The Flash: Easter Eggs and DC Comics References In "Tricksters"

Tonight's episode of The Flash was a big thing, even before that one-minute trailer that teased [...]

By Russ Burlingame

flash-trickster

Tonight's episode of The Flash was a big thing, even before that one-minute trailer that teased a lot of mind-bending stuff for the rest of the season.

Having not seen the 1990s series in a good long while, I may have missed some things...but read on, and let us know what they were, and enjoy what we spotted.

...There was quite a bit.

52nd Street

52! 52!

Flash-Costume-Update

That Costume...

Wait...is that a different look to The Flash's costume in the flashback? It looked to me like there was a white background to the lightning bolt.

The Trickster

Mark Hamill returns as James Jesse...

...wait, returns? 

Yep. For those who have only watched this version of the series, Luke Skywalker himself played the same role in this episode that he did in the 1990 original.

Meanwhile, Axel Walker is another guy who called himself the Trickster in the comics. Like here, he stole all of James Jesse's gadgets to do the job...although here, it's becuase the guy's in prison, whereas in the comics he had gone straight. 

Speed Force

The Speed Force gets a couple of namedrops here.

The Speed Force is an invisible, omnipresent field in the DC Universe. The energy field that grants all speedsters their power.

Several speedsters have merged with it, usually at the time of their deaths, including Barry Allen, Johnny Quick and Max Mercury.

The DC Wiki (where you can get a short history of stories pertaining to the Speed Force) notes that those with access to the Speed Force can use a large number of abilities, usually revolving around speed, including: Superhuman Speed, Superhuman Endurance, Increased Perceptions, Accelerated Healing, Decelerated Aging, Speed Force Aura, Supercharged Brain Activity, Vortex Creation, Phasing, Steal Speed, etc.

In the comics, one of the most Reverse Flashes have a direct connection to the Speed Force, but Hunter Zolomon -- the Reverse Flash many fans speculate will be the model for Harrison Wells -- does  not, instead having a "shifted relationship" with time which allows him to affect the appearance of super speed.

The props

Many of the props, including the classic Trickster costume, are either actually from the '90s series (or at least convincing replicas). Same with the trenchcoat that Henry Allen wears when he's out of prison.

Yes, that looks like...

...The Joker. We know. It's obviously just a stylized Trickster, but it's inevitable that a pale, smiling face associated with Mark Hamill will get a half-dozen "JOKER!" comments.

Felicity-caliber

heh. That's a nice shorthand for "badass hacker" in the CWverse.

Luke I Am Your FatherStar Wars

"I...am your father."

Seems like I've heard that somewhere.

Mayor Tony Bellows

Tony Bellows is a cop from the 1990 The Flash series, played by that same actor, Vito D'Ambrosio.

Good vibrations

This is the first time we've seen one of Barry's more valuable powers: phasing and/or vibrating through solid objects.

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