Last week's episode of The Flash had more twists and turns than every previous episode of the season combined. Barry revealed his identity to Iris, time travel was finally introduced, Cisco may have died, and Harrison Wells is The Flash's Eobard Thawne, officially, once and for all. However, like any good mystery, fans can't quite put this one to rest. There are now a slew of new questions that need answering!
In the episode, Wells claimed to be from the future and can somewhat multiply himself. He said that he was a distant relative of Eddie Thawne, stuck in the present with no way to return home. However, the way he said "distant relative" had the same ominous tone that Wells puts on when he makes jokes to himself about future events. Is there something else at play here? How does it work that Harrison Wells and Eobard Thawne are one and the same? How long has he been stuck in this time? When did he meet his wife, Tess Morgan? Why would he take on the name Harrison Wells instead of trying to pass himself off as Eddie's long lost uncle or third cousin? Does this mean Eddie and Iris are dunzo?
At the very least, this explains why Reverse-Flash wanted to protect Eddie Thawne in a previous episode. Also, I'm not surprised at all that in the future, we start giving our babies names that sound like Game of Thrones characters. As for the rest? Thankfully, we have DC Comics to guide us on the journey that is Eobard Thawne. Here are a few of my theories and comic book events to keep in mind.
Alternate Universes
If Eobard is only related to Eddie in an alternate universe that has not been created yet, he could actually be a direct descendant of Eddie's. That could also explain why he has taken on the role that he has in the present. Wells seems to have an idea of how events should unfold. A time traveler who needs to make sure that he exists in the future is a tale as old as time, no pun intended!
Twinsies
However, I would expect it to be more complicated than Eddie being the father or grandfather of Harrison. In the comics, the Thawne, Allen, and West families are quite interconnected. Eobard Thawne is the son of Malcolm Thawne. However, Malcolm Thawne was born an Allen — and he is Barry's secret twin brother. Holy soap opera twist, Batman! Malcolm was sent off to live with the Thawnes. Are Barry and Eddie twin brothers? That would make the Iris situation awkward. Are Barry and Harrison Wells twin brothers? I've definitely noticed their similarities before, and it was a theory for a long time that Harrison Wells was Barry Allen from the future.
Here's a thought. Was Barry's brother Malcolm sent forward in time to live with the future Thawnes? This is my favorite possibility. If you have time travel as a resource, you might as well use it to ensure maximum protection of your children. By that logic, Barry would be Harrison's uncle.
Disappearance & Reappearance
I have a hunch that Eobard Thawne was sent back in time when Barry Allen vanished in 2024, as per Gideon's super future news beat. Perhaps he even left to hunt Barry down, and that's how he got stuck. The question is, was Eobard in Central City this whole time? I'm guessing that Eobard Thawne built quite a life for Harrison Wells before arriving in town to enact his master plan. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
Images: The CW, Jordon Nuttall/The CW; Giphy (3)
