COMIC BOOK PROFILE: SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION #15

 

COMIC BOOK PROFILE:  SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION #15 

Boy, oh boy!  It has been QUIIIIITE a stretch since I've done one of these, and with a whole slew of Marvel movies/tv shows (with some other DC one's I'll throw in here when I can), I thought I'd get back to this while I'm at a lull with all the Arrowverse shows, I'm going to be catching up on some movie reviews and TV show reviews as well, so be on the lookout for those coming up soon.  Either way, let's take a look at a character who has been thrust into the MCU, and made a HUGE impact on fans, and today we'll explore his humble origin (which is different from his MCU counterpart, but that's not the issue).  So, at this time, we're going to explore the first appearance of Shang-Chi---The Master of Kung Fu.  

SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION #15  

COVER ART: Jim Starlin & Al Milgrom

WRITER: Steve Englehart

ARTIST: Jim Starlin

INKS: Al Milgrom

LETTERS: Tom Orzechowski

COLORS: Steve Englehart

EDITOR: Roy Thomas

COVER DATE: December 1973

PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

TAGLINE:  Iron Fisted First Issue!    Martial Arts action like you've NEVER seen it before!  

Special Marvel Edition #15---published back in 1973, introduced us to a new and exciting character to the Marvel Universe:  Shang-Chi.  In the height of America's fascination with Martial Arts movies (especially featuring the late, great Bruce Lee), it gave Marvel a new hero with a story to tell, and yet another minority character that would resonate with audiences for years to come.  Shang-Chi's appearance in this issue sparked his run as one of those characters that got some prominence in the MU, where he did have some interaction with many of the super-powered denizens of Marvel's spectacular world, but wasn't on the level of them.  But he made his mark on the public, and was active, originally, throughout the 70's.  He then faded into the background for much of the next couple of decades, being something of an "inactive" character, until most recently with the release of the MCU "Phase 4" slate with the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.  While the comic and movie vastly differ in the telling of his origin, the fact that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios took a character much considered a B or even C player, and have brought him into the forefront for many new fans to see and enjoy.  After this initial issue, the title of this comic was changed to Master of Kung Fu, and the series ran until issue #125 in 1983.  It was revived in 2018 for a special one shot, as it re-introduced our hero to new audiences.

THE STORY:  Shang-Chi confronts members of his father, Fu Manchu's army, as he tries to make his way to the inner sanctum of his father's headquarters.  We get to see Shang-Chi's origin about how he was trained by his father to become an assassin.  But it seems that Shang-Chi, sent to kill a man named Doctor Petrie, whom has father said was evil, seems hesitant.  And it appears that a British Agent named Denis Nayland Smith, had showed him the TRUE face of evil:  his own father, Fu Manchu.  Shang-Chi confronts his father, and lets him know that he is not his father anymore, and the next time they meet, it will be as mortal enemies. 

***********************************************************************************

This issue sets up the intro to our titular hero very nicely, and helps put him on the path as one of the good guys for his run.  We also see that, unlike his MCU counterpart, his father is the famous villain, Fu Manchu, not unlike the one, true Mandarin from the movie.  The Ten Rings play no part in this story, and this is more along the lines of a very traditional martial arts film, only with some robots and other creatures in it.  It doesn't really get into ancient Chinese mysticism, but it does provide a lot of action.  You can find Shang-Chi's run in some various forms of either trade paperbacks or an omnibus if you search long enough.

NEXT TIME:  We dive back into the bins to find yet another classic issue to spotlight. 

THE FLASH 8.5

 

RECAP - THE FLASH  8.5:  "Armageddon Part 5"  

Well...after 4 episodes of guest stars, and the introduction of a new villain, as well as the return of and old rival, Team Flash finally faces down Despero to avoid the REAL "Armageddon" that he had been proclaiming was the Flash's fault all along.  In the final chapter of this event, we get a guest appearance from a hero we've almost forgotten about.  So, What happened, and what were the good AND bad points of this whole crossover event?  

With things apparently set back to "normal" we have Barry recapping what Thawne had done to the timeline and what occurred in the future of 2031.  Barry had first related what happened to Joe, as he went to go see him personally, and Damien Dhark somehow showed up in 2021.  He looks to be tied to the Time Stone that Damien let Barry use to reset the timeline, it looks as if he's got some business on Earth before his time is done.  He's been trying to find Nora, but she's not returned yet, so he believes that's his purpose. 

