'The Flash': Who Is Folded Man?

The Flash tracked down its final 'bus meta' in tonight's episode -- and introduced a unique DC [...]

The Flash tracked down its final "bus meta" in tonight's episode -- and introduced a unique DC Comics character in the process.

Spoilers for tonight's episode of The Flash, "Lose Yourself", below!

Tonight's episode saw Clifford DeVoe/The Thinker closing in on Team Flash, leading the group of superheroes on a last-ditch effort to protect themselves. Part of this involved tracking down the twelfth bus meta -- Edwin Gauss (Arturo Del Puerto), an off-the-grid hippy who has been dubbed the moniker of "Folded Man".

So, who exactly is Folded Man? Here's what you need to know.

Edwin Gauss first debuted in 1999's The Flash #153, as a criminal with the power to essentially travel between dimensions. As it turned out, Edwin had once been a genius student at M.I.T., who had stolen a bit of software in order to prove Einstein's unified field theory. The software, when combined with a special exosuit, allowed Gauss to travel through the second and fourth dimensions. This ability - and the fact that he was being hunted for the stolen technology - turned Gauss to a life of crime. This put Gauss in the crosshairs of Wally West, but he never ended up being caught by the speedster.

Folded Man was next seen in the Infinite Crisis event, in which he became a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains. The character was then somewhat rebooted in the New 52, as a prisoner who escaped Iron Heights alongside Captain Cold and the other Rogues. While this appearance also boded badly for the villain, it revealed something new and slightly grotesque in the process - that his exosuit had now essentially become sewn into his skin.

Another sort of version of Folded Man, known as Xolani, appeared later on, in 2016's The Flash #43. Xolaniwas a slave in 1800s Southern Africa, who became a thief with dimension-folding powers after being struck by the Speed Force. Xolani then joined the Acolytes of Zoom, and was used in Zoom's plan to attempt to kill Barry Allen.

Judging by what we know going into this episode, it sounds like the television version of Folded Man will be taken into an array of new directions, as Edwin's access to pocket dimensions will surely be a huge help in the fight against DeVoe. Fans will just have to keep watching The Flash to see what else Edwin has up his sleeve.

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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