The present hasn't been treating Barry Allen and his friends too kindly on The Flash lately. Sadly, it looks like they won't fare much better in the future. Before the show took a brief hiatus, the hunt for Savitar's identity and a way to stop the murder of Iris led to some poor choices being made by Team Flash. With things temporarily mended, however, Barry has a new plan inspired by some of his greatest foes. In order to finally get one step ahead of his rivals from the future, he's going to have to head there himself.

Thanks to a synopsis for the return of the show next week, we know that 'The Once and Future Flash' will see Barry head to the year 2024 to gain some insight into his current plight. The jump will provide different takes on some familiar faces and provide Barry with an updated costume. A recent trailer for the episode also teased a couple of returning rogues who will give our hero a hard time. Of course, things will be even worse for the Barry of 2024, who's not handling Iris' death well at all.

TVLine has some new photos from the episode, which will mark Tom Cavanagh's directorial debut, teasing what awaits Barry and viewers in the future. Check them out below:

[vn_gallery name="The Flash – The Once & Future Flash Images" id="947576"]

The site also spoke with Candice Patton about the upcoming episode, and she didn't sugarcoat the state that future Barry is in when we meet him.

“It’s a future where Iris has been killed, and everyone is changed because of it. You see this older version of Barry Allen that hasn’t really ever gotten over the death of Iris West."

Grant Gustin went on to add that Barry is "in shambles" in this future world. All of this brings up the question of whether the death of Iris and the breakdown of Barry leads to the crisis that's long been teased on the show. As longtime viewers will know, 2024 is the date of the future newspaper that's been seen since season 1. With it returning to prominence this season, could this be the beginning of that plot finally unfolding?

It's possible this episode will help set up some of the issues our heroes will face next year, as the future will likely play a larger role. Beyond Barry's trip through time, we've been teased with some more bad news for Team Flash. Caitlin Snow will continue her path to becoming Killer Frost in an upcoming episode. Meanwhile, some recent set photos teased more death in the future. With Arrow embracing the light more and more, it looks like The Flash will soon eclipse its predecessor as the darkest show in the Arrowverse.

The Flash returns with ‘The Once and Future Flash’ on Tuesday, April 25 at 8pm on The CW.

Next: 15 Most WTF Things The Flash Has Ever Done

Source: TVLine