What's the most out of the box thing The Flash could do? [may contain comic spoilers]

[Kromm]

A similar topic worked in the Gotham forum, so here's one for The Flash.

 

 

Here's my crazy theory.  Wells' behavior and actions telegraph The Crisis on Infinite Earths.  That's not the crazy part--we've seen it fairly clearly.  What might be crazy is if this isn't just being used as a generic time travel plotline, but rather specifically BECAUSE it's The Crisis on Infinite Earths. 

 

Why?  As an "explanation" and unifier for the various DC-based TV and movie universes that are and will be running around.  DC seems so spectacularly unconcerned about the Gothamverse being different from the Arrow/Flashverse and the Movies, with some token noise now that CBS' Supergirl might also be in The Arrowverse, but that could just be a cover.  What if Wells and his future crisis is the glue for all of this?  

 

Not that we need to see them go as far as unifying everything by the end of the process (because this version of the Crisis could just be about keeping them all around), but it might be a neat way to both tweak AND satisfy at the same time any gripes about this.  A kind of carte blanche check they write themselves to explain everything.

 

Okay, that's my crazy out of the box Flash show theory.  What's yours?  It can be in response to mine,or totally unrelated. A big one, or just a small thing that seems brave to do, but not something we'd normally think of.

 

As with the other similar topic in the Gotham forum I think the one rule is it should be out of the box but make SENSE.  Credible in the sense that its workable with their budget.  That it's logical, even if brave.  That it would commercially make sense.  Stuff like that.

[calliope1975]

That said, Wells seeming to care about the ability to steal the Flash's powers sends the idea BACK to Reverse Flash-land.  Not that Wells has to wind up with them.  It could be Wells transmitting them to Eddie (who's driven nuts by the process, or something like that).

 

I love this idea. It would be interesting if future Wells either creates or influences future Zoom into going back in time and killing Barry's mom. Time travel plots always confuse me if I think about them too much, yet I do enjoy watching them.

 

I also think it could be in DC's best interest to link all their TV shows. It would make me more interested, that's for sure. I think I'm done with Gotham, but if they linked it to Arrow and The Flash (and whatever comes in the future) I would be more likely to tune back in.

[Kromm]

It might be in their best interest, sure, but the key to what I've suggested is that they would only be linked at a high conceptual level.  It would just be an excuse to allow them to all remain independent, but "explain" that at the same time.  On a practical level nothing would actually change on the other shows--it would just be that THIS show would hand out an explanation for all of them existing.

 

I know it sounds like a totally bizarre theory, which is why I put it in this topic.  But it also makes an odd kind of sense, because it's so connected conceptually with what DC did with their comic books to explain why they had so many "versions" running around.  They compressed theirs into one reality...but even that didn't stick. So the Crisis on Infinite Earths mostly today just stands as a monument to the idea of DC being inherently a Multiverse.  And so a Crisis in TV/Movie-land would seem to be the same--a way to tell us they have different realities running around.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Kromm

[arc]

I thought I read somewhere that the Arrowverse shows can mention Bludhaven but not Gotham or Metropolis... I kinda doubt the DC brain trust is orchestrating a MCU type dealie (but with a multiverse) for their tv licenses.

[Kromm]

I thought I read somewhere that the Arrowverse shows can mention Bludhaven but not Gotham or Metropolis... I kinda doubt the DC brain trust is orchestrating a MCU type dealie (but with a multiverse) for their tv licenses.

Why would they have to?

 

Saying there's a multiverse doesn't mean hashing out the details on-screen.  Nobody has to actually show up on screen saying the name "Gotham" for there to be a plot explaining there's a multiverse.  That would be a crossover.  Which is a potential part of a multiverse, but not an inherent necessity.

 

That said... I did predicate this all by putting it in a topic about unlikely crazy theories.  So yes.  It's pretty unlikely.

[KirkB]

Unlikely, but interesting. I would be impressed if they could pull something like that off.

[Kromm]

Another thing they could do is return to the 30th Century explanation for Iris.  

 

While she certainly LOOKS like Joe West's daughter, what if she isn't?  In the New Earth version (the comic book one before the current version), Iris didn't know she was adopted, and only later found out that she was (and even later found out that oddly enough she was a time traveler).  It's weird, yes, but we already have Time Travel all bound up in this series... so why not?  Joe wouldn't need to know that aspect of Iris--just that she was a foundling of some type who they adopted.

 

That could tie her in some odd way to Wells.  Not that we really know for sure who Wells is or from when, but there's some potential there for some hinkey fun weirdness.

