It's time to get excited — The Flash is getting some flashbacks (see what I did there?). You may have already heard that Robbie Amell will appear on The Flash as Ronnie Raymond, also known as "Firestorm" in the DC Universe. Last Tuesday's episode teased the character, who is believed to be dead by his fiancée Caitlin Snow. His name was mentioned in passing as the only other person besides Barry Allen to fluster Caitlin's nerves. She also mentioned his death in the pilot episode as one of the reasons she doesn't smile all that much these days. But who is Caitlin's fiancé? Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm has a rich history in DC comics.
He's actually a superhero, unlike most of the familiar characters we have been introduced to. It will be nice to see Barry find an ally who is a "metahuman" and not just someone else he has to take down. It's important to have friends, especially when your powers appear to be hurting you. However, I'm a little worried about what this means for Caitlin. TV Line reports that we will be seeing some flashbacks between Caitlin and Ronnie, as I mentioned above. Happy flashbacks don't tend to mean a happy present. What happened to Ronnie? Will Caitlin have her fiancé back safe, and in one piece? Sadly, based on what we know about the character, I doubt it.
Bringing the Heat
Forgive me, sometimes I have to put DC characters in Marvel terms in order to understand them. In DC comics, Firestorm is a little bit like Peter Parker meets Bruce Banner (also known as Spiderman and The Hulk). Ronnie was a high school student who, in a nuclear accident, fused with a famous physicist named Martin Stein to become a superhero with an array of powers and a dual identity.
On The CW series, Victor Garber has been cast as Professor Stein. According to TV Line, "Stein is a brilliant but arrogant nuclear physicist who has sacrificed everything, including a marriage, for his work in transmutation. After he discovers that S.T.A.R. Labs’ malfunctioning particle accelerator has fused him with the younger, more impulsive Ronnie Raymond... the doc races to find a way to separate them before it’s too late." I just hope Harrison Wells doesn't have it out for Stein. That guy is too much.
Is this why Caitlin thinks her former lover is deceased? Because he's fused with this older man? Spooky.
The Honeymoon is Over
Caitlin Snow is a DC character as well, and there is an interesting link between the two characters. As many of you already know, Caitlin is not destined for goodness. She will one day become the villainess Killer Frost. Seriously, between Once Upon a Time and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't know how many icy characters television can take right now. I want to stop talking about Frozen too but the universe won't let me! Anyway, Caitlin Snow's condition causes her to crave heat and Firestorm is one of her only anecdotes. Doesn't that sound like a steamy CW romance in the making? Like, literally steamy.
You know what? I take back what I said about icy characters on TV. This Killer Frost and Firestorm relationship is more than welcome on The Flash.
Images: Cate Cameron/The CW; Giphy (2)
