All The Gadgets On The Flash's New Suit
.So read on...!
On tonight's episode of The CW's The Flash, Barry Allen gets a new suit -- and more than just looks, it is packed with technology that is begging to be exploited throughout the season (assuming it doesn't become a huge liability against high-tech baddies like The Thinker and Kilg%re).
While we aren't going to spoil which ones get used tonight and how, we figured it could be fun to break down some of what was said and seen to discuss the upgrades Cisco had been putting in place during Barry's absence.
We are, however, going to ignore the comms entry, since the in-helmet communicators have been a staple of not only The Flash's costume but every superhero costume in recent memory, going back to probably either The Flash (1990) or maybe even Batman (1989).
So read on...!
Self-repairing armor & more
The appeal of self-repairing armor to somebody who spends most of his time getting repeatedly attacked by crazy people with super powers should be pretty obvious; if nothing else it adds another layer of protection between Barry and whoever is trying to kill him this week.
There's also "nano-liquid circuitry" and "full-spectrum scanning.
"Nano-liquid circuitry" seems likely to be another instance of something designed specifically in order to fix itself in case of trauma. It sounds like something that would be incredibly hard to break by simply applying force or puncturing the suit, which are the two most common injuries that Barry tends to absorb during combat.
(Seriously, dude gets punctured a lot. Did nobody tell him he's faster than the person doing the puncturing?)
The full-spectrum scanning is not yet clear exactly how it would be applied. There were various internal (to Barry) and external (to his environment) scanners and monitors already in place on the suit. It seems likely this is just a version of that, but on steroids, so that Cisco can more quickly determine threat levels and respond to them with definitive action rather than theories.
Temperature control & fire suppression
This is an example of something that Cisco would be able to do remotely that would be an obvious boon to Barry during certain kinds of combat. After all, one of the most effective attacks against Barry has always been cold, so a temperature control feature could help Barry retain his connection to the Speed Force even if his molecules are slowed down by external factors.
Fire suppressant, meanwhile, has pretty obvious benefits -- although arguably Barry should actually be able to run fast enough to suffocate most conventional flames.
That temperature control appears to be on by default in the screen seen early in tonight's episode likely indicates that more than just combat, this is the default temp control settings used to make sure Barry doesn't heat up too much during high-speed running.
In any event, the first two items on the screen look a lot like they were intended to do battle with Captain Cold and Heat Wave.
Babel Protocol
You will find out soon enough just what the Babel Protocol does -- but here is our speculation from earlier today:
Earlier this week, fans spotted a pretty noteworthy Easter egg hidden in the trailer for tonight's episode, 'Mixed Signals'. One of the options on Cisco's control screen for Barry's suit included "Babel Control" - something that will raise the eyebrows of DC Comics fans.
In the comics, Babel is most often associated with 'Tower of Babel', a 2000 Justice League of America storyline. It follows Batman keeping an index of records about his team-mates, including the various ways to neutralize them in a fight.
Unfortunately, these records get into the hands of Ra's al Ghul, who uses them in pretty dangerous ways. Aquaman suffocates after being rendered aquaphobic, Wonder Woman dies of exhaustion after being trapped in an endless virtual reality battle, and The Flash is hit with a "vibra bullet", which causes him to have a seizure at light speed.
Ultimately, the effects of these attacks aren't permanent, they just last long enough for R'as Al Ghul to enact his plan. But still, they have a pretty large impact on the team's heroes.
So, how could this be used in The Flash? It's safe to assume that Team Flash wouldn't outfit Barry's new suit with any sort of vibra bullet technology. But given Barry's recent return from the Speed Force, it wouldn't be too surprising for the protocol to be some sort of failsafe against an evil Barry. And if the protocol does have some sort of significant repercussions, it could be used against the Scarlet Speedster - especially by a villain like this season's Big Bad, The Thinker.
Fans will just have to wait until tonight's episode to see what happens with The Flash's Babel Protocol.
prevnextPulse Cannon
The primary appeal of a pulse cannon is likely that it could be used in scenarios where Barry either cannot use his powers or does not have room to rev himself up fast enough to throw lightning, which tends to be a bit on the time-consuming and difficult side in terms of how his powers work.
A pulse cannon gives him an Iron Man-style (presumably non-fatal) blast that he can use as long as he is running slower than the speed of the pulse.
Deadlock
A "deadlock" function on the fastest man alive seems like a counterintuitive concept, but what could it mean?
The obvious answer that it could freeze up the suit and lock Barry in place, in case he was being possessed by a psychic or something.
Another possibility is something that has been used in Batman and Green Lantern stories over the years: some means by which the costume or at least the mask is not removable, so that they cannot be identified or someone can't shoot them without their bulletproof headpiece.
Roller Skates & Flotation
The flotation device it seems likely we have seen in the trailers for the episode: at one point, after all, we saw the suit blow up like a giant beach ball.
Roller skates, too, seem like a pretty obvious answer to what they are...but why roller skates? Well, that's Cisco's thinking for you I guess.
After all, this is a comic book character who breakdances a lot more than the average superhero.
