Is Harrison Wells From the Future?

Harrison Wells continues to be one of the standout new characters of the fall season, not just on The Flash but on any new show. Part of this is because of the gravitas Tom Cavanagh brings to the role. The other part involves the cloak of mystery that shrouds the character, making comic book aficionados like myself come up with more theories about Harrison Wells than anyone can keep track of. The longer the show continues, the more theories I come up with about what Wells' true goals are. But there is one question I am sure I already have the answer to. Is Harrison Wells from the future? Of course he is.

First of all, Wells has an uncannily deep knowledge of future events. Sometimes it's sly dialogue hints, such as in last week's episode when Barry Allen says he's never gone as fast as Mach 1 and Wells replies "yet." Other times, we get less subtle hints, like when he witnesses Barry get struck by lightening through a hidden camera feed and ominously says, "See you soon, Barry." Wells is a smart man, but no one is that intuitive.

When Wells killed Simon Stagg, the CEO of Stagg Enterprises and all around creepy tycoon, it became clear how far he's willing to go to keep Barry and his legacy as the Flash safe. Stagg never appears in the comics as a direct villain of the Flash. But looking at him within the context of the show's version of the Flash's mythos, a man like Stagg being aware of his abilities would be major trouble for Barry on multiple levels. The only way Wells' conversation with Stagg, and subsequent murder of him, would make sense would be if Wells knows what happens in the future if Stagg stays alive.

Some believe Wells isn't from the future, but that instead he simply has information that won't be revealed until years down the road. That theory doesn't quite hold up once you think about it. How would he get the digital newspaper from 2024? And if he only had the newspaper, how did he know Barry was the Flash beforehand? Why does he continue to lie to the people he should trust most, like Caitlin and Cisco? It wouldn't make much sense for a new character to be revealed as a figure from the future that Wells has been working with all along. Everything we've seen about Wells so far points to him working alone on an agenda that hasn't been fully revealed — aside from the fact that Barry is such an important figure that Wells is willing to kill to keep him safe.

In last Tuesday's episode, "The Flash is Born," we see another side of Wells that points to him being from the future. He becomes noticeably uncomfortable and cagey when Detective Joe West asks whether it was possible for someone to have Barry's abilities 14 years ago, if it was possible for there to have been another particle accelerator, and when exactly Wells arrived in Central City. Joe gets close to the truth, but he isn't asking the right questions.

Joe ends up trying to make amends after Wells gives him a very believable sob story about a dead wife that led to a move to Central City to start over. I almost believed it until Professor Zoom flashes into Joe's home while he's looking over case files and scares the crap out of him — not to mention unsubtly threatening Joe's daughter, Iris. There are only three people who know about Nora's case being reopened: Barry, Joe, and Wells. The show went to great lengths to plant the idea that Harrison Wells is Professor Zoom, to the point that it makes me wonder if this is indeed a red herring. If Wells isn't Professor Zoom than he has to be in league with him. His knowledge of future events, ownership of the newspaper, and the hints from the show continue to tease the theory Harrison Wells is from the future. And that Wells is dangerous in ways that Barry doesn't know.

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