The Flash: SPOILER Learns Barry's Superhero Identity in "Lockdown"

A key part of being a superhero is the secret identity. Keeping the heroic identity separate from every day identity is a matter not only of privacy, but safety for superheroes and is why many of the heroes of The CW's Arrowverse wear a mask, including Barry Allen/The Flash. However, there are times when those secret identities don't say a secret and this week's episode of The Flash, "Lockdown", sees Barry find himself in one of those situations. Tonight's episode saw Barry reveal his identity as the Scarlet Speedster to someone and it could have major impact on Team Flash going forward.

Warning: spoilers for this week's episode of The Flash, "Lockdown", below.

Early in this week's episode it's established that while The Flash is doing a fantastic job of cleaning up crime in Central City, his efforts are causing a great deal of frustration for the police — particularly Captain Kramer (Carmen Moore). While The Flash brings in the bad guys, without there being good communication between Kramer and The Flash or even a way to reach out to the superhero, Kramer often finds herself dealing with extra paperwork, longer hours, and potentially even situations where the criminals might go free. It's a lot of extra effort when a partnership would simply make things more effective.

Barry sort of blows off the idea of The Flash having a partnership with Kramer because things have always worked well in the past — though Joe (Jesse L. Martin) reminds him that part of why it worked so well was because Joe has a personal relationship with Barry. However, Barry's mind begins to change when Goldface (Damion Poitier) ambushes the CCPD and holds everyone hostage with meta-dampening bracelets. When Kramer's bracelet short circuits due to the nature of her metahuman ability, she's reluctant to use her powers because she can't control them. It turns out that's another reason she'd like to have a better relationship with The Flash. She thinks he could help her, not only with crime in Central City, but also in learning to use her own powers.

Barry ends up giving Kramer a pep talk that convinces her to use her abilities against Goldface, which in turn gives Barry enough time to escape his cuff and become The Flash, saving the day. At the end of the episode, The Flash goes to see Kramer and offer her a device — a "Flash Phone" if you will — so she can contact him, but also goes to unmask and reveal himself so he can offer her help with her abilities. However, Kramer already knows. She confesses that she figured out that Barry is The Flash when she discovered the charred remains of his dampener bracelet and knew that only The Flash was fast enough to escape safely.

Kramer knowing The Flash's true identity will not only make utilizing the resources of the CCPD easier for Team Flash, sort of restoring a status quo from when Joe was in charge, but also means that Team Flash has a new ally in Kramer, herself a metahuman with mimic abilities. Given that threats in Central City often escalate from more "normal" crime on The Flash, Kramer having a better working relationship with the team as well as better use of her own powers could make her an asset should a major foe show up. Not only that, but the use of the Flash Phone will also be interesting. While Team Flash does a great job of keeping surveillance on the city for possible crime, they don't catch everything. Kramer having access potentially opens up a lot of new ways for the team to serve the city — leveling things up, if you will.

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

What do you think about Kramer finally knowing Barry's identity as The Flash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!