[In2You]

I love this idea. It would be interesting if future Wells either creates or influences future Zoom into going back in time and killing Barry's mom. Time travel plots always confuse me if I think about them too much, yet I do enjoy watching them.

 

I also think it could be in DC's best interest to link all their TV shows. It would make me more interested, that's for sure. I think I'm done with Gotham, but if they linked it to Arrow and The Flash (and whatever comes in the future) I would be more likely to tune back in.

Gotham is set in a different time period than Arrow and The Flash and it different in tone. It wouldn't be in their best interest at all. The Flash and Arrow aren't really compatible as is and neither are like Gotham so what good it do to link them?

[Kromm]

Gotham is set in a different time period than Arrow and The Flash and it different in tone. It wouldn't be in their best interest at all. The Flash and Arrow aren't really compatible as is and neither are like Gotham so what good it do to link them?

That's the beauty of a multiverse--the details don't HAVE to match.  

 

Again, while the idea that DC is actually bothering to do this with their TV shows is a real out there theory, the fact that they DID do pretty much exactly this with their comics (multiple times, in fact) is why there's at least some basis to think they have an interest in LOOSELY linking up their different offerings.

[Agent Dark]

Gotham is set in a different time period than Arrow and The Flash and it different in tone. It wouldn't be in their best interest at all. The Flash and Arrow aren't really compatible as is and neither are like Gotham so what good it do to link them?

What Kromm is saying is that effectively Arrow and The Flash (and possibly Supergirl) would exist in a "parallel dimension" of sorts to Gotham, which would be in a parallel dimension to Constantine, which would be in a parallel dimension to the Henry Cavill Superman/Justice League movies and so on.  That's the basic principle of the Multiverse in the DC Universe. 

 

The really awesome thing about this is that The Flash has historically always had a key role when interaction between the Multiverses occur.  The concept of The Multiverse was first introduced in Flash comic, back in the 60's, called Flash of Two Worlds.  In it, Barry Allen, the (at the time) current Silver Age Flash, was able to figure out a way to travel through the Multiverse to meet up with Jay Garrick, the original Golden Age Flash.  What had happened at DC Comics was that all the characters from the Golden Age (1930's to 1950's) were still being published in books at the start of the Silver Age (mid 1950s to 1970s), even though a lot of those characters had been re-invented for the Silver Age.  So DC used this concept to explain why two different versions of the same characters existed - the Silver Age characters lived on Earth-1 and were considered the 'main' characters, while the older Golden Age characters existed on Earth-2.  

[Kromm]

Agent Dark to the rescue.  That was well said.

 

I hadn't even gone near why Flash is the logical series to do this with, and Agent Dark told that well.

 

Again, don't confuse this with an actual crossover.  If the people who make The Flash can't get permission to show or allude directly to other DC media projects, then they won't.  It could be as simple though as The Flash, for example, "racing" through realities without stopping and the viewers seeing just floating images he runs by. Or the Multiverse could be TALKED about without showing any of it.  Or we could have a specific visit to ONE alternate universe (not necessarily one with another TV show, just something we're told is another universe), and then have one of the Science Heads on the show lay out the Multiverse theory, and maybe speculate about many other multiverse locations with variations on all the heroes and villains Barry knows, or ones that happen in different timeframes.

 

If they did it then it would just be to lay the idea out there and pay tribute to the Flash's long-established role in this key piece of DC strategy/history, as well as kind of answer to the detractors WHY they don't care that their media properties aren't tightly coordinated, like Marvel's.

[In2You]

As you just explained it though; it was a way to cover up rewrites and inconsistencies.

[Kromm]

As you just explained it though; it was a way to cover up rewrites and inconsistencies.

Not as such, no.

 

Frankly the comic companies weren't all that anal about things like continuity back then.  But what they did care about was being able to reinvent their product without giving up their old customers.  

 

In later days both DC AND Marvel used this idea to run multiple "lines"/imprints.  Marvel created their Ultimate Universe comics, for example, with new versions of most of their characters without ever stopping publishing their original books, and they too constructed a "multiverse" explanation (cribbed from DC) to explain it.

 

DC simply did this more informally when they first came up with the idea.  The books weren't divided into separate lines per se, but it functioned the same.  If they told you a story was happening in "Earth Two" you had a certain set of expectations.  If they told you it was in "Earth One" (or because it was the new default if they didn't say anything you'd assume it was "Earth One"), then you'd have a different set of expectations. The crossover stories they eventually did between the Earths was mostly just for fun, but eventually they also used those as a way to reinvent the whole multiverse at once.  So they could reboot everything, still tell us there were multiple Earths out there, and reveal those at their leisure.

