9 Years Ago Today, the Arrowverse Spoiled One of Its Biggest Reveals (& Set Up a Major Character for Failure)

by

The shows in The CW’s Arrowverse are known for keeping plot twists and secrets for as long as possible. Because most seasons are quite long – over 20 episodes – storylines often unfold gradually. A common tactic is to introduce a villain whose identity and plans are initially hidden. For example, in Season 5 of Arrow, the villain Prometheus appears and consistently keeps Oliver Queen and his team guessing. It takes the Green Arrow months of investigation and several unsuccessful attempts to discover that his most dangerous enemy has been hiding in plain sight the whole time.

While Star City seems to attract all the strange villains, Central City’s Team Flash is constantly uncovering the identities of their enemies – it’s like they’re always solving a mystery. Villains like Reverse-Flash, Zoom, and Savitar all followed a similar pattern, so it was a welcome change when a villain openly revealed themselves. However, that approach backfired in one instance on The Flash, unnecessarily complicating a character who should have been straightforward.

The Flash Spoiled the Arrival of a Major Villain in Season 3

After the first season, Team Flash began to expand with more individuals possessing metahuman abilities. Cisco developed the power to open doorways to alternate realities and glimpse into the past, a skill that proved invaluable when Zoom threatened Earth-1. While investigating the villainous speedster, Barry journeyed to Earth-2 and encountered some of Zoom’s allies, including Killer Frost, who was a duplicate of Caitlin Snow. Though Killer Frost was quickly killed by Zoom, Caitlin wasn’t entirely shocked, as she sensed a similar darkness within herself. She managed to suppress it until Season 3, when, in a dramatic episode titled “Killer Frost,” the villainous side of her personality fully took over and attempted to kill Barry.

The introduction of Killer Frost in season three of The Flash dramatically shifted the show’s storyline, as she teamed up with the main villain, Savitar, and damaged Caitlin’s long-established relationships. However, the surprise was lessened when director Kevin Smith accidentally revealed the episode’s title on social media before it aired. While not completely ruining the season, this leak created problems that affected later episodes.

Caitlin Snow Never Found Her Footing in the Arrowverse

As a big fan of The Flash, I always found Caitlin Snow’s journey fascinating. After revealing her Killer Frost side in Season 3, Season 4 saw her really come to terms with it, even teaming up with her alter-ego to save the world from Nazis – seriously, that crossover was epic! For a few seasons after that, they were a pretty solid heroic duo. But things got really interesting in Season 7 when Killer Frost actually got her own body. It was tough for Caitlin losing that part of herself, and heartbreaking when Killer Frost sacrificed herself to take down Deathstorm. Caitlin was desperate to get her friend back, and honestly, her attempt to bring her back by messing with her own brain was a bit risky. Sadly, it didn’t work as planned. Instead of reviving Killer Frost, the process ended up… well, it essentially erased her, and a completely new personality, Khione, took her place. It’s a wild turn of events, and I’m really curious to see where they take Khione’s story!

Team Flash warmly welcomes Khione, but they still feel the absence of Caitlin, and Barry feels responsible for her departure. Luckily, things get better when Khione becomes a goddess, allowing Caitlin to get her body back, leading to a joyful reunion. Despite the happy ending, Caitlin’s storyline felt unnecessarily difficult and didn’t quite deliver on its potential. Perhaps the show could have handled things better by letting Earth-2 deal with Killer Frost and finding a more fulfilling role for Caitlin when she returned home, resulting in a more positive arc.

The Flash is streaming on Netflix.

What are your thoughts on Caitlin Snow’s character arc in The Flash? Share your opinions in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/7-dc-heroes-you-forgot-were-part-of-the-arrowverse/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-22 20:41