The S.T.A.R. Labs employee roster is already looking a lot different than it did back in the early days of The Flash, what with Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne and his whole evil, murderous genius thing. As the first season of the show comes roaring into the station, will fans see some more changes to Barry’s scientific support squad? As if Cisco and Caitlin aren’t rad enough companions (and heroes in their own right!) as it is, mythology and heavy textual hints clearly indicate that they’ll eventually be infused with some of that sweet particle accelerator magic. And I think it's coming soon. My official guess? Before the end of The Flash Season 1, Cisco and Caitlin will start becoming Vibe and Killer Frost, respectively, their DC Comics alter egos.
Our Cisco’s origins are a little more mundane than those of his comic counterpart. Comic Vibe ran with a street gang of metahumans, using his ability to control and manufacture vibrations as a way to dole out vigilante justice — nothing like our wholesome science geek and his bottomless drawer of nerdy reference T-shirts. Except for the fact, I suppose, that he fully participates in the illegal imprisonment of troublesome metahumans in an underground prison. Killer Frost, meanwhile, shows up in several forms across DC history. The latest version has an alter ego named Caitlin Snow, who’s a firecracker tech at S.T.A.R. Labs. Sounds like somebody I know. What’s interesting to note is that Killer Frost is — as her name would suggest — a bad guy. And she lists Firestorm as her number one enemy. Should that part of the character make the jump to TV, there goes any hope of domestic bliss for Caitlin and Ronnie. Perhaps The Flash is looking at a cuddlier Frost.
In the promo for “Rogue Air” above, someone has switched the particle accelerator back on. Eobard Thawne bragged to Eddie and the audience last week as he held a glowing cylinder that he now has “the key” he needs to go back to the future. (Ever so sadly, it’s not a Delorean.) What that key actually is and what it does remains to be seen, but I think it works in tandem with the particle accelerator, and Eobard has worked out whatever the bug was that kept him from returning to his time earlier. If Cisco and Caitlin are in the vicinity when the machine hums to life again, what’s there to stop those waves from creating two more metas? Showrunner Greg Berlanti’s teaser tweet points to at least one.
I’ve been enjoying The Flash so much because the show refuses to hold back, unless it has a very good reason. Presuming that the Wells/Thawne problem will be resolved by the end of this season (or at least put on the backburner), the series has to introduce some new complications for fans to look forward to. Vibe and Killer Frost assuming and adjusting to their powers would fill that bill quite nicely.
After a season of Barry being (we thought) the only superhero on his team, it’s time to give him a few empowered compatriots. Team Flash 2.0 in Season 2? Bring it on.
Image: Dean Buscher/The CW
