The Flash
“The Flash” star Grant Gustin says Season 3 will still see an optimistic Barry Allen character despite the dark things that have happened to him. The CW

There’s just one episode left of “The Flash” Season 2 on the CW, and fans already have a pretty good idea what it will be about. However, when and if the hero gets this year’s big villain out of the way, there will still be some dark and emotional lasting effects on the scarlet speedster going into Season 3.

[SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this article will discuss the latest episode of “The Flash.”]

After finding a clever way to take out all the invading Earth-2 meta-humans during last week’s episode, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) thought it was the right time to celebrate his victory over the villain Zoom (Teddy Sears). Surrounded by loved ones, things seemed to be going all right for the speedster when the villain returned, having conquered Earth-2, to get revenge on The Flash. Zoom kidnapped Barry’s father, Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp), and killed him right in front of the hero’s eyes. It was a dark moment in a show that otherwise prides itself on levity, but the actor promises the darkness will be temporary.

At the CW upfront presentation Thursday, Gustin promised fans just because his has character gone through the ringer this year, that doesn’t mean he’ll lose the trademark optimism that makes “The Flash” so unique as both a character and series.

“He lost his mom at a young age, he saw her right in front of him, then went back in time and watched it again. … He’ll find a way to deal with this,” the actor tells ComicBook in the video below. “He’s not going to let it ruin him. It’s going to be hard to come back from this one, but he’ll stay optimistic Barry.”

The actor also mentioned the upcoming Season 2 finale will pick up right at the moment in which Zoom put his hand through Henry’s chest, forcing the hero to both fight the villain and come to terms with the loss of his dad in a big hurry. With the character poised to go on an emotional roller coaster, Gustin co-star Tom Cavanagh got really candid about his acting abilities and why he thinks the TV version of Barry Allen works in a way that the movie version might not.

“He’s a clean-cut guy and winning, yes, because he’s acting that. He’s not Barry Allen. He’s Grant Gustin,” the actor told the Puck Soup podcast on the Nerdist Network. “He created that thing. If you want [your Flash] to have long hair and be a slacker, believe me, Grant can play that. He makes it look easy and makes everyone think that’s what he is because he’s an incredibly skilled talent. That’s why he has that job. That’s why people like the show.”

“The Flash” airs its Season 2 finale on Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT on the CW. What do you want to see happen? Comment below or tweet your thoughts on the matter to @TylerMcCarthy.

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