Did The Flash Showrunner Tease Cobalt Blue for The CW Series Final Season?
If there is one thing that fans of The CW's The Flash have wanted since the series' debut, it's the arrival of Cobalt Blue, a character who, in comics, is not only a major threat for Barry Allen/The Flash but is also his secret twin brother making his nemesis turn even more dramatic. For years, fans of the series have theorized that Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett) could be the show's take on Cobalt Blue, whose name in comics is Malcolm Thawne, but after his death in Season 1, hope that the Arrowverse series would take on that particular storyline has waned. Now, between a tease at the end of Season 8 and new comments from showrunner Eric Wallace, fans are wondering if Season 9 might at long last deliver. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wallace gave a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" answer about Cobalt Blue and reminded fans to not stop thinking about the tease at the end of last season.
"You can't see me winking, right? There are no details I can give you about whether or not Cobalt Blue might appear on this show," Wallace said. "Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. I can neither confirm nor deny anything. I can say this, however: be aware of the blue crystal, especially in the series finale."
What happened in The Flash's Season 8 finale?
In the finale of Season 8, Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) is finally defeated once and for all when the villain — now supercharged with powers from all the Negative Forces — tries to use too much power and ends up taking himself out. The episode then ends with Barry and Iris reunited and reflecting on events, wondering who the Negative Forces will pick as their avatar next and when. Viewers then get a glimpse of a lab in 2049 where a mysterious blue crystal suddenly lights up.
For fans of the comics, that blue crystal is important. In the comics, the doctor who delivered the babies had accidentally killed Charlene Thawne's baby and took one of Nora's twins to cover up his error, telling the Allens that one of their twins was stillborn. The Thawnes were con artists, Malcolm had a bad childhood, found out the truth as an adult, ended up jealous of Barry, and ultimately ended up drawing power from a mystical blue flame that would let him steal anything his heart desired and a talisman he channeled his hatred for Barry into, becoming Cobalt Blue. Malcom ends up an ancestor of Eobard Thawne, Blue crystal a stand in for the talisman? Maybe.
Wallace confirmed last year that we had already met one of the Season 9 Big Bads in the Season 8 finale.
"I can tell you this. I guess you've seen one of the big bads for next year, haven't you? We showed you right there at the end I'll let you figure it out," Wallace told ComicBook.com last year. "I would say if you're a deep, insanely comic-nerdy person and you do all your research, you probably have at least an idea of what's coming. But that's okay if you don't, because you want the audience to be surprised and that's something to look forward to. But we'll continue our graphic novel format next year. There'll be at least two big bads. I don't know how many episodes I have next year, so I don't know how many I can fit in, but at least one of those graphic novels will center around that crystal you see at the end of this episode."
Rick Cosnett is returning to The Flash
It was also recently announced that Cosnett is returning to The Flash in its final season — something that has further fueled speculation that we'll get Cobalt Blue at long last.
"We're so excited to have Rick join us once more as we put together our final batch of emotional and thrilling episodes," showrunner Eric Wallace told Entertainment Weekly. "It's especially wonderful as Rick was an integral part of the show's inaugural season. So having him return to help us conclude our show's incredible nine-year run was more than a privilege. It was a no-brainer."
The Flash airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