 

The TV shows being in several clearly different "worlds" was done for practical dollar and cents reasons--the fact that it allowed them to make agreements in multiple places and maximize their profits.  But since they have a long well known history with the Multiverse concept, and various possible ways to allude to it without going too far, that's why I personally smell the scent of it. Faintly, admittedly and perhaps more in my imagination than not.  But if they did it, it certainly wouldn't be any more about covering specific inconsistencies than the original version was.  It would be about explaining why multiple versions of their product exist, and giving fans a kind of metatextual reference to latch onto for it all.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Kromm

[marketdoctor]

What if the yellow suit gave it's wearer powers? (They could stay with DC canon a little and have the device Dr. Wells was holding tap into the speed force.). By itself this is not too strange (Green Lantern and Captain Cold get their powers from gadgets), but it could open the door for ANYONE to be a reverse flash. This could be awesome, awkward, or both.

[phoenics]

What if the yellow suit gave it's wearer powers? (They could stay with DC canon a little and have the device Dr. Wells was holding tap into the speed force.). By itself this is not too strange (Green Lantern and Captain Cold get their powers from gadgets), but it could open the door for ANYONE to be a reverse flash. This could be awesome, awkward, or both.

That's a really interesting thought - and I thought there was a RF suit that imbued its wearer with powers... I forgot which RF that was though.

But I still don't think that's what Harrison is - his cuts and bruises healed in that final scene of the MSF - he's definitely got some kind of powers.

I'm confused about what this particular thread is about... is this a thread for all of our ideas about the most out of the box thing the flash could do - or is it only for ideas related to "Crisis"?

[Kromm]

I'm confused about what this particular thread is about... is this a thread for all of our ideas about the most out of the box thing the flash could do - or is it only for ideas related to "Crisis"?

What's suggested it's limited to Crisis?

 

I assumed I'd addressed this, actually in post #1, but I apologize if this part got lost in such a big post.

 

 

It can be in response to mine,or totally unrelated. A big one, or just a small thing that seems brave to do, but not something we'd normally think of.

[Lokiberry]

As I understand it, the events in Flashpoint rebooted everything into the New 52. What if they do the same thing on the show, and it effects both Flash and Arrow, and maybe Supergirl, since they're all in the same universe. Flash doesn't need it, but Arrow could use it to correct all the stupid mistakes and inconsistencies that are bogging the show down, particularly this season. It could also explain how there is a Supergirl when there has never been any mention of a Superman.

 

Season 1 could end with Barry going back in time to confront Reverse Flash the day his mother was murdered, and on Arrow, Felicity gets a phone call from Caitlyn telling her something big is happening, Both shows end with their worlds slightly different then they were before.

[Princess Sparkle]

This might not be an "out of the box" thing so much as an "I don't care how ridiculous this is, and how little sense it would make within the show, I just want it to happen", but a really big part of me wants Grant Gustin to get to sing and/or dance.  Hell, if Tommy Merlyn wasn't dead over on Arrow, I would've demanded some kind of joint musical number.  Would it fit the tone?  Probably not, but I would enjoy it completely.

[bettername2come]

This might not be an "out of the box" thing so much as an "I don't care how ridiculous this is, and how little sense it would make within the show, I just want it to happen", but a really big part of me wants Grant Gustin to get to sing and/or dance.  Hell, if Tommy Merlyn wasn't dead over on Arrow, I would've demanded some kind of joint musical number.  Would it fit the tone?  Probably not, but I would enjoy it completely.

Heck yes! But Joe and Cisco have to get in on this as well. Does the DC universe have a villain that makes people sing?

[phoenics]

Heck yes! But Joe and Cisco have to get in on this as well. Does the DC universe have a villain that makes people sing?

Grodd maybe?

I mean - you could stretch his mind control powers to induce people into spontaneous flash dances.

[MarkHB]

Doctor Destiny could induce a dream sequence....

[Actionmage]

I would love for Fastback, the Terrapin Tornado/ the Rocket Reptile from Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!, to show up. Harrison said the blast opened up into dimensions/ stuff from other dimensions entered Central City, so why not affect poor, unassuming Tim Terrapin as well? We could have a "Flash of Two Worlds" , but while it really actually happened, Harrison or Barry could explain it away as exposure to chemicals or yet another concussion Barry suffered depending on how the story ends up structured.

