Has The Fastest Man Alive met his match? ETonline chats with the actor behind Blackout, "the most dangerous" villain yet.
You never know what you have until it’s gone.
Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is about to get a harsh dose of reality on the latest installment of The Flash. The future of The Fastest Man Alive is put in major jeopardy after a dangerous metahuman, Blackout (guest star Michael Reventar), begins to harness the town’s electrical supply, leaving Barry without his most prized ability: his superhuman speed.
PICS: 'The Flash' Has a Justice League Easter Egg Hiding in Plain Sight!
ETonline has the exclusive first look at Tuesday’s episode, titled "Power Outage," as Barry vents his frustrations to STAR Labs’ Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) about this unforeseen obstacle and struggles to come to terms with the fact that his crime-fighting days may be over. Poor Barry!
It is obvious Barry has grown attached to The Flash persona. So much so that it’s become a part of him, and a way for Barry to be a better version of himself. "I love being The Flash," he admits. "I’m not sure I can live without it Caitlin."
That pronouncement is enough for Caitlin and the rest of the STAR Labs crew to figure out a way to reverse Blackout’s effects so The Flash can become The Flash again. But, as the photo below hints, they’ll have to bring down Blackout in order to do so.
NEWS: 'The Flash's' Grant Gustin Teases an Explosively Fun Episode!
ETonline also caught up with the man behind Blackout, Reventar, who called his alter ego "the baddest of the bad, the worst of the worst and the scariest of the scariest." If that’s not a warning of what’s to come, then we don’t know what is.
"He’s considered the strongest source of electricity on Earth," Reventar said of his character, likening Blackout’s need for electricity to an addict. "He’s an electrical vampire. He is cursed with the urge to drink electricity, although if he doesn’t want to, he cannot stop drinking."
The Flash has gone up against nemeses such as Multiplex, Captain Cold and Plastique, but they don’t hold a candle to this one. "I definitely think he’s the most dangerous in terms of what we know now. Electricity is no joke and in the hands of somebody with a hidden agenda, you never know what’s going to happen," the actor warned.
NEWS: Why You'll Fall in Love With 'The Flash' in Seconds
"There’s something [poignant] about what you think you have and when you lose it, you didn’t really know what you had until it’s gone," Reventar said of Barry’s identity crisis. "And trying to navigate and solve and remedy it is not true to The Flash, but true to Barry Allen. The Flash is only so amazing because of Barry’s heart."
“When Barry loses everything, he actually gains it all. When you feel like you have nothing, you have everything,” he added. “You can’t deny who you are.”
NEWS: Which Superhero Should Felicity Choose? 'Arrow's' Emily Bett Rickards Spills!
Thus far this season, Dr. Wells and his STAR Labs crew have been locking up evil metahumans in a secure vault below ground in what has to be a drum-up to a epic standoff. Could Blackout join the group? “No comment!” Reventar said with a laugh. We’ll take that as a maybe!
The Flash zips onto TV screens Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
For all your Flash needs, follow resident Central City expert Philiana Ng on Twitter at @insidethetube, and don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments below!