The Flash: SPOILER Returns in "A New World, Part Two"

By Nicole Drum

The final season of The Flash has seen a lot of familiar faces return to The CW series. Thus far we've seen the returns of Goldface, Pied Piper, Oliver Queen, Wally West, John Diggle, and even the villainous Bloodwork just to name a few. There are still a few more familiar faces yet to come, but this week's episode saw the return of a beloved Season 1 character in a major way — and may have just kicked off the show's final Big Bad.

Warning: Spoilers for this week's episode of The Flash, "A New World, Part Two", beyond this point.

Last week, viewers saw Rick Cosnett return to The Flash but he didn't return as Eddie Thawne. Instead, that episode introduced viewers to Dr Malcolm Gilmore, a scientist at Mercury Labs who happens to look a lot like Eddie and, at the end of the episode, is struck by lightning in his lab much like Barry Allen was when he gained his Speed Force powers. After the strike, there was a mysterious file from the CCPD about the death of Eddie Thawne. This week, Dr. Gilmore tries to get answers, going to the CCPD first and then, as the episode progresses, starts hearing voices and getting flashes of Eddie's memories. The episode ends in a deranged Malcolm digging up Eddie's grave for answers only to discover that the coffin is empty — and that he now has the gunshot wound to the chest that killed Eddie. He is, in fact, Eddie Thawne somehow back from the dead.

While this surprising development may on the surface seem like a good thing for Team Flash — something that is at least initially teased in the preview for next week's "A New World, Part Three" — this also may have just heralded the arrival of what might be the one Flash villain fans have most wanted to see over the course of the series' run: Cobalt Blue. The episode also established that the mysterious blue crystal is connected to cobalt radiation and there are also interesting nods to Cobalt Blue in the name "Dr. Malcolm Gilmore" as well.

In comics, Cobalt Blue is Malcolm Thawne, who is actually Barry Allen's twin brother. However, the doctor who delivered the twins stole Malcolm at birth and gave him to the Thawnes. That doctor's name? Dr. Gilmore. The preview for next week also seems to give some more clues that we're on a collision course to Cobalt Blue, with Eddie heard saying "I could have had a whole life. Now, I have the chance to change that." One of the key elements of Cobalt Blue in comics is that Malcolm had a bad childhood and, after finding out the truth as an adult, grew jealous of Barry for living the life he should have had.

Showrunner Eric Wallace has also fueled speculation, by telling fans to pay special attention to the blue crystal — a hallmark of Cobalt Blue that first made its appearance in the Season 8 finale.

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"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."

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

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