How The Flash Season 7 Abandoned Its Reverse-Flash Return Setup - Screen Rant

The return of Tom Cavanagh’s Eobard Thawne in The Flash means the show has ignored season 6’s setup for a new Reverse-Flash story. The character is back among the living again regardless, but not at all in the way that was teased by a season 6 episode. Despite his multiple defeats, the Flash’s greatest enemy has re-emerged as a threat to Barry (Grant Gustin) and his friends.

This time, it was the Scarlet Speedster himself who brought him back into the equation. The final battle with Godspeed (Karan Oberoi) in The Flash season 7 finale offered a shocking twist with the reveal that Barry’s secret weapon against Godspeed was Reverse-Flash. Apparently, the Speed Force (Michelle Harrison) – at Team Flash’s request – used the Negative Speed Force to resurrect Thawne. This was made possible by the fact the Negative Speed Force is what fuels the villain.

Though Thawne appearing in the way he did can certainly be chalked up to a surprise, it’s not the return that was set up in season 6’s “The Exorcism of Nash Wells”. In the episode, Reverse-Flash was depicted as one of the many versions of Wells living inside Nash’s mind. The character intended to take over and let Nash’s body serve as a vessel for him, but thanks to Nash’s willpower, they were able to purge Thawne from his consciousness. At the end, The Flash made it clear that Thawne wasn’t gone for good. It was explained by Cisco (Carlos Valdez) that Thawne, who had become just a group of negative tachyons, would begin searching for a new body to control.

Cisco’s comments about Reverse-Flash laid the groundwork for an intriguing new interpretation of the villain. Thawne needing a new body implied that when he returned, he’d be played by a different actor. The idea made sense for the series. Both Matt Letscher and Cavanagh had delivered memorable performances as Barry’s archenemy for a number of episodes, but it was still worth wondering what a new incarnation of Eobard Thawne would bring to the Arrowverse series. Instead of exploring this opportunity, The Flash abandoned this setup and brought back the Reverse-Flash that wears Harrison Wells’ face.

The Flash choosing to move in this direction, rather than following through with season 6’s tease or using Letscher, demonstrates the Arrowverse has accepted Tom Cavanagh’s take on the character as the definitive Reverse-Flash. As for what season 8 might offer in terms of his continued rivalry with the Flash, the season 7 finale promised that even though he didn’t get a new body, things will indeed be different between him and Barry going forward. Thawne finding out that Barry’s speed has greatly surpassed his own shattered him, so where he goes from here is one of the biggest questions going into the next season.

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Nicholas Raymond (2723 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.

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How The Flash Season 7 Abandoned Its Reverse-Flash Return Setup - Screen Rant

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