Beware: spoilers ahead for the Season 6 premiere of The Flash, called "Into The Void."
The Flash kicked off its sixth season by introducing a new villain, bringing Barry and Iris to the conclusion that they deserve to mourn Nora, and giving Killer Frost a chance to live without Caitlin always taking over, but the biggest twist of the episode came at the end when The Monitor popped up to drop the bombshell on Barry and Iris that "The Flash must die" in the coming Crisis.
This undoubtedly came as a surprise to viewers just as it did to Barry and Iris. The "Elseworlds" crossover between Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl showed Oliver Queen making a deal with The Monitor that was supposed to guarantee Barry and Kara's survival in "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Of course, it was a secret deal, so Barry couldn't just fire back at The Monitor that Oliver had guaranteed he'd live.
Although Oliver will be working with The Monitor since The Monitor came to fetch him in the Season 7 finale, all signs point toward The Monitor not letting Oliver in on the little detail that he told Barry that his death was looming.
The Flash Season 6 premiere didn't give away what's going to go down when Barry and Oliver find out about The Monitor's apparent double dealing, but Flash showrunner Eric Wallace teased what's in store when that reveal does happen, and he doesn't expect everybody to be happy:
Boy, I wonder what will happen when they both find out… I can’t tell you when it happens, but I will tell you that is a scene that happened and is a moment, and it is coming. Let’s just say people might get pissed off a little.
Eric Wallace's comments to TVLine about the inevitable moment when Barry and Oliver find out about their respective situations with The Monitor don't give away much in the way of details, but his suggestion that people might get pissed off means there's plenty of room for speculation.
In my book, a lot may depend on how long it takes for Barry and Oliver to learn that The Monitor has told them both that they're going to die in the Crisis. Oliver at least will be working with The Monitor up to the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover, and it's possible he could drop by The Flash again as well.
If it doesn't happen before the crossover or at least early in the crossover, I can see fans being mad. It's never fun when the Arrow-verse strings a reveal out for too long.
Reactions could differ based on how they find out as well. I could see Barry lashing out in anger at Oliver if he finds out that Oliver made a secret deal to sacrifice himself, although Barry himself has no intention of leaving his family unless it can be helped. For his part, Oliver might have a serious bone to pick with The Monitor for telling Barry that The Flash has to die, whether or not it was true.
After all, Oliver made the deal with The Monitor to save Barry and Kara from the Crisis, and The Monitor came to collect Oliver from his wife and newborn daughter months before the Crisis would even start. He even announced the date on which it would begin in the Flash Season 6 premiere: December 10.
Hopefully fans will see Barry and Oliver on screen together sooner than December 10, no matter how long the wait may be for the big reveal. Oliver and Barry have always had a special dynamic, and the 2019-2020 TV season will be the last with both men leading their own Arrow-verse series. The end is nigh for Arrow, and the loss of Oliver should be devastating to the people he leaves behind. And, of course, for fans who weren't ready for the end.
New episodes of The Flash air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW, with Arrow airing new episodes Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET in a brand new time slot this fall for its very last season, all leading up to the beginning of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in December.