But it appears that Thawne isn't quite done with his revenge yet, as he shows up in 2021, still looking to get back at Barry for changing the timeline, and ruining his Reverse Flashpoint.  He shows up at the CCPD, causing some trouble, only to run into Mia Queen - the Green Arrow of 2031, who followed his trail to 2021 to find her brother William, who's still missing in 2049.  As she tries to battle him, he zaps her with lightning, and is about to kill her off by driving his vibrating hand through her heart, but Flash finally shows up after he got an alert at STAR Labs.  Eobard then asks...in front of witnesses at the station....for Flash's help.  It seems that Eobard is now suffering from the same issue Barry was when he was in 2031---he's fading out of time.  Mia notices it, and so does Barry.  So, he's captured and taken back to STAR Labs, where they have him in a cell until they can figure out what to do.  

As for Mia, she's been on the trail of William's captors for the last 2 years (so, they're using real time here, in a sense, to account for the time we HAVEN'T seen or heard from her), and she's in a vendetta kind of mood.  She's really in no mood for a speech, but Iris gives her one anyway---indicating that this kind of thought process is what made her dad Oliver's live miserable.  Mia wonders how it is that they're letting Eobard live when he killed Joe, and then tried to marry HER in the future.  Mia makes her point and takes off.  

Caitlin finally talks to Thawne, and he mocks her for never moving on with her life after 8 years hanging around Team Flash, and mocks Ronnie for being an idiot.  Caitlin tells him that she's found family with Barry, Iris, Cisco, and everyone on the team, and that she likes that she's helping out catch the bad guys.  But she's also spent the last 8 years hating Thawne, and while he says she'll save him, it's what she does, Caitlin says that when she got out of medical school, she was told that she can't save everybody, and that death is a part of life---and she doesn't have to save him.  She then goes to Barry, Iris and the rest of the team, and says that Thawne needs to die.  Barry and Iris feel this might be the only way to finally end Thawne once and for all....and get his just desserts.  Caitlin is on board with the idea, but Chester and Allegra are not.  But Iris says that since they're the newbies, they don't get a say considering Thawne's history with the team.  This brings Joe into the conversation, and pulls Barry and Iris aside, and chastises them for even THINKING about letting Thawne die as an option.  Barry and Iris try to explain their side, and Joe lets them know that if that they're not true heroes if they don't save Thawne...because that's what heroes do--it's what makes them who they are, and that means even helping the bad guy.  That leaves the couple left to ponder and heal the burns that Joe delivered to BOTH of them....and deservedly so. 

We also got the back story---finally---from Eobard about why he's hated Barry all this time.  As he and Barry have their chat with one another---Eobard talks about how he was obsessed with speed, and had a chance to make his premiere, and announce himself to the world, when the Flash showed up to save the day, as Barry had apparently been on a case that brought him to the future.  Eobard says Barry ruined his moment.  He idolized Barry, but when the Flash stole his moment---he became obsessed with killing him.  Barry asks what Thawne would do if he saves him, and Thawne says that he'll do what his life's mission has become:  finding ways to kill The Flash.  

Despero finally shows up, and says that Thawne needs to die, and the Flash must let him go.  Flash says it's not Despero's choice, but Despero says it's the only way to avoid Armageddon.  So, Despero takes action by taking control of Mia Queen.  Eventually, Flash races into battle with Despero, and gets Despero to admit the truth:  he wasn't the great hero of Kalindor who was exiled for trying to save the people:  he was the despot.  The villian who tried to take control.  Despero says it was the only way, but Flash tells him that he's no hero.  As Flash and Despero fight on the streets of Central City, he's sent Mia to kill the team and Thawne back at STAR Labs.  Flash isn't faring quite as well, and he needs to find another way to stop Despero, who's going to destroy everything in order to control the world.  Caitlin takes an arrow to the leg, as Iris faces down Mia with a weapon from STAR Labs, and convinces Mia fight Despero's control.   She manages to reach Mia, and she comes to.  She apologizes, and they go and check on the rest of the team.  Despero, at this point, zaps Barry back to STAR Labs, as he tries to generate enough energy and use the Flame of Py'Tar to bring about Armageddon. 

