One of the recurring mysteries on The Flash is what happened to Caitlin’s fiancé Ronnie Raymond during the particle accelerator explosion.The early episodes indicated that Ronnie perished during the accident, but the ending of “Flash vs. Arrow” revealed to viewers that Ronnie is still alive and has extraordinary flame abilities…and is homeless. Although he helped Flash out of a jam, he’s not quite himself, and the mystery has deepened further with the revelation that Ronnie was involved with a man named Martin Stein and a mysterious project known as F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.
Next week’s episode “The Nuclear Man” brings this saga to a head when Flash comes face-to-face with Firestorm. While there are other things that will occur in this episode - such as Joe enlisting Cisco to assist him in the Nora Allen investigation and Barry’s continuing relationship with Linda Park - the main plot with Firestorm, Barry and S.T.A.R. Labs is definitely going to be the main draw. Here are the three big reasons fans should get hyped for Firestorm’s return on The Flash.
3. We'll Meet The Other Half Of Firestorm
It may be Ronnie Raymond’s body that’s setting itself on fire and flying away, but he isn’t the only person that makes up Firestorm. As in the comics, Dr. Martin Stein (Victor Garber) is the other half of Firestorm in The Flash, and while we’ve briefly seen him in video footage and heard him mentioned several times, next week will be our formal introduction.
In “Crazy For You,” Hartley Rathaway showed Cisco that Martin was at S.T.A.R. Labs the night of the particle accelerator explosion, carrying an unusual glowing object. When the explosion occurred, Ronnie, whose body was vaporized in the core, somehow fused with Martin, and Martin’s body was engulfed in an orange energy. Barry and the team will try to find Martin to figure out how to find Ronnie, and they’ll certainly be surprised to learn that Ronnie and Martin are currently stuck together!
2. More Answers On How Firestorm Was Created
As mentioned in the previous section, Ronnie and Martin are fused together. As we see in the preview, it may be Ronnie’s body and voice, but Martin Stein is the consciousness controlling it. Unfortunately, there is still a lot we don’t know about this pair and the nature of Firestorm, so hopefully this episode will answer some of our questions. What happened during the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. (Fusion, Ignition, Research Experiment and Science of Transmutation Originating RNA and Molecular Structures) experiments? What has Firestorm been up to since the particle accelerator explosion, other than wandering the streets in a daze? What was that glowing Tesseract-like object Martin was holding? How will Ronnie and Martin get separated?
Unfortunately with regard to that last question, even if the two of them are able to get their bodies back, their troubles likely wont be over. Not with the return of General Wade Eiling, the same man that tried to capture Plastique. Jason Rusch previously told Caitlin that the U.S. government confiscated the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. research after Martin disappeared. If Eiling is in Central City at the same time as Firestorm, it’s a good bet he wants to capture the metahuman for his own purposes.
1. A Fight Between Firestorm And The Flash
Good storytelling and character development are crucial to a TV series, but when it’s based off a superhero property, the viewers also want to see plenty of action. Thats why, for a brief period of time, The Flash fans will get to watch a Flash vs. Firestorm rumble go down. Unlike most of the metahumans Barry has faced, Firestorm isn’t a bad guy; and in the preview, Firestorm battling Flash is mostly due to his unstable mentality. Once he calms down or Barry neutralizes him, then they can go back to S.T.A.R. Labs and figure out how to fix this bizarre situation.
Unfortunately, this won’t be an easy fight to end, since Firestorm has the potential to go nuclear. At one point, they’ll end up in the air, and though Barry may be powerful, his abilities don’t allow him to fly. Perhaps he’ll discover a new way to utilize his speed to soften the landing?
You can catch The Flash Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
