When The Flash dashes onto our televisions for Season 3, viewers will be in for a doozy of a narrative switcheroo, as the drama will embrace the Flashpoint comic arc incited by Barry going back in time to save his Mom. One of the biggest changes in store for audiences is the emergence of Kid Flash, the superpowered alt-timeline version of Wally West. But could we still get more of the younger speedster when the Flashpoint narrative is over? Here's what actor Kieynan Lonsdale said.
I don't know. I go episode by episode, and I'm always tempted whenever the producers are around to ask them questions about the arc, but I've stopped myself from doing that. I like just finding out as it comes. So hopefully. I would hope so.
I spoke with Kieynan Lonsdale during roundtable interviews at Comic-Con, and the actor certainly did seem hopeful that his comic hero would be back to take on criminals and metahumans in the regular timeline. He talked about how much fun it was to get dressed up in the suit and how much more respect he had for Grant Gustin for doing it on a regular basis.
But as we all know, an actor's desire to become a superhero and the creative team's willingness to point the story in that direction are two completely different forces at play. And while I could be completely mistaken, it sounds like the Wally West of Flashpoint is in a better place emotionally and mentally, which allows him to take on such city-saving duties. Here's what Lonsdale had to say about Flashpoint's effect on Wally.
The main thing it affects, obviously, is Kid Flash, which I was excited about. [laughter] For Wally, mostly, he is finally in this place where he's settled and he feels worth it. He's completely ecstatic about being who he is and he gets to help people, and this is what he knows and what he loves to do. So it was fun to get to play Wally being completely confident in himself.
The assertion that Wally is a happier and more well-rounded character was backed up by other cast members like Candice Patton and Jesse L. Martin. While Iris and Joe's relationship was put under major strain by the timeline shift, apparently Wally has been around this whole time and has developed really strong bonds with his father and sister. Non-coincidentally, it's that same loving household that turned Barry into the kind of person who could accept and fight for the virtues of a superhero, and not having grown up in that environment starts to take its toll on Flashpoint-Barry in a crazy way. I don't know that Wally is at that place just yet in the "real" world.
Still, though, it's not as if Flashpoint is the only way that Kid Flash can come about. Remember back when Barry turned into magic dust after recreating the particle accelerator explosion with Harry and the gang? Both Wally and Harry's Earth-2 daughter Jesse were affected by that, which is what caused many fans to think we'd be getting Kid Flash and Jesse Quick last year. Hopefully that will still be part of the fun when everyone is back to normal. Or whatever stands for normal on this show these days.
The Flash Season 3 will put us up close and personal with Kid Flash when it debuts on The CW on Tuesday, October 4, at 8 p.m. ET. For everything else hitting the small screen later this year, check out our fall TV schedule.