The team finally puts together a plan to stop Despero AND save Thawne.  To stop Despero, they realize that Barry needs to destroy the Flame of Py'Tar, but he needs a power source to generate the energy to disperse the flame.  Chester used the device he created in the future, and made the device into a pair of gold boots for Barry to wear.  Barry's good with them, and he races off into them to stop Despero.  Also, they realize that the lightning energy that Black Lightning had hit Barry with is still within Barry, and he can use that to save Thawne, but it will disconnect Thawne's connection to the Negative Speed Force, thus taking away his speed.  Flash vs. Despero, Round 4, and this time, Flash manages to disperse the flame, causing Despero to be disconnected to the Flame of Py'Tar.  As he tries to profess revenge to Flash, he gets consumed by the flame, and disappears.  As time ticks away, Flash races back to STAR Labs, and manages to use Black Lightning's energy to save Thawne, and takes away his speed.  Thawne is pissed off at that, and Barry says he just saved his life....don't make him regret it. Thawne says his life is in hell.  Thawne is then taken to ARGUS, where Cisco has a cell all nice an ready for him. 

The team finally allows themselves to relax, and Barry gives a speech to thank them for all they do, and that if they stick together, they can get through anything.  Iris talks to Mia again, and says she tried to see if she could locate William.  She says that the rock with the symbols that William gave his sister was part of some kind of group where the files are heavily redacted.  Mia appreciates the help, and Iris says that she shouldn't be a stranger---their kids visit all the time, and thinks that Mia would like Nora and Bart.  Mia says that she'll continue her search by finally visiting her mother, Felicity. Felicity can hack into any files to be able to find her brother. Joe is given the Time Stone by Damien, as he feels he's there just to give his farewell to Nora.  He talks about how his daughter changed his life, and then he's in this bright room, where he sees Nora.  She's in disbelief he's there, but he tells her he got one last chance to say goodbye.  She's still a tad confused, but wants more time.  He tells her that he loves her, and then he disappears...and Nora is there in the restaurant where the team is partying.  She's very confused about what's happened, and wants to know what happened to her dad.  Joe takes her aside, and says that he's got a story to tell.  Barry goes to Chester and Allegra and thanks them for being the moral center of the team when it was needed, and for calling him out on the Thawne issue.  Before that, Frost had told Chester to muster up his courage and ask her out---but Chester and Allegra are awkward towards each other---but it looks like things will look up for them.  

As the team celebrates, things look like they're getting back to normal in Central City, and the police are glad things are mellowing out...but as the episode ends, we see a picture on the wall of the precinct, and it has Joe, Barry, and several other officers from a photo in 2014, and we see a yellow and purple spark and lightning in the pic, and we see Bart and Nora appear in the picture---setting up our next storyline in the adventures of The Fastest Man Alive.

I did like this episode, because we got to catch up with Mia, and find out what SHE has been up to---which is still looking for William 2 years later.  I do like the hint that Iris dropped about having Mia meet Bart and Nora---which sets up exciting team ups in the future....not that we'll get to see it. Sadly, I feel that this was just a one-off for Mia Queen, and she goes away, and we'll never really hear for see from her again, and that's a shame.  So many possibilities for stories with Mia, Nora, and Bart....but I doubt we'll ever see it.  It would be awesome to see Bart and Nora help Mia find William.  

We FINALLY got to the crux of Thawne's hatred of Barry after 8 years---and it's bitter jealousy.  Kind of a cheesy aspect to Thawne's driven hatred, but at last, we got the full story.  And, as predicted, he was saved, but now he is powerless---but we know that he will be back at some point.  But for now, it puts Eobard on the shelf, and we can put him aside for awhile.  He's the villain you use sparingly, and when the stakes are at their most desperate.  Outside of that....introduce new villains, bring back some old ones, but don't oversaturate the show with the OG villain.  That was what hurt Supergirl it's last two seasons was the Lex Luthor overexposure....and the fact that Lex became a more of a Supergirl villain than a Superman villain.  Was okay for Season 4 and some of 5...but it was done at that point.  I just hope Eric Wallace will keep Thawne in his pocket for something major.  It was also nice to finally have Caitlin vent to Thawne about what he did to her, and how much she's spent the last 8 years hating him for what he did to Ronnie.  Long overdue to give Cait a moment on this show that was her own.  

