One of the biggest mysteries in The Flash season 1 was the identity of the Reverse Flash. Season 2, looks like it might play out in roughly the same fashion with the identity of the Big Bad, Zoom, being similarly shrouded in mystery. So who is this new evil Speedster? Though Zoom has been barely shown in The Flash, I think enough important hints have been dropped inside and out of the show that some guesses can be made.
Zoom Is Harrison Wells
It would be brazenly brave of The Flash to pull the same twist in back-to-back seasons but it is possible. Now that the multiverse has been introduced any character, even if they’re dead in the main timeline, can return. The Flash gave us a glimpse of an alternate Wells who has presumably never encountered, or had his face stolen by Eobard Thawne, at the episode of “Flash of Two Worlds.” Yet this Wells didn’t look as wholesome as the original Wells from our earth, Earth-1. The Flash‘s first glimpse of the real Wells in the flashback episode of Season 1 presented a man who was even more nerdy than Barry Allen. The Alternate Universe Wells seen in “Flash of Two Worlds” had way too much swagger and swarm to be exactly like the original Wells.
It’s hard to deny that Zoom and Reverse Flash seem very similar. They are both speedsters who are faster the Flash. They are obsessed with increasing their speed and have a personal vendetta against the scarlet speedster. Maybe Wells was always destined to be a supervillian no matter what and in alternate reality he became exactly that. This is the reason for Zoom and Reverse Flash’s similarities. In a way, they are the same person.
Zoom Is a Member of the West Family
In our interview with Candice Patton, she said that The Flash season 2 was a lot about the West Family. This is compared to Season 1 which was very much around the Allen Family. Season 1 began with Nora Allen’s murder and the main bad guy was the killer. Eobard Thawne wasn’t a member of the Allen family but he did have a very close, if morbid, tie to them. It stands to reason then that Zoom will have some manner of connection to the West Family.
When The Flash announced that Tony Todd would be playing Zoom, they made sure to say he was only providing the voice. This means that anyone could be under the mask. It’s not as if James Earl Jones played Anakin Skywalker in the prequel Star Wars movies. (Though that change might have made those movies infinitely better.) What if under Zoom’s full body costume there is an alternate version of a West Family member. Stein told Joe there could exist an alternate version of him that is a brilliant scientist, not a cop. At face value this seems like a winking reference to Joe’s occupation in the comics but it could also be setting up something. What if the ultimate Papa Bear Joe is a cold-hearted killer in another world?
It’s not without precedent, in the comics the current Reverse Flash is a man named Daniel West. Daniel is Iris’ brother who was petty criminal turned egomaniac supervilliain. Much like Zoom, Daniel West’s Reverse Flash is much more monster than man. It’s not even possible, it’s likely that The Flash is creating some kind of remix of Daniel West on the show.
Zoom Is Eddie Thawne
On a similar token, what if Zoom’s hypothetical connections to the Wests isn’t by blood but love? As we know with the return of Harrison Wells, familiar faces even if they are dead can return to The Flash in new forms. There’s no way that The Flash can bring back our Eddie without robbing the audience of his sacrifice in the Season 1 finale. It was one of The Flash‘s best moments and to resurrect Eddie would rob it of a lot of it’s meaning.
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Unless Eddie and Rick Cosnett is brought back to The Flash in an alternative form. Many fans speculated that Eddie was the man in the yellow suit in Season 1 because of his last name. Eddie, of course, wasn’t the Reverse Flash but his ancestor through some kooky time travel hi-jinks. However with the exception of his fantastic death scene I think Rick Cosnett’s best work on The Flash was when he got to play an evil metahuman who took on Eddie’s form. It would be oddly entertaining to watch a whole season of that evil Eddie. Not to mention all the emotional material that can be mined from the main bad guy having the same face as Team Flash’s departed friend.
Zoom Is Barry Himself
Before Harrison Wells’ real identity and full history was revealed many fans thought they had him pinned. There was quite a prevalent and persuasive internet theory that Wells was actually Barry from the future explained with more wacky time travel hi-jinks. This is why Wells had such extensive knowledge of Barry and the Flash’s history and explained his affection for Barry. Obviously the writers of The Flash had different plans, Harrison Wells was a fake identity but he was really Eobard Thawne not Barry Allen. Maybe in between seasons the writers heard the fans talking and thought it might make for an interesting plot for next season. Not to make Harrison Wells a future version of Barry stuck in the past but to have Barry’s main nemesis of the season be Barry.
We know that Zoom is from Earth-2 and when he discovered Earth-1 and Barry he was determined to destroy him. If Zoom is Barry’s evil twin from another world you can imagine how the idea of heroic Barry would disgust him. Not only a heroic Barry but a Barry who wears the name of Zoom’s greatest enemy, the Flash.
According to Jay Garrick, Earth-2’s the Flash, he had a rivalry with Zoom spanning years. If Zoom discovered that a version of himself existed in another world that was his polar opposite he would naturally want to destroy it. Especially if we are to believe what Jay told us about him and Zoom is a ego-crazy monster.
Again there is some groundwork for this in the comics. In fact while The Flash season 1 was airing, the comics version of Barry was fighting an evil version of himself. This version of Barry came from the future and was desperate to stop his past self. This “Future Flash” didn’t give off yellow or red lightning when he used his powers. Future Flash glowed a bright blue, the same exact shade that crackles around Zoom.
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What do you think? Who or what would you like Zoom to be in the end? Should The Flash never reveal Zoom’s true name? Do you think think Zoom will ever live up to the Reverse Flash’s infamy?
The Flash season 2 airs Tuesdays at 8pm on The CW.
(images courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
