In the course of its nine seasons on The CW, The Flash told a multitude of stories, with varying degrees of success according to viewers. One character that sparked divided opinions among fans is Eobard Thawne, also known as the Reverse Flash, portrayed by Tom Cavanagh. As the series progressed, some spectators felt that the continuous reintroduction of Thawne became somewhat forced. Critics argue that his return was primarily to add weight to climaxes and that the premise grew increasingly implausible with each instance. To this day, online discussions persist about certain Reverse Flash resurrections being illogical and indicative of plot inconsistencies, while others remain content to enjoy the ride.
This week on /r/TheFlash, discussions resurfaced about the character Eobard Thawne. User u/SignalNegotiation389 provided a recap of Thawne’s storyline throughout the seasons where he features. Thawne is the main antagonist of the series, initially appearing as scientist Harrison Wells in Season 1. As time unfolds, we discover that Thawne traveled back in time with the intention to murder Barry Allen’s mother before his birth. However, instead, he found himself stuck in the past.
Reverse Flash is dead and the writers keep bringing him back cause they are lazy
byu/SignalNegotiation389 inFlashTV
Eobard Thawne meets a dramatic defeat when his ancestor, Eddie Thawne, makes a selfless sacrifice, leading to a singularity. This ending is particularly impactful as it seems like Eobard has been permanently eliminated. However, the writers take a risk by introducing new villains to replace him, an attempt that has drawn criticism from fans who feel that the original villain was not truly gone for good. Instead, Thawne keeps coming back, a phenomenon common in superhero stories but often criticized due to the perception that the creators failed to develop compelling replacements.
In Season 2, a different version of Thawne emerges, but he’s less hostile compared to the first time we saw him. Instead of focusing on defeating Barry, this version of Thawne is preoccupied with returning to his original timeframe. Meanwhile, Barry is dealing with conflicts against another speedster, which takes his attention away from Thawne. In Season 3, Barry delves back into the investigation of his mother’s murder, a crime we know was perpetrated by none other than Thawne. Given these circumstances, many fans believe that Barry’s retaliation in this season is justified.
From that point forward, Eobard Thawne’s appearances gradually lose favor among viewers. In essence, as u/SignalNegotiation389 stated, “The instance where Nora and Barry travel back in time is understandable since it’s the past; however, having Thawne exist and be trapped in the future contradicts the rules of time travel. He was eliminated from existence during Season 1, which means he can’t coexist in the present timeline. Previous appearances of Thawne were either related to him moving through time or visiting different Earths before Season 5, but his imprisonment and continued presence in later seasons don’t align with this timeline because he is already deceased there.
Various perspectives were shared regarding these debates, with even supporters of the series acknowledging certain writing flaws. Some viewers argued that these inconsistencies are inevitable when dealing with time travel narratives, as The Flash is not unique in facing such paradoxes. However, others suggested that the show could have delved deeper into the Flash’s abilities and utilized a wider range of villains instead of frequently relying on Thawne for emotional drama.
Time travel narratives can generally be classified into one of three types: bootstrap conundrums, grandfather riddles, or Newcomb’s dilemmas. A “bootstrap conundrum” emerges when a tale discloses that a historical occurrence was in fact brought about by time travel – like how the creation of transparent aluminum in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was actually due to time travel. A grandfather riddle is a temporal loop, where a future event triggers a past event through time travel, and then the past event causes the future event, forming an endless cycle. This concept is most famously depicted in Back to the Future, as Marty McFly appears to be the reason his parents fell in love. Lastly, Newcomb’s paradox refers to the inconsistency that arises when a character seems to have free will, but remains unable to alter events even with knowledge of the future outcome.
Many different interpretations of these three conundrums exist, yet no narratives have managed to resolve or surpass them thus far. It’s not uncommon for shows like The Flash to also get caught in similar patterns, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that viewers should settle for it. If you’d like to judge for yourself how these inconsistencies play out, you can rewatch the series as it is currently streaming on Netflix.
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2025-02-03 07:40