Can we finally pull the trigger on the Chester/Allegra thing?  We can end the tease now.  And we also got to close the book for good on Damien Dhark (don't quote me on that), as he got one last moment to see Nora.  And while SHE is confused at what happened, Joe steps up, and does what he does best:  be that moral compass, and the father figure we all love about him.  

My disappointments were in Despero himself.  He wasn't as big of a villain as we were hoping, and while I was glad he was defeated by Flash (with Flash's new gold boots, btw.  FINALLY....the suit looks COMPLETE.  Along with Thawne's Reverse Flash outfit, we FINALLY got the heroes' costume RIGHT), he just didn't FEEL like a real heavy.  Thawne seemed more the major villain than Despero was.  Also...even with all the guest stars in this crossover, it didn't FEEL like a good crossover.  I had HOPED that Mia, Jefferson, Ryan Choi, Ryan Wilder, and Alex would've gotten more involved, and that THEY would team up with Flash to take down Despero with one big battle.  But they didn't give us that, and it's a HUGE letdown.  They just used these characters to help FILL the story, but didn't have as big a presence in it...except Jefferson.  We get all these Justice League teases and easter eggs and convos, but can't actually GET a Justice League team up.  And, wouldn't you think that after the last year plus...they'd have UPGRADED the Hall of Justice?!!  It still looks like a giant airplane hanger, and I know they can do better than that.  The story possibilities they can have with a Justice League show would be AMAZING...but I'm bummed we only get conversations about it, and little guest appearances.  IF they did a Justice League show...they could ROTATE the cast of the team, and not everyone would have to be on the show every week.  Well....I can dream, can't I?

So....with THIS story wrapped up, we also got the tease for the NEXT storyline which will feature Bart and Nora, as they apparently screwed up the timeline.  But we won't get that until March, so we're in a holding pattern with Team Flash for the time being, as he moves to a new night---Wednesday---when he returns, while Superman & Lois take flight for Season 2, as well as the return of Batwoman & Legends of Tomorrow. 

But...what did YOU guys think of this crossover?  What did you LIKE about it?  What disappointed you the most?  Subscribe to the blog and lemme know below!

Until March....keep on running!

THE FLASH 8.4

 

RECAP - THE FLASH  8.4:  "Armageddon Part 4"  

Well...Barry got to the crux of HIS issues this week, as we continue the fallout from LAST episode, when everything in his life went upside down.  Losing his job, being framed for being Carver's mole in the CCPD, not having ANY knowledge of the fact Joe was killed in a train accident, and now he's completely convinced that he's been losing pockets of time, and that he's been indiscriminately attacking people..."snapping" as Despero said he would before he destroys the world in 2031.  So, he seeks out Jefferson Pearce to help him initiate the "Injustice Protocol", which will take away his powers forever, in order to save everyone from this "Armageddon" that Despero says he's responsible for.  Plus, now that they've lost STAR Labs, and Despero's tapped into the nuclear energy stored there, things are about to get a lot worse.  Black Lightning refuses to help Flash take away his powers, even though he and the rest of the League members agreed to this protocol for everyone.  Meanwhile, Iris and Allegra investigate her father's death, as she and Cecile disagree on how to help Barry.  So, Cecile takes her initiative and nabs Rosa Dillon - The Top - for her plan to help Barry, but she ends up tapping into Despero's mind, and she's unable to deal with the grief of losing Joe until she's face with no other alternative...thus "powering up" in her own way.  By the time Iris and Allegra reach Barry at the Hall of Justice, Despero is there ready to kill him.  Black Lightning holds him off long enough for Barry to make a beeline for the future...but what he finds when he gets there....messes him up big time.  

