The Flash Theory: Barry Gets The Speed Force Back Because Of Atlantis - Screen Rant

Atlantis could be the key to Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) getting the Speed Force back in The Flash season 7. Aquaman’s home, which has been talked about but never seen in the Arrowverse, could have a vital role in not one, but two major plotlines in season 7. It’s already expected to play a part in beating Mirror Mistress (Efrat Dor).

Its existence in The CW’s Arrowverse was confirmed by a reference from Zoom (Teddy Sears) in The Flash season 2. It was said to be somewhere on Earth-2 where it served as a popular tourist attraction but was apparently a long-forgotten, ancient civilization on Earth-1. That changed when “Crisis on Infinite Earths” happened. One of the changes that the Crisis made when it rebooted the multiverse and moved all Arrowverse shows to Earth-Prime, was that Atlantis no longer a parallel universe away. Now, it can be visited by any Arrowverse character. One, in particular, The Flash’s Cisco (Carlos Valdez), visited it offscreen before the back half of season 6.

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In The Flash season 6 ‘s penultimate episode, Cisco declared his intention to return to Atlantis for the purpose of retrieving a tool that they can use to save their friends. Regardless of whether or not this plan works, Atlantis could be important in a different way as well. Currently, Barry is struggling with the loss of his speed, and Aquaman’s home may be the solution he needs. Here’s how Atlantis can help Barry keep his role as the Scarlet Speedster in The Flash season 7.

Barry's Plan Is To Make An Artificial Speed Force

In the second half of season 6, Barry learned some unsettling news: the energy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) gave to Barry when he was the Spectre poisoned the Speed Force. As a result, the Speed Force died, and now Barry is slowly losing his speedster abilities. To avoid losing his powers altogether, Barry decided to build an artificial Speed Force, not unlike the one that Reverse-Flash has. However, Team Flash’s attempts at building one have thus far been unsuccessful. In one episode, Barry and Cisco were unable to get their artificial Speed Force concept to work, and haven’t had a chance to devote much time to their plan since. That being said, it’s still their best option. The Speed Force itself is gone, and having an artificial one take its place may be the only way for Barry to remain a speedster in the Arrowverse. The problem though, is that despite all their resources at S.T.A.R. Labs, the tools available to them don’t seem to be enough.

How Atlantis Can Help Barry Get His Speed Back

Atlantis could be the answer they’ve been looking for. This would make sense, for multiple reasons. First of all, Cisco will be there and on the lookout for technological solutions to a different dilemma. He told the team that if they want to get Iris (Candice Patton) and the others out of the Mirrorverse, they’ll need a “lossless, self-sustaining source of perpetual energy”, which Nash Wells (Tom Cavanagh) called a “perpetual-motion machine”. Cisco explained that he could build a device like this, but they’re missing a key component. Fortunately, he spotted one during his previous trip to Atlantis. While there, Cisco could come across a different device that they can use for their artificial Speed Force. Alternatively, the “perpetual-motion machine” they intend to construct could fulfill both of their main goals. Either way, it does seem plausible that Atlantis would have the means of building what S.T.A.R. Labs can’t on their own. After all, the comic books have shown that Aquaman’s people are in possession of advanced technology that’s above what humans have access to on the surface.

It’s worth noting that the timing would line up perfectly. Cisco’s visit to an advanced civilization is happening right when Barry is in dire need of a Speed Force fix. His residual Speed Force energy is dwindling fast, and it may not be long at all before it’s gone for good. Cisco returning for a solution to both problems is Team Flash’s best path forward. If he doesn’t have his speed fully - or at least partially - restored, he may not stand a chance at defeating Eva McCulloch.

How The Flash Can Use Atlantis Without Showing It

In The Flash season 7 premiere (or in the following episode), Cisco could return to Central City and announce that not only did Atlantis provide him with a way of saving Iris, Kamilla (Victoria Park), and Captain Singh (Patrick Sabongui) from the Mirrorverse, but he now has a method of getting Barry his speed back permanently. This would of course be an easy way to solve two of the team’s biggest problems from season 6, but it hardly sounds like an exciting ending to storylines that have been playing out for several episodes. Resolutions to these stories need to feel earned, and DC’s restrictions could stand in the way of that. Because of the DCEU and the Aquaman movies, it’s likely that Arthur Curry and his home are off-limits to the Arrowverse. Though the underwater city has been namedropped quite a few times now, expectations of it actually being shown are still very low due to this issue.

There is a way, though, for The Flash to deliver a satisfying payoff to its Atlantis tease and avoid showing the city at the same time. It’s possible that one of the surprises that The Flash is hiding in season 7 is a secret Atlantean character. While all of the major players in Aquaman stories would understandably be unavailable to The CW, it could be that DC would allow the use of a lesser-known character tied to Atlantis. This character could accompany Cisco to Central City and assist him in the construction of the artificial Speed Force. The Flash could use this person for more fun Aquaman Easter eggs and deeper dives into DC Comics lore. Depending on how the story develops, the character could always return in a recurring capacity.

If that was the show’s intention from the beginning, that would explain why the series dropped multiple references to Atlantis in season 6. All things considered, it may be that The Flash does indeed have some interesting plans in regards to how Atlantis fits into the Arrowverse’s future.

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Nicholas Raymond (2206 Articles Published)

Nicholas Raymond is a staff movies & TV features writer for Screen Rant. He has a degree in journalism from the University of Montevallo, and is the author of the psychological thriller and time travel novel, "A Man Against the World." Nicholas' love for telling stories is inspired by his love for film noir, westerns, superhero movies, classic films, and ancient history. His favorite actors are Tyrone Power and Eleanor Parker. He can be reached by email at cnrmail@bellsouth.net and on Twitter at @cnraymond91.