Review/Analysis: The Flash Falls Prey To A Common Superhero Trope in "Invincible"

Warning: Spoilers ahead for this week's episode of The Flash, titled 'Invincible.'Folks, we need [...]

By Russ Burlingame

flash
(Photo: CW)

Warning: Spoilers ahead for this week's episode of The Flash, titled "Invincible."

Folks, we need to talk about traps that our superhero fiction fall into way too often.

This week's episode of The Flash featured a shocking and sad ending, ending the episode and kicking over to a preview of next week's finale in which Barry stands over a coffin.

...But why?

This week's episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also put some bodies in the ground, as did last week's DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Arrow killed off a major character a few weeks ago (seen and alluded to on The Flash, actually), and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice did it back in March.

Why does this keep happening?

Well, on the one hand, most of these shows are solo or small ensemble shows, which means supporting characters find themselves in the line of fire pretty regularly and without Plot Armor to protect them. Writers believe that putting characters on the chopping block is a way of raising the stakes, particularly on action-dramas.

It makes sense; two of the highest-rated and best-reviewed shows on TV right now are The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, both of which have deadpool stories about a half-dozen times per year. Such stories tend to do remarkably well when a big episode of Arrow or The Flash is upcoming and a death has been teased, too.

Here's my problem with it: it feels lazy and uninspired at this point.

We've seen characters killed (and, admittedly, mostly resurrected) in nearly every Marvel Studios film. We've seen them killed in nearly every "key" episode of every superhero show. The shock deaths like we got on The Flash tonight have very little storytelling resonance because we've seen them a bunch of times before. It's a gut punch, for sure, but it's one that's quickly recovered from. And at the end of the day, it makes me feel like the writers are having a difficult time raising the stakes without falling back on death as a crutch.

Depending on the property, it can be used effectively -- but in a show like The Flash, which differentiates itself from the Arrows and Daredevils of the world by being hopeful and upbeat, it's a little jarring and disappointing to see unnecessary character deaths. Every step Barry takes to becoming more like Oliver Queen or Bruce Wayne is a step away from what makes the show special.

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