“My name is Barry Allen, and I am the Fastest Man Alive.”
That one sentence, familiar to followers of Central City’s Scarlet Speedster, will most likely shoot excitement through fans like a bolt of lightning. The phrase, which has been used in various iterations by Wally West—another hero who has used the Flash moniker in the DC Comics tales—and by Oliver Queen in the series Arrow, was featured in The CW’s newest trailer for their new series The Flash, which hits the airwaves in October.
During the 30-second trailer, Barry is shown zipping through city streets while a voiceover featuring different characters hints at the details behind Barry’s transformation and new-found powers–
“He was hit by lightning.” “I’m okay.” Fans of The Flash know that Barry acquired his powers when, while working in his lab as a police forensic scientist, lightning hit a case of chemicals, bathing Barry in those chemicals. In the aftermath, Barry discovers that he has gained super-speed. The line of narration could signal a similar origin for the Fastest Man Alive or, at the very least, a nod to the character’s comic book roots.
During the narration, a male voice is heard saying, “Inside your body could be the map to a whole new world.” This could allude to the DC Universe’s multiverse, as that multiverse holds many worlds, with many different versions of The Flash and other heroes. Furthermore, Barry Allen played a key role in DC Comics’ story Crisis on Infinite Earths, with a plot that revolved around multiple Earths and parallel dimensions. The line of narration could also be a hint that other metahumans could join the ranks of the extended and shared superhero universe The CW network seems to be building.
In the past month, The CW has been releasing more information about both the upcoming season of Arrow and the upcoming Flash series, including character additions to Arrow such as Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/The Atom.
The Flash premieres October 7.