The Flash: Andrew Kreisberg Teases New Powers For Barry

Barry Allen is getting some new powers in The Flash season two as he grows more comfortable with his superspeed abilities, EP Andrew Kreisberg says. The tease came in an interview with EW that offers a handful of new previews for the second season ahead of its premiere tonight.

"We're going to be seeing [Barry] learn a couple of new tricks. One from the comic and one that we actually have come up with, and that we're actually really excited about," Kreisberg teased. "The thing about the Flash that's fun is there's always something new to figure out for him to do with his powers, so that it's not just him running in and running around really fast. It's one of the endless gifts of the show."

In The Flash comic books that the show is based on at DC Comics, many extra uses for superspeed have been found over the decades. The first season showed off his affinity for time travel in a pivotal moment, and touched on his ability to "phase" through objects by vibrating his molecules through theirs, but in the comics we also see things like him phasing through walls at full speed or sharing speed force (and the benefits of it like fast healing) with others temporarily, while other speedsters have been able to speed-read and retain all the knowledge from what they skim through, or even use the hyper-metabolism to increase their musculature and give themselves superstrength.

As for the "one that we have come up with," that's a power Barry Allen's actor, Grant Gustin, has already teased. "In the second episode, Barry... discovers a new aspect of his powers -- involving lightning," Grant Gustin said in a DC All Access video. "And it is very, very cool. I'm excited about it!"

Barry Allen will also deal with "becoming a public figure," which means a "Flash Appreciation Day," public perception, and "living in a world now where metahumans exist." His other primary theme, at least early in the season, Kreisberg said, is dealing with the Reverse Flash being gone.

"He didn't quite vanquish him, and Barry's dealing a little bit with that — this feeling that his mission isn't quite accomplished, and what that means."