The Flash series finale set up three characters to eventually replace Barry Allen as the Scarlet Speedster. The Flash season 9, episode 13, titled “A New World, Part Four,” saw Barry pick three people to wield the powers of the Flash. In Barry’s words, their job will be to help create a “better” world.
Based on what was known of the future Grant Gustin's Barry Allen would have after the series, there wasn’t much room for surprises in the series finale. Because of the involvement of his future children, it’s been understood for a while that Barry Allen will be the Flash until at least 2049 in the Arrowverse timeline. For that reason, it was expected from the very beginning that no matter what challenge Cobalt Blue would throw at him, Barry would defeat the villain and carry on as the Team Flash leader. However, the show wound up finding a way to circumvent expectations. In an unexpected twist, three new characters – all with DC Comics connections – obtained Barry’s Speed Force powers.
Who Is Jess Chambers In The DC Comics?
The last-ever episode of The Flash marked the Arrowverse debut of Jess Chambers, played by Hana Destiny Huggins. Though the character’s name shares a link to Jesse Chambers a.k.a. Jesse Quick from DC Comics, there’s an important distinction between them. Operating under the codename, “Kid Quick,” Jess Chambers was introduced in 2020 as the sidekick of Jesse Quick and one of DC’s non-binary superheroes.Based on Earth-11 (an alternate reality in DC’s multiverse), Kid Quick served as a member of a superhero team called Teen Justice. The character played a key role in the DC Comics crossover event, “DC Future State,” by enjoying a team-up with the Justice League. Sporting the white hair of Chambers’ comic counterpart, the new Arrowverse version of the DC Comics teenage speedster was shown getting out of a car and gazing up at the sky, presumably right before the lightning strike teased by The Flash finale.
Who Is Max Mercury In The DC Comics & Arrowverse?
Played by Trevor Carroll, Max Mercury was sitting on his motorcycle when he noticed the thunder caused by Barry Allen. Max has a reputation as one of the oldest speedsters. Debuting in 1940, Max Mercury went by the Quicksilver moniker decades before the introduction of the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. In the 1990s, he was revived by DC Comics and reintroduced as a supporting character in The Flash comics. In these stories, Max is a time-displaced speedster who’s been active as a superhero since the 19th century. Upon joining the Flash Family, Max became a mentor to Bart Allen's Impulse.Unlike the situation with Jess Chambers, Max is a character The Flash already set up. In The Flash season 8, episode 15, titled “Into the Speed Force,” Barry caught glimpses of his past, present, and future while trapped in the Speed Force. In doing so, Barry saw the faces of people close to him in various different phases of his life. When he mentioned seeing someone named “Max,” it was taken as a direct reference to Max Mercury. Barry had never encountered Max Mercury, but the nature of the scene implied that he would be introduced later. Surprisingly, The Flash saved his debut for the show’s final scene.
Who Is Avery Ho In The DC Comics & Arrowverse?
Of the three speedsters, only one was already in the Arrowverse. For The Flash season 8 midseason premiere, the show shifted its focus from Barry to his adult children. During an adventure that took them to 2013, the pair met Avery, an extremely intelligent scientist whose research involved time travel. Avery never returned to The Flash after that – nor did she cross paths with Barry Allen – but it seems he learned about her one way or another and in turn, picked her to wield his Speed Force powers.
