Viewers weren't all that surprised by the introduction of Ronnie Raymond, aka DC Comics' Firestorm, during The Flash on Tuesday night. While we've had a few insights into his personality through Caitlin and Cisco mentioning him, tonight was the first time that we got a glimpse at him through his fiancée Caitlin's eyes — and a very large piece of foreshadow about the fiery metahuman he will eventually become. The heart-wrenching flashback of Ronnie's death shows him being engulfed in flames just before he loses contact, the perfect set up for an introduction of Firestorm. And now that The Flash has just been ordered for a full season, we have plenty of time to wait and see what the writers have up their sleeves. Though it appears the writers are really going to take advantage of that time, as actor Robbie Amell told The Hollywood Reporter that we'll meet Firestorm on The Flash in December.
So now the questions on all of our minds: exactly what kind of metahuman will Firestorm be in this new universe? While we already have some ideas of his abilities to manipulate inorganic matter from the comics, we don't have any clue how they're going to manifest in this rebooted universe. Maybe if they decide to resurrect him he will come out of this every bit as manic and hell-bent on destruction as every other metahuman who isn't Barry Allen has turned out to be. Even if Firestorm ends up being a good guy in the end, it would make for an awesome dynamic if he didn't emerge as a superhero right off the bat.
Also, can we talk about the awkward love triangle that The CW seems to be setting up here? It's so unlike the network to do that (hah), but they seem to be very intentionally staging intimate moments between Caitlin and Barry, which of course will come with its own set of problems if Ronnie returns. My guess is that they're going to wait just long enough for people to get emotionally invested in the idea of Baitlin (too soon?) and then WHAM, Ronnie's back from the dead, with some impressive superpowers. Good luck to us all.
Image: Cate Cameron/The CW