This week, Barry gets the shock of his life as he lands in 2031---he stumbles upon an engagement party----featuring some of his friends:  Chunk, Allegra, Caitlin, Cecile, as well as Ryan Choi, Alex Danvers, and Ryan Wilder.  But the engagement party, however, is for Iris....and Eobard Thawne.  And when he stumbles upon the gathering...NO ONE is pleased to see him.  And...despite his trying to reason with Iris, he's met with disdain from everyone.  And as he tries to prove to Iris and everyone who he his---he changes into his Flash outfit....so he thinks.  Turns out---THAT suit has gone though a HUGE metamorphosis...into a yellow Reverse Flash outfit.  Much to his chagrin---Thawne informs him that he isn't the Flash---but Thawne---after a quick change---IS the Flash himself.  He orders his team to suit up, and they attack.  After getting battered around by the team a little bit, Barry races off with Iris.  He takes her back to their loft, and tries to explain to her what Thawne did...and that they were married and had kids...and that she was his lightning rod.  She said only Thawne said that, and before Barry could get more out, Thawne nabs him and drags him out into the street.  It's here the Thawne has revealed his big master plan to Barry:  That HE changed the timeline, by going back and becoming the one who got struck by lightning, and became The Flash.  It was he, who had caused Barry to lose his job, and it was him that had killed Joe. He felt he finally got his revenge, because he made Barry into the Reverse Flash.  He took Barry's life, and that included Iris.  Barry tries striking him, but Barry's hand phases through him.  Thawne says that he then did the ultimate:  he went back and killed Barry as a child, thus ensuring that the timeline would stick, and that Barry will die in only a matter of hours.  He finally won, and said who was the fastest now?  He zaps Barry, and knocks him out.

Barry awakes, and takes off before the cops can catch him.  He disguises himself, and sees a news report about how Damien Dhark was released from Iron Heights after evidence went missing in his case.  People are protesting, and it turns out that Barry was his partner in crime, and they had killed the Legends, Ray Palmer, Cisco, Sara Lance, and many others.  Barry knows he needs Damien's help to reset the timeline.  So, he races to Damien, explaining how the Flash ruined his life, and needs his help in fixing things.  Damien likes the plan, since Flash created an anachronism, therefore making things different.  So, they need this machine and his time stone to help reset the timeline.  As for this Team Flash, Thawne has them trying to find Barry, but he's gone into hiding.  Thawne is not happy he's missing, but knows he's running on limited speed.  After Thawne and Iris leave, we have Alex trying to figure out the awkwardness between Chunk and Allegra, and they both reveal stories about the one night stand they had, and that the relationship fell apart after that, and Allegra left town.  But soon, Dhark and Barry invade STAR Labs, and get the device they needed.  But before Damien gets a chance to kill them off, Barry races him out of there, saying they have plenty of time for that.  But Damien sees through the ruse, and sees that Barry isn't the villain he thought he was.  So, Barry gives him the soliloquy about a different time where Norah Dhark lives and his happy, and that he sacrificed his life to save her from being merged a demon.  Thawne took that all away.  So, Damien agrees to help Barry, but says that he'll need to achieve Mach 12 to get back into the time stream.  However, Barry knows what that entails, and that means actually causing Armageddon to achieve his goal.  He's not ready to destroy millions of lives, and isn't even sure he can reach that speed.  Dhark says of course he can do it, because he's the Paragon of Love, and he can make it happen.  So...with that speech, they put their plan to work.

After Alex gets to the truth about what went down between Allegra and Chester, and after much negative comments from Ryan Choi, they get an alert that Reverse Flash has reappeared.  Meanwhile, Ryan talks to Iris about her and Sophie looking to adopt after having doubts.  She also notices that Iris can't finish her vows, because of what Barry said.  Ryan said that if Iris needs to get out of town, she'll get her out of there in the Batmobile really quick.  She leaves Iris a gun to stop Barry should he show up again, but she has to head back to Gotham.  Not long after, Barry shows up, and he makes one last plea to Iris, to let her know that he loves her.  But she notices that he's fading out, and wonders if he's dying---which he is.  Before he can say more, but Thawne shows up, and orders Iris to shoot him.  But instead, she shoots Thawne, and tells Barry to beat it before she changes her mind.  Barry races off to meet Dhark.  Dhark says he's going to hold off the cavalry, while Barry takes off.  Barry and Dhark shake hands, and Barry is off and running.  Chillblaine and Frost show up to do battle with Dhark, and he does what he can to keep them at bay, but the problem is---they used a spell Constantine gave them in order to prevent him from using his magic.  They then engages in battle with them.  And as he takes them down, he's going to kill them with a sword, but the new Atom...Ryan Choi...manages to make the sword heavy, and he can't lift it, allowing Sentinel to shock him, and knock him out.  But they're afraid they're too late to stop Barry from finishing his mission.  Thawne is hot on his tail, trying to catch him, as Chester, Allegra, and Caitlin monitor from STAR Labs.  As Barry continues racing, Allegra finally fesses up to Chester that she loves him.  As Barry keeps racing, and Thawne is closer to catching him, he starts thinking of Iris...and at the same time, Iris is at home, looking out the window and in with tears in her eyes, her eyes spark up, and she says she loves Barry too.  It's just what he needs to open up the time stream, and outrace Thawne back to 2021.

