Hunter Zolomon and Zoom: 3 Things That Have to Happen in 'The Flash'

The following contains spoilers.

Learning the identity of the onyx speedster Zoom didn’t bring comfort to Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and the rest of S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry was sent running and screaming when he learned that Zoom is actually his buddy Jay Garrick, the de-powered Flash of Earth-2.

But, of course, Zoom isn’t Jay Garrick. Not really. As Barry will learn on April 19, in the appropriately-titled “Versus Zoom”, Zoom is actually Hunter Zolomon, a convicted serial killer and Jay’s Earth-1 doppelgänger. The revelation only begs more questions — like how, exactly, did Zolomon obtain the Speed Force? How long has he been Zoom? And why is his mouth weird? Hopefully we’ll learn when Barry and Hunter collide in a less one-sided fight, now that Barry has Eobard Thawne’s formula.

When an unstoppable force rams right into an immovable object, destruction is inevitable. So what possibilities lie ahead after Zoom and Flash’s showdown? Here’s a couple ideas.

Wally gets his Speed Force

In the comics, Wally West is the nephew of Barry Allen who becomes a super speedster himself, first as the sidekick Kid Flash, until he’s actually The Flash, and replaces a departed Barry. In the CW series, Wally is Iris’s estranged brother (played by Keiynan Lonsdale) who is also on a collision course. It was winked at in “Trajectory” when Jesse’s (Violett Beane) meta-human app acts up around Wally. That was nothing more than a cute nod, but it hinted at Wally’s future.

I can’t predict how or why, but I’m just going to call it right now: Wally will be on his way to becoming Kid Flash following Barry’s fight with Zoom. Maybe not right away. Maybe not even this season. But something’s going to happen. I mean, look at him, does he look like he’s getting away scot-free from this?

Barry becomes Public Enemy Number One

The new editor at Iris’s newspaper is very adamant about vilifying Flash. And that may just happen. A fight against Zoom leaves itself open to so much collateral damage. Just look at Superman fighting Zod in Man of Steel.

We know from the Season 1 finale when Barry travels through the Speed Force that our hero will someday be a prisoner of Iron Heights. When — how and why — will the hero live long enough to become a villain? And will this mean Barry’s identity as The Flash could be made public?

While the timeline seems off, it was also alluded to during the stellar Supergirl crossover, “World’s Finest” when Supergirl laments National City’s rejection. Barry tells her he went through something similar. Could Barry’s prison sentence foreshadow Flash’s turn as public enemy number one?

We learn the identity of the Masked Man

Who is this guy? No, really, I’m asking, who is he?

Until Zoom was unmasked, I thought the Masked Man was the real Jay Garrick, and that Zoom was a shapeshifter. But a decidedly dead Jay Garrick and Hunter Zolomon as Zoom leaves the identity of the Masked Man unresolved. This recent EW interview Teddy Sears gave says nothing definitive.

The Masked Man — whom Flash promised to rescue but is still sitting there helpless — has to come into play soon. And I hope it’s in “Versus Zoom” simply because trying to connect the dots is stressing me out.