Don't Look For 'The Flash' Computer In DC Comics

One character on The Flash I would really love to learn a whole lot more about is Gideon, Harrison Wells' super computer. For the most part during The Flash's run, fans have been focused on figuring out what the heck is happening in his secret lair — let alone what Wells actually does in there — that not much has been given to this machine with a human voice. It's time we start talking about Gideon. What is this computer, why is it perfectly OK with everything Wells is doing, and more importantly, is Gideon found in The Flash DC comics? Many characters have been pulled straight from the page, but Gideon is one of the few that doesn't have an exact counterpart. Gideon might actually be a combination of a bunch of different characters. First off, in The Flash comics, there is no Professor Harrison Wells. So it's not even like we can look to the comics to figure out what sort of role Wells' super computer plays in his story – he doesn't have one. Gideon, meanwhile, is actually the name of a god in the DC Universe. He goes by "Commander Gideon" and is from the New Gods stortyline. The New Gods are kind of obscure, especially when it comes to mainstream comics of today, even though they were created by Comic God himself, Jack Kirby. And in these comics, Gideon is a god, not a semi-conscious computer locked away in S.T.A.R. Labs. Yet, it'd be weird for The Flash to give something a name already found in the comics nd not have there be at least a little correlation. It's the same reasoning that makes Eddie Thawne so suspicious, no matter how innocent his actions may be.

ComicBook.com has an excellent theory that while Gideon might not be the same from the comics, it could be a huge clue that Wells is actually a New God himself. And his computer Gideon is the HUGE CLUE as to what's going to happen. So while yes, Gideon does appear in the comics, it's a different Gideon, who is more likely to reveal something about Wells than the computer itself.

As for real super computers in the comics, that information comes up lacking, as well. Two immediately jump to mind, both mildly obscure and still not really computers: Brainiac and Solaris. But they're not like, desktop models. Brainiac is an actual being, and Solaris is a sun. Neither have much in common with Gideon.

So in short, Gideon both is and isn't in DC Comics. Yes, the name Gideon appears, but it's definitely not the same Gideon. And no, there's no super computer that can talk about the future in the DC library. Just like Wells, Gideon is something we haven't seen before — and are dying to know more about.

Images: Cate Cameron/The CW, The CW (2)