The Flash spent the entirety of last season dealing with the consequences of Barry’s selfish actions, leading to a darker, more angst-filled season than we’ve had in the past. But, fans of the show’s lighthearted first two seasons have reason to be excited.
On Tuesday, Cinemablend posted a roundtable from San Diego Comic-Con, in which Grant Gustin discussed the dark dip the series had taken, and promised the upcoming fourth season would be a return to the show’s sunnier roots.
“Barry wasn’t only the big bad at the end of the year — a future time remnant of his became Savitar — but he was kind of the villain of the season because it was his fault that everything happened,” Gustin said.
At the end of Season 2, Barry Allen went back in time (again) and prevented the murder of his mother, which resulted in the Flashpoint timeline. Because of this, all the metahumans of Earth were temporarily put in danger, Cisco’s brother died, Diggle’s daughter became a son, and more. Not a great look for the hero of the series, especially for a show that started off as such a cheerful contrast to Arrow.
Somehow, The Flash will use this as a jumping off point for a more “fun” Season 4. “Because of this experience in the Speed Force,” Gustin said. “Barry’s able to let go of things and move on, and he’s able to help the team move on, and the show can get back to its original roots where Barry enjoys having these powers and has fun, and the whole team has a little bit more fun.”
The fun likely won’t begin at the very start of Season 4, though. Because Barry sacrificed himself to the Speed Force at the end of Season 3, everyone’s trying to figure out how to live without him. But if the trailer for Season 4 is any indication, it won’t be too long before Barry returns and The Flash hits the reset button on dark.
The Flash Season 4 premieres on October 10.
