere with the timeline to frame Barry for destroying the world. Exactly how Thawne pulled it off hasn’t been made clear yet, but it’s been revealed that he was able to hide it from everyone with the Negative Still Force.
What’s been learned so far suggests that Reverse-Flash found a way to significantly reshape both characters’ histories. After all, it wouldn’t seem reasonable for Iris to ever accept Thawne unless he somehow erased key moments from the past. He must have also caused Barry’s most recent setbacks. As Iris pointed out earlier, too many bad things have been happening at once in The Flash season 8 for this to be a matter of coincidence. As for what happened to Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), it’s likely that Reverse-Flash either killed him personally or trapped him somewhere in the timeline as part of his multipronged revenge plan.
The reveal that Reverse-Flash is behind Armageddon can also provide an adequate explanation for Despero’s predictions about Barry. Thawne, who has worn the face of Harrison Wells for years, is more than capable of successfully impersonating someone. He could be the one who attacked the people of Central City as the Flash and directly set Armageddon into motion in 2031. Due to all the personal tragedies that Thawne caused for Barry, it may have been easy for Reverse-Flash to put the blame on him and his mental health. If so, it’s a clever scheme and one that comes across as a fitting response to his defeat in The Flash season 7 finale. Barry humiliating him and proving that Thawne is no match for him anymore may have driven the villain to get creative with his revenge in The Flash season 8.