The Flash just wrapped up it's third season and while it had some problems, I still enjoyed the ride. Season two wasn't flawless and despite how amazing the first season was, it still didn't do everything right. One thing seasons one to three all had in common however was that each big bad was a speedster.
In season one we had the Reverse Flash as the primary antagonist, which I had no qualms about. Even before I really got into Flash comics, I knew that Reverse Flash was Barry Allen's greatest enemy and I love the way he was portrayed in live action. Season two brought us Zoom, a character that caused Wally West a great deal of pain in the comics. and while he differed a bit in the show, he was still a serious threat. Finally, in the third season we saw Savitar, who I didn't find bad but at this point speedster villain fatigue had begin to set in.
As much as I enjoyed the speedster big bads, I think it is high time they were given a much needed break. I'm burned out on seeing them and I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way. If the Green Arrow can go three seasons without fighting a central protagonist that shoot arrows, there's no reason the Flash can have a few seasons without being tormented by yet another speedy adversary that is usually much faster than him. You can imagine my relief when the show runners divulged that the big bad for season four of the Flash would in fact not be another speedster.
I can understand why the Flash has used speedsters as a major obstacle for Barry to overcome. Just as Reverse Flash, Zoom, and Savitar were a big deal in the show, they were also big in the comics with Reverse Flash being the most famous evil speedster in the long history of the Flash. That being said, it isn't as if a being that does not posses the power of super speed cannot present a challenge to the Flash. While the Rogues are often mistakenly labeled as joke characters that hasn't stopped them from being a thorn in the side of the Flash Family. In particular, I love Captain Cold in the Abra Kadabra, the techno mage, was a huge highlight for me in season three and I really hope he comes back in season four.
It's as if the show runners thought the only foes that could prove a match for a swift hero is a swift villain. Again, as much as I enjoyed Zoom and Savitar, I don't think it would have hurt the show if we saw the later down the line. The big bad doesn't always have to be a speedster to keep things interesting.
You might have noticed that twice this season the name "DeVoe" was dropped, once by Kadabra and then by Savitar. While Savitar mentioned him in a sort of offhand way, Kadabra threw him in with Zoom and the Reverse Flash, two of the most sinister people Barry has ever gone up against, both of whom caused him a great deal of tragedy. Suffice to say, DeVoe will be a major play for season four of the Flash. And who is DeVoe? Why, he's Cliff DeVoe, also known as The Thinker. The Thinker has actually been four different people but DeVoe is the Golden Age version of the character. I'm looking forward to seeing what the show does with him and I'm happy to know that the fourth season of the Flash will treat us to an antagonist that doesn't have the same powers of the Scarlet Speedster.
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