Back in 2021, Despero has seemingly killed everyone on Team Flash, and is about to polish off Cecile when she gets a mental feeling about Barry, as Despero is mentally attacked.  We see this wave of energy hit STAR Labs, as time is reset back to normal, as Barry arrives back home, in his normal Flash costume.  He then faces Despero, and tells him that 2031 is reset---because Thawne had changed the timeline, and caused everything to go haywire.  He told him to go and check 2031...because he left before it got bad.  He set things right by actually causing Armageddon.  Despero says that he'll go check things out, but IF the finds that things aren't right, he'll come back to kill Flash where he stands.  He disappears, and Barry goes and sees everyone having food and talking.  Iris sees him and he races to her, overjoyed to see things back to normal.  Cecile senses something wrong, and Iris says something happened.  He tells her he'll talk about it later....he just wants to spend time with his friends.  Iris offers to call Joe, and Barry actually wants to talk to him...feeling emotional that he has his father back.  In the extra credits scene, we see Thawne arrive in 2021...in the Reverse Flash outfit...and he's in the Time Vault, and says he's not done yet---he's going to get his revenge, and he's going to have them help him...meaning Gideon.  

This was a cool episode, as we got to see an alternate reality where Thawne had stolen Barry's life...which was, in fact, a story from the comics (although, in the comics version, Thawne had actually trapped Barry in the future, and taken over Barry's life AS Barry, having disguised his face).  We see that HIS Team Flash consisted of not just our regulars, but Batwoman, Chillblaine, and the new Atom, Ryan Choi himself.  We got to see what a relationship between Allegra and Chester might've been like (they're too awkward around each other now), but we see that they MIGHT go that direction in present time somewhere down the road.  We also see that Ryan and Sophie do hook up later on, also giving us some forsadowing down the road for Batwoman.  But this hopefully means that somewhere IN the future, Ray Palmer turns over the role of The Atom to Ryan Choi.  I'm just hoping that our batch of heroes here team up against Thawne and Despero in 2021 to finish off this crossover next week.  We KNOW Thawne hasn't played his final card yet, and I WONDER whether or not the show runners will harken back to Barry Allen's FINAL storyline from his original comic run, where Thawne goes to try and kill Iris for spurning him, and Barry ends up killing him in the process.  We can only ponder until Tuesday to see what happens.  But what I DO know...is that we BETTER get a Joe sighting next week, and we get a Justice League battle out of it.  I think it's time to expand the roster, and I would give ANYTHING to see these people team up outside of what we hear about them speaking of that happens off camera.  

Anyone here TOTALLY stoked about the new Reverse Flash outfit?  I am FINALLY happy that they have it RIGHT.  I find it ironic and a tad funny that it was Barry that got to be the first one to wear it, and that Thawne looked SOOOOO out of place in the Flash outfit?    But either way, it looked GREAT.  Now....I'm just hoping that this final episode of this story arc, we FINALLY get Barry in the gold boots.  We're tired of the tease...just give it to us!  

And one more thing---despite all his machinations, Thawne didn't take into account the ONE thing that has transcended time and reality---and it's something that Iris herself said at the end of the first episode of Season 3 when Barry had reset time after creating Flashpoint:  No matter where they are...Barry will always be Barry, and she'll always be Iris---and they'll always find each other.  No matter WHAT Thawne has tried to do to destroy Barry's life, he could NEVER take away the one thing that has driven Barry moreso than the death of his mother Nora:  his eternal love for Iris.  Their bond...in ANY reality...cannot be taken away.  They will ALWAYS connect.  It's one of the main driving points of this show...that even though Barry is the hero---he's only that hero because his love for Iris drives him and motivates him to be that hero...because she believes in him, and their love for one another is unwavering.  

So...how does this all play out this next week?  Subscribe to the blog, and let me know YOUR theories....wild as they may be.  We're all in this together---so, looking forward to hearing YOUR thoughts on how this plays out.

Until next week....keep on running! 