 

It would be one character animated primarily, but most of the regular cast  could be easily included. Cisco could name a good guy again (he gave Plastique her name, right?) and I can see Caitlin being protective of the lost fella. There could be a brief segment of his being hit by the STAR Labs blast and one of him being brought over to Central City, if not sucked into the blast. Maybe one brief segment of Tim running back and reuniting with his family/ sweet baboo?

 

It may not work because hardly anyone knows about the Zoo Crew (folks I know, at any rate) and the cost and timing of the animation.  They could make it a bottle show and for whatever science-babble reason, be locked down at the labs.  It may be  the old in me, but some talking animals still make me smile, if not laugh out loud. Plus? Speedsters unite!

[Kromm]

Heck yes! But Joe and Cisco have to get in on this as well. Does the DC universe have a villain that makes people sing?

Don't forget Wells. Tom Cavanagh has been on Broadway, in musicals.

[Princess Sparkle]

Heck yes! But Joe and Cisco have to get in on this as well. Does the DC universe have a villain that makes people sing?

How could I forget about Jesse L Martin???  But I was unaware that Carlos Valdes had been on Broadway, so now I NEED for all this to happen.  

[Kromm]

How could I forget about Jesse L Martin???  But I was unaware that Carlos Valdes had been on Broadway, so now I NEED for all this to happen.

I knew about Martin and Cavanagh, but not Valdes.

That said, here's the credits for each:

Martin: Too many to fucking list (but most notably Rent) - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jesse-L.-Martin/

Cavanagh: Urinetown (Broadway) and Shenandoah (Broadway) - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Tom-Cavanagh/

Valdes: Once (Broadway) and Jersey Boys (US Tour) - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Carlos-Valdes/

 

and since this started with someone talking about Grant Gustin: West Side Story (US Tour) - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Grant-Gustin/

 

Seems to me a bit unbalanced though with none of the female cast (unless the two of them have sung, just not theatrically). I dunno.  With Danielle Panabaker, judge for yourself...

 

Edited December 22, 2014 by Kromm

[Sakura12]

Musical episodes are fun, but not needed. However I wouldn't mind if just for the fun the cast of Flash decides to sing some of their lines and then post a video online. 

[Trini]

 

Seems to me a bit unbalanced though with none of the female cast (unless the two of them have sung, just not theatrically). I dunno.  With Danielle Panabaker, judge for yourself...

 

Hmmm. Fringe managed to make their musical episode work with a cast not really known for singing. Yeah, this could work. :)

[MarkHB]

From this old story:

 

 

Beyond the dialect were other hurdles. "Playing the guitar and singing  the song was a big challenge for me because I don't have a particularly strong singing voice and it was really approaching one of my bigger fears head-on to do that on camera," notes Danielle, referring to a sequence in which Katie defies Amish strictures against singing  non-church music.

[Actionmage]

How about:  the red blur in the pilot was Don or Dawn Allen, one of the Tornado Twins (link:http://http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Tornado_Twins)? They went to try to protect Barry?

[Trini]

Give Iris superpowers.

[Actionmage]

They make Iris and Barry a superhero mix of Hart To Hart and MacMillan and Wife. Stay with me, please!

 

A happy couple where the tension comes from trying to find quiet time to themselves but work intrudes. Also, the usual supervillain trying to hurt the hero through family. You know the couple love each other, but her being a reporter and him being a police scientist/ superhero could have organic arguments about informing Central City about impending dangers, yet doing the Furillo/Danvers snuggling up at the end of Hill Street Blues episodes. ( Yeah, I'm pretty old.)

 

It's out-of-the-box because it would cost practically nothing, since they are already paying the actors and the writers. They could redress some other set, no doubt, if the $$$ is that tight. Then focus would be primarily on cases and super-stuff because Barry and Iris would not have to be worked at so hard. Or at least as hard as they are in trying to keep the couple apart and trying to find reasons for them to not be together. It would be out-of-the-box for a CW show to not continue the leads in a triangle. They can do that with Wally and Linda and someone else. Or Caitlin and Jay and someone else. Or Cisco and Lisa and someone else. Or, heck, even Joe and the hot widow and the DA!

 

This isn't to bash other ships; please ship ahoy! It's just that TV seems to forget about one of the pluses of a happy, committed couple is that you can let them simmer on the backburner, writing-wise, as far as Big Writing. Cute banter, a line here or there, a scene at the end of the episode with them decompressing. Then, when the story comes along, they can show how awesome they are as a couple facing villains. Other characters get their moments and stories while the viewers are reassured that B/I are doing just fine.

 

For other fun:

A young woman, named Donna Troy, asks Wally if he could help her find her sister.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Actionmage