Five Earth-2 Arrow-Verse Characters That Must Appear on The Flash
By Daniel Schwartz
Contributing Guest Reviewer
(Victor Valley)– “My name is Jay Garrick and your world is in danger”. With that fantastic and telling line, fans of The Flash were introduced to Earth 2 and the DC multiverse.
Earth 2 is an alternate universe in which Jay Garrick is The Flash and Harrison Wells is not a future villain in disguise (that we know of). Fans have been introduced to a few alternate versions of important characters in the life of Barry Allen.
The Earth 2 Harrison Wells has tentatively joined team Flash in order to defeat Zoom or help him kill Barry (in order to save his daughter). His relationship with Cisco has been a highlight of the new season as they trade barbs and share no love for one another.
Last week, fans were also introduced to Linda Park’s criminal doppelganger, Doctor Light. After defeating his alternate universe ex-girlfriend, Barry had her locked up in the particle accelerator. Team Flash will now be using the Earth 1 Linda to lure Zoom into a confrontation.
With a whole universe of doppelgangers on Earth 2, who will be the next Arrow-verse character to have their double appear in Central City?
Barry Allen
There have been many rumors circulating the internet that suggest that Zoom’s identity is none other than the alternate-universe version of Barry Allen.
Could Barry’s Earth 2 doppelganger be responsible for the current rash of supervillains coming through the breach to kill The Flash? Possibly. An appearance from the crime lab scientist would go a long way towards adding fire to the theory or diffusing it. That is possibly why he has yet to make an appearance on Earth 1.
Because Jay was struck by the lightning that gave Earth 1 Barry his powers, the alternate Allen could simply be an unpowered lab geek. At the very least, fans would get a kick out of Barry coming face to face with his alternate-universe self and either working with or against him.
Oliver Queen
Is Oliver the Green Arrow on Earth 2, or is he the same spoiled rich kid he was before the Queen’s Gambit went down? With so many heroes and villains coming through the breach from Earth 2, it is only a matter of time before Barry makes the journey in the opposite direction and tries to track down some alternate-universe allies.
What will Barry find when he runs to Star City to look for the Emerald Archer? Will he find the hooded vigilante, or an out-of-touch and materialistic Oliver Queen? If he finds the latter, he may seek out the character who has taken up the mantle of The Arrow in that universe (Diggle perhaps?). Either way, Oliver Queen, The (Green) Arrow, or both need to make an appearance during this season in the battle against Zoom and his multiverse horde.
Leonard Snart
Barry’s most notable non-speedster nemesis has always been Leonard Snart’s Captain Cold. With a brilliant mind, desire to build a criminal empire, and knowledge of The Flash’s secret identity, Cold has proven to be a major thorn in Barry’s side.
It would be interesting to see what Leonard would be like on Earth 2. Would he be a similar criminal mastermind, a civilian, or on the side of the angels? Without the influence of his father’s terrible and abusive behavior, Snart could use his intellect to help the police (as crime scene analyst like Barry) or act as an ally to Jay Garrick’s Flash. Seeing the alternate universe version of Captain Cold would go a long way towards determining if Leonard Snart’s destiny is always to become a villain or if a change in setting would inspire him to become a hero (nature versus nurture).
Eddie Thawne
Just because Eddie is dead on Earth 1 (technically he died on Earth 1, but his body was thrown into the multiverse), it does not mean that his Earth 2 counterpart is. Eobard’s distant relative could be alive and well on Earth 2 and several other universes.
While Iris is currently struggling with mother issues (and the discovery of a long lost brother), her world could continue to be turned upside down if she encountered the alternate version of her deceased fiancée. Would Eddie be in love with her? Would he even know who she is?
Not only would his relationship with Iris be an interesting plot point, but with theories circulating that he could be the evil Zoom, Eddie could wreak havoc for Barry, Iris, and all of team Flash as the season goes on.
Eobard Thawne
Like his (many) great grandfather, the Earth 1 version of Eobard was killed (technically erased from existence) in the first season finale. Eobard’s Reverse Flash was more than a match for Barry and team Flash. With The Flash defeated, Eddie’s sacrifice is the only thing that could stop Eobard from going on a STAR Labs murder spree.
While it is not clear that the future Thawne would have traveled back in time on Earth 2, it is a safe bet that he does exist somewhere on the alternate world. Could he be Zoom? Because the show would not use the same primary antagonist 2 seasons in a row, it is highly unlikely that Eobard traded his yellow suit for the black Flash outfit.
In what could be a further twist, Eobard could be a future heroic version of The Flash that travels back to battle Zoom. The drama created with Barry and his team having to work with Harrison Wells and Eobard Thawne to take down Zoom would be amazing. Good or evil, Thawne must appear this season.