Bye, Felicia! 9 Possible Replacements For Barry Allen In Season 4 Of The Flash

Well, the season finale of The Flash left Barry Allen's future rather uncertain. Now that the Scarlet Speedster entered the Speed Force prison, there will undoubtedly be a leadership void in Team Flash for season 4. Dammit, Barry, when will you learn not to mess with the Speed Force and the infinite timelines? While we all know that B.A. won't be M.I.A. for too long (c'mon, this is TV and nothing is ever permanent here), there's the opportunity for someone else to step up in his absence and lead the team. Fresh off the news that the big baddie for season 4 is The Thinker, a departure from the speedster villains of seasons past, a novel approach in the titular hero could do wonders for the ratings as well. Much like the multiple Earths and timelines, there's a host of possibilities for the showrunners to explore. Considering the wild and whacky stories we've encountered over the last few years, we'd like to think that nothing is off the table here - except maybe seeing Marvel's Quicksilver as the Flash. With that in mind, we've captured the possible contenders, locked them up in a WGTC holding cell, and glued their boots down for this feature. So, without further ado, here are 9 possible replacements for Barry Allen. Wally West (Kid Flash) In the season 3 finale, "Finish Line," Barry entrusted Central City to Wally West before he entered the prison and waved goodbye to all his friends and family. So, we guess this makes Wