As The Flash, Barry Allen is one of television’s most powerful characters, but that doesn’t mean he’s done building up his weapon-free arsenal of powers. If he wants to survive the increasingly formidable lineup of villains coming his way in the rest of Season 2 and beyond, The Flash is going to need a few more tricks up his sleeves, and it sounds like he’ll be getting just that with the help of Harrison Wells, according to actor Teddy Sears.
Jay is summoned to S.T.A.R. Labs in an urgent matter from Wells. Jay shows up only to find out that Wells wants Jay to be his guinea pig. He is toying with a substance that has its history in the lore of The Flash, so it’s something from the comics. He wants to try it on Jay to see if it works because he wants to use this on Barry in their fight to bring down Zoom.
We’ve already seen Jay Garrick teaching Barry the super-cool “throwing lightning” power, one that doesn’t get used nearly enough as far as I’m concerned. And now we’ll get to (presumably) see him become even more super-advanced thanks to whatever mystery substance Wells has been cooking up in the lab. Will it make Barry even faster? Will it allow him to manipulate time easier? Or is it something that is more specifically tied to taking down Zoom without any other advantages? We can’t wait to find out.
Considering how brutal Barry’s first fight with Zoom was, it’s interesting to think about what advantages this substance could provide him. I mean, Zoom caught lightning, so that’ intimidating. And it’s not like outrunning him is going to happen in the heat of the battle. I’m hoping it allows Barry to vibrate so fast that he becomes two different people, and then both versions can take on Zoom.
It’s a testament to Wells’ character that he views Barry as someone who doesn’t need to be put at unnecessary risk, while he’s perfectly happy using Jay as the test subject. The two have a tumultuous relationship at best, and it makes sense that he’d be fine with using him for a potentially dangerous experiment. On the flip side, its success means that Jay will get whatever Barry is getting, even if he doesn’t have powers in Earth 1. Of course, that’s if Jay goes along with, as Sears also told EW that he wants no part of Wells’ plan.
We’re also wondering if this will be the way that Wells’ daughter Jesse makes the leap from hostage to superhero. In the comics, she becomes Jesse Quick when her father taught her a formula that gave her enhanced speed. It’s possible that Wells’ “substance” could be a reworking of this origin story, with him getting it to his daughter after it works on Barry.
We likely won’t see Jay returning for the crossover event happening next week between The Flash and Arrow, but possibly the next week, or when the show returns from winter hiatus.
