The first three seasons of The Flash featured some pretty scary supervillains, but they all had one key component in common: superspeed. We've known for a while that Season 4 would probably go in a less speedy direction for Barry Allen's next nemesis, and we've had an idea of who that nemesis might just be. Now, the identity of the Season 4 villain has seemingly been confirmed. The Thinker will be on the scene next season to mess everything up for the Scarlet Speedster.
The Thinker -- also known as Clifford DeVoe -- was hinted as the Season 4 villain all the way back in March, when Abra Kadabra started naming the Flash's nemeses: Thawne, Zoom, Savitar, and DeVoe. Given that the first three were the names of Barry's first three supervillains, the odds were good that DeVoe would be the fourth. As it just so happened that there was a DC Comics bad guy by the name of DeVoe, the matter seemed fairly settled.
The show backed off mentions of next season's bad guy until the Season 3 finale, when Savitar referenced a cerebral inhibitor that he and his version of Team Flash used to battle the mysterious "DeVoe." Savitar simply said that Barry and Co. "haven't gotten there yet," which made it practically a sure thing that DeVoe would be on the scene as the Thinker at some point in the 2017-2018 season. The Flash isn't always the best when it comes to linear storytelling and continuity, but surely Season 3 went too far in hinting at the Thinker for him not to appear in Season 4! Luckily, TVLine already reports that The Flash is currently casting for an actor in his 40s to play the Thinker.
It's too early to say what kind of character the Thinker will be in Season 4. In DC Comics lore, the Thinker was a lawyer in Keystone City who decided that there was more profit to be made in crime than in punishment. A careful thinker and skilled strategist, he would develop a Thinking Cap that enabled him to use telekinesis and mind control to a certain extent. The comic version of the Thinker was a nemesis of the Jay Garrick incarnation of the Flash, and even became a founding member of the early Injustice Society.
All of The CW's superhero shows take big liberties when it comes to adapting comic characters for the small screen, so we shouldn't expect The Flash's Thinker to be exactly as he was on the pages. Hopefully the show goes in some exciting new directions with him as Barry's nemesis. As entertaining as Reverse Flash, Zoom, and Savitar have been, there are only so many ways that the show can pit speedster against speedster for 23 episodes. Barry will have to adapt to a new brand of supervillain, and viewers might get the most engaging batch of episodes to date. We'll have to wait and see.
The Flash will return to The CW in the fall. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in superhero news, and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well. If streaming is more your style, our Netflix premiere schedule will help you out.