THE FLASH 8.3

 

RECAP - THE FLASH  8.3:  "Armageddon Part 3" 

Not to borrow a line from the Disney Plus TV show, Wandavision, but I can't help myself:   "It was Eobard all along!".  We finally got A LOT more headway in this third chapter of our Arrowverse Event (it's not a Crossover this year---not to the extent that it USED to be), and it seems we're witnessing the fall of The Flash at record speed---but now we know WHY.  And, honestly, it DOESN'T come as a shock---as everyone wanted to pin everything on Despero.  And while he STILL might play a part as the villain of the piece, we now know WHY bad things are suddenly happening to the Flash, and some answers to some of our OTHER questions as well....such as what in the hell happened to Joe.  And we see Barry doing all HE can to prevent himself from cracking to pieces by asking Black Lightning for help---and they fill in some gaps THERE as well.  

Team Flash has an issue aside from helping Barry before he completely goes bonkers and fulfills Despero's vision of the future of Central City in 2031.  So, while Flash has zipped out to who knows where (WE know....THEY don't).  But the issue is this:  you have two people with VERY different view as to how to help our Scarlet Speedster.  With Barry gone AWOL, Cecile has taken the reigns of leadership, and starts formulating a plan to find Barry before Despero does, and is recruiting Caitlin and Chester to help out, as well as Allegra.  However, Iris---who knows when Barry is lying or telling the truth, has decided to find out WHY it is Barry has zero recall about Joe's death...which WE found out last week.  Iris decided to start investigating the matter, and something didn't sit right with her.  So, she got the video footage of the train accident that killed her dad, and was going to show everyone, but Cecile thought it was in poor taste, and said that Joe is dead, and everyone has to live with it.  Iris feels that if there is a chance her dad didn't die, she's going to research the matter.  This ends up bringing Cecile and Iris into conflict, and Cecile thinks she knows Barry and Joe better than Iris, and wants Iris to stop pursuing the matter.  If proving Joe's death wasn't real, it proves that someone's setting up Barry as well.  The argument doesn't end well, and Iris takes off, saying that Cecile can find Barry her way, she will find her husband her own way.  So, now we have a team splintered and fractured.  

Cecile's idea is to have Chester build a device to help amplify her empath powers, and she goes to enlist the aid of a recently parolled Rosa Dillon---The Top, with her powers looking to be beneficial to her cause.  Of course Dillion wants some assurances, and likes the fact that Cecile has to beg, but Cecile convinces her with her own hustle to help the cause.  So, Cecile...with Chester and Caitlin, put her plan to work.  And while the device...boosting Dillion and Cecile's powers...it's forcing Cecile to deal with her grief, and she can't handle it.  They stop the procedure before she's overwhelmed completely, and Dillion tells her to get over the grief and get on with life.  Caitlin talks to Cecile about how she's tried to handle the loss of Joe, and Caitlin remembers when she lost Ronnie, and how she shut down, and never really dealt with her emotions until she had to.  She SHOULD feel them.  They try again, and this time, Dillion won't let Cecile stop as they power up again...and Dillion forces Cecile to confront her grief...and in this time, Cecile's powers really come to life...and she's able to sense Despero....whom is also trying to scan for Barry.  He's gotten aware of Cecile and Dillion's presence.  He shows up to confront Cecile and Dillion, and manages to nearly kill Dillion after she offers to help find Flash for a fee.  He tries to go after Cecile, but she manages to blast him as well, and prevent any further damage to Dillion.  But they have an idea as to where Barry is.  

While Despero has powered up the Particle Accelerator at STAR Labs to help find Barry, and power up to kill him, Iris and Allegra go Team Citizen as they investigate the train tracks where Joe met his supposed end.  As they scan the area, Iris notices some kind of energy signature on the train tracks.  Allegra senses nothing with her powers, and Iris is supposed to get a checkup from Deon at some point.  They go talk to the security guard at the train station, and he says that the cameras on the platform aren't perfect because they glitch whenever there's a game going on at the stadium in Star City, since they share a grid with Ollie's old town. As Allegra asks more questions, Iris kills the investigation.  When Allegra talks to Iris later, Iris says she's avoided really dealing with her own grief regarding her dad, and that he is truly wrong.  Allegra then does her own investigating, and comes up with a theory that everything that's happened since Joe's death has happened a little TOO perfectly, TOO conveniently.  As she shows Iris the evidence, Iris sees the same energy signature she saw from the tracks.  She thinks it might be her own powers, and she tells Allegra what she sees, and she realizes that she needs to go back to the train station, because she hasn't seen all the evidence.  She meets Deon there, who's supposed to help her keep herself from phasing in and out of time...but Iris wants him to reverse the treatments....because what's going on is directly involving Barry, and they need to help him.  They both realized someone had tampered with time in order to ensure events played out in this manner.  They need to get to Barry quickly.

