Editorial: Who is Zoom?

I want to start off this next one by stressing that all the things I’m talking about are purely subjective. I am basing my ideas on what I’ve observed in the first season of The Flash, a couple of articles I’ve read, and what I’ve seen in other television shows, books, movies, and so on. I should also point out that there will be a fair amount of spoilers in this post, so if you don’t want anything ruined, watch The Flash and then come back. Ready? Alright, let’s get to it.

Will Barry be fast enough this time around?

Right now, it seems unlikely that Hunter Zolomon is going to be Zoom. Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg has already stated in an interview with Variety that they are going to try to “[cleverly] spin the tale,” in a way that will help people “enjoy the show on its own terms.” This kind of wording suggests to me that they’re going to be pulling an Iron-Man 2 and 3, where they combined together two villains together to create their own spin on the character. Which can work well, like when they combined Whiplash with elements of the Crimson Dynamo in Iron-Man 2 or really, really poorly, like with what they did to the Mandarin in Iron-Man 3. I’m not judging this idea, just pointing it out. Furthermore, they claim that are going to stretch out the “Mystery of Zoom.” It’s not going to be much of a mystery if right when Zoom shows up, that they introduce Hunter Zolomon and stress how mysterious the guy is. It’s a little too easy that way.  So the question remains, if not Zolomon, then who?

For me, the best option for Zoom’s identity is… Eddie Thawne. I know, I already predicted Eddie Thawne being a villain during the first season, but was horribly wrong. Eddie was overall a likeable, honorable character, not anything like his villainous descendant Eobard Thawne. In fact, Eddie willingly shot and killed himself in order to destroy Eobard, and thus save the hero that the world truly needs, Barry Allen. But that is what makes him the perfect option for the villain. His background is a great deal like Hunter Zolomons, a respected member of law enforcement that did his best to do some good in a town that was quickly being overrun by superpowered criminals. He was initially against the Flash and his “vigilante justice” but warmed up to the character as the series went on. By the end of the season, he understood the importance of the Flash so well, that he knew Barry surviving was more important than even his own life. This also kind of fits with Kreisberg’s comment that their Zoom is going to be similar to Spider-Man’s longtime nemesis, Venom. Venom aka Eddie Brock was a decent enough guy driven insane by the alien Symbiot that gave him his powers. Hm… a decent guy driven insane by the powers he’s given, and targets the hero that he blames for his misfortune. Yeah, a revived Eddie Thawne fits that mold pretty nicely. “But Michael,” I hear someone saying, “If Eddie’s dead, how can he come back as the villain?”

Despite his kind look, he has one
of the scariest voices I've ever heard.

For starters, the CW/DC TV Universe has already established that, much like the comics that these shows are derived from, death isn’t exactly permanent. Malcom Myrlin, Thea Queen, Sara Lance, and Slade Wilson have all been killed off at least once, and each of them has come back at least once as well. Furthermore, Eddie did die in a rather unique way. He committed suicide, which caused his so many great-grandson Eobard to be erased from the timeline. But, in doing so, he kind of doomed the timeline that they were already in. Why? Because everything that occurred in the TV show’s universe did so because of Eobard’s interventions. The creation of S.T.A.R. Labs in 2015 instead of 2025 like in the original timeline, Barry being raised by Detective West alongside Iris rather than by his own loving family, the creation of Gorilla Grodd and so many other villains, all of these events can be traced back to Eobard. So, by removing Eobard from existence, this created a giant black hole over Central City that destroyed S.T.A.R. Labs and threatened the entire planet. The last few moments of the season include Barry racing at top speed into the black hole in the hopes of using his powers to seal it. But, in all the excitement, we’ve lost track of Eddie’s body.

Now, they showed Iris West trying very hard to grab Eddie’s body and being forced to leave it on the insistence of her father, Joe West. The body is left in the bowls of S.T.A.R. Labs and is assumedly sucked into the vortex when the lab is destroyed. This gaping maw in reality is a displacement in time as well as space. Heck, in diving into the black hole, Barry ends up in an alternate reality where the Scarlet Speedster is Jay Garrick. The promos have shown it. Now, who is to say that said rip in reality couldn’t have some effect on the recently deceased?

vs. Zoom... again. But not exactly.

My theory is that once Eddie Thawne was pulled into the vortex, it essentially removed him from the timeline. Said removal revived him, and gave him the time manipulating powers that Hunter Zolomon had in the comics. Then, if Eddie had been such a good guy, why would he be a villain in the new season? There could be any number of reasons, here’s just a handful. 1.) Being removed from the timeline showed Eddie the countless possibilities of reality, he’s driven insane by this and sets his sights on the one he blames for his predicament, Barry. 2.) The Black Hole/Time Hole scrambled together Eddie and Eobard Thawne, resulting in a being that isn’t entirely either person. He may greatly resemble Eddie, but be driven by the more psychotic impulses of Eobard, thus his desire to destroy Barry. 3.) He sees Iris and Barry together. I’d say #3 is probably most likely, given that in the Variety article that Kreisberg has stated that Zoom’s goal was going to be simple, “a very simple, personal goal…simple and easy to understand, and very primal.” Is there a goal more primal than fighting over a loved one? There’s a reason why it’s a cliché.

So yeah, that’s my theory. Zoom is going to end up being a revived Eddie Thawne. His motivations may not be clear as of this point, but I think it’s safe to say Zoom menacing the Flash this time around is going to lead back the continuing Barry – Iris – Eddie triangle. That’s going to bug the crap out of me, but, hey, if the writers and actors continue the excellent work that they started with then I can’t really complain too much. Again, this is all speculation. I’ll be excited to see how much of what I’ve predicted turns out to be right or wrong. We’ll find out in October. Next time, finally, I get to the Eradicator. 

 http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-flash-zoom-tony-todd-season-2-villain-1201581891/

 http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/the-flash/245961/the-flash-season-2-news-new-trailer-with-jay-garrick-atom-smasher-and-zoom

 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Tony_Todd.jpg

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_%282014_TV_series%29#/media/File:TheFLASHlogo.png