Fans of The Flash will be happy to know that a familiar villain has been confirmed to return to not only the series but the CW universe as a whole.
Executive Producer Andrew Kriesberg spoke with the Television's Critics Association yesterday and revealed that Black Flash will be making another appearance on the CW. The announcement came during the same time all four of the network's shows were renewed, and Kriesberg noted that
“I will say that you might be seeing him on multiple shows. “[Black Flash] is a classic character. We have storylines on multiple shows that fit having him around,” he said. “There’s something so scary about him, something even scarier than when he was just the man, because now it’s now he is the Grim Reaper, he is the devil. How do you stop the devil? So it presents an interesting challenge for the heroes of the respective shows in which he appears.”
In The Flash CW series, Hunter "Zoom" Solomon became the Black Flash at the end of season two when he was sucked into the speed force for time wraiths. Angry at his manipulation of the space/time continuum, Zoom's punishment is now eternity as the Black Flash. Although Teddy Sears played the role for the entire season, he is now committed to 24: Legacy on Fox and may not be able to return to the role due to time and contract restraints.
It's unknown how they plan to integrate Black Flash into the Arrowverse on CW. In the comics, Black Flash is essentially death for those who possess the speed force. Whether he exists because they are too fast for normal death or as a bi-product of their speed has been a matter of debate, but The Flash shows leaves room for some interesting portrayals. Wally West beat the Black Flash by racing him to the end of time, essentially rendering death useless. Barry Allen, on the other hand, became the Black Flash at one point. I don't see that happening as it would mean Barry dying, which is something networks don't like to do for their show's stars.
The fact that he will be integrated into other shows, specifically Legends of Tomorrow with their time traveling, leaves plenty of room open for Black Flash's return. For now, we'll need to wait until January 23rd for the CW to continue the second half of their season with Supergirl. The Flash returns on Tuesday, January 24th.