As for Barry himself...he's been at the Hall of Justice, catching Jefferson up on what's been happening with him, and about Despero.  He's calling in Jefferson to initiate something he calls the "Injustice Protocol" (harkening to the video game INJUSTICE, that DC helped produced, where the heroes went bad), and that Jefferson needs to take away his powers.  They said they all initiated the protocol after the Faust Affair (Felix Faust?).  He, Sara, Jefferson, Kara, J'onn...all were in agreement.  Jefferson tries to dissuade Barry, saying that once he does that...his powers are gone---forever.  Barry feels it's the only option.  Jefferson tries to get him disconnected from the Speed Force, but he can't do it.  Barry tries to goad Jefferson into doing it, but Jefferson won't---he feels there's another way.  Barry then tries to use Jefferson's family against him, and Jefferson gets mad enough and they tussle a little bit.  They crash around the Hall, and destroy the mural of Ollie in the process.  Jefferson helps Barry up and tells him that he CAN get through this.  Not to give up quite yet.  

As Barry is about to take Jefferson's words into reason, Despero shows up, and feels it's time to put Flash down.  Black Lightning holds off Despero long enough for Deon and Iris to arrive, and Iris tells him that he needs to go to 2031 to find out that he got framed...it's the only way.  Deon powers Barry up, and he races off into the future.  Despero says that they all just destroyed the future.  As Barry lands in 2031...he walks around a very quiet Central City...and comes across a banquet hall, where he sees a gathering of some of his friends:  Alex Danvers, Caitlin, Cecile, Chester, Allegra, and even Ryan Wilder...as they are there to witness Eobard Thawne proposing to Iris.  Barry is in disbelief as he looks on, when Iris and Thawne spot her---and the rest of the crowd sees him as well---NONE too pleased that he's arrived. 

SO....my theory as to WHO messed with Barry's life is NOT that much of surprise...we KNEW he was making a comeback at some point, but this was a tad sooner than expected...but not in a bad way.  As the writers are borrowing from an old Flash story from the comics...where Thawne had traded lives with Barry, and started living HIS life...it's now up to Barry to stop Thawne from screwing with his life more, and do so before Despero kills him.  And with everyone in the League NOT happy with Barry when they see him in 2031...it's going to be interesting how he can prove he's still the hero.  As for Cecile and Iris bickering---it was counterproductive, and the thought that Cecile thought she had a bigger dose of grief for the loss of Joe---she was wrong.  For her thinking SHE knows Barry any better than his own WIFE?  Wrong again.  Iris' gut instincts are fairly infallable, and when she's got that feeling in her gut, she runs with it.  And she was RIGHT this week...because she KNOWS something is off...but Cecile...too wrapped up in her grief....doesn't want to see the truth.  You'd think that with all she's been through with Team Flash....she'd get the gist by now. It will be interesting to see how THEY mend fences in the wake of all this.  And as for Iris herself...if Deon undoes all the has done to keep her in the same time and space...what happens to her at the end of this?  Or will she disappear and that's the last straw for Barry?  

Despero wasn't really a factor this week, because of the other story developing, as to how Joe died and Thawne's master plan to destroy Barry's life.  Now...my other question is this...if this becomes the "final battle" between Thawne and Barry---do we get a bit of the last major story of The Flash from the 1980's?  The one where he KILLS the Reverse-Flash....goes on trial, goes to prison...and then the series ends?  I'm VERY curious as to how all this plays out.  But nonetheless...it's been the most compelling TV we've seen from this show in awhile.  And I LOVE the fact that what we learned in the Hall of Justice this week, that Barry, Jefferson, and everyone ELSE in the League has been OPERATING as a team outside of what we see on TV...NOW---can we SEE some of that on TV for a change?  I know I would dig it!

What did YOU all think of this week's installment?  How do YOU see this story playing out?  And did Cecile's powers just get an upgrade?  Subscribe and leave a comment below and what YOU saw this week.

Until next time....keep on running!