The Flash: Will Jesse Get Superspeed This Season?

Last month, The Flash introduced Jesse Wells, the daughter of Earth-2’s Harrison Wells. After [...]

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Last month, The Flash introduced Jesse Wells, the daughter of Earth-2's Harrison Wells. After Zoom kidnapped Jesse for reasons unknown, it spurred her father to head to Earth-1 to enlist the help of our Flash (Barry Allen) to fight the monstrous supervillain. We haven't seen very much of Jesse yet, although we know that she's a big fan of her world's Flash, Jay Garrick, and that Zoom is keeping her alive for an as of yet unrevealed purpose. However, fans of the comics might recognize Jesse as a familiar member of the extended Flash family: Jesse Quick.

As confirmed by The Flash's executive producer Andrew Kreisberg, Jesse's full name is Jesse Chambers Wells. In the comics, Jesse Chambers was the daughter of Johnny Quick, a Golden Age contemporary of the Flash who could tap into the Speed Force by reciting a special math formula. Although Jesse initially chose a career in academics, she eventually became the superhero Jesse Quick and joined the Teen Titans and later the Justice Society of America. The Flash's Jesse shares the same bright mind and passion for academics as her comic book counterpart, having graduated high school at the tender age of 15. But, so far, we haven't seen any signs that Jesse can tap into the Speed Force or has any trace of superspeed. So, will Jesse gain her own super-speed powers this season?

Since Harrison invented a "metahuman detector" that he's worn in Jesse's presence, it doesn't appear that Jesse is a metahuman, so she'd have to get her speed powers through some other means. That sounds like an easy way to introduce the Quick family math formula, which hypothetically allows any user to access the Speed Force by visualizing the formula in their head. There's probably enough intellect between Jesse and her father to solve any equation, even one that grants its users super-speed.

We also don't know why Zoom is holding Jesse hostage. Everyone else who's encountered Zoom has remarked that he tends to leave a trail of bodies in his wake. So why is Jesse special? Is it because Zoom knows that she has the ability to access the Speed Force and is leaving her alive until he can steal her speed? Or is it revenge against Harrison Wells for morphing Zoom into the monster he is today via the particle accelerator accident? Jesse definitely holds some sort of importance to Zoom and it's easy to guess we'll find out what it is later this season.

Jesse Quick played an important role in defeating both Zoom and the Reverse Flash in the comics. In the comics, Jesse gave Wally West her speed so that he could match Zoom's time-based powers. Although Wally defeated Zoom, Jesse (temporarily) lost her ability to access the Speed Force and forgot the formula that granted her speed powers. Considering The Flash's Zoom is fast enough to convincingly defeat two Flashes, we may need Jesse to develop speed powers for Barry and the STAR Labs team to have a chance at defeating this season's big bad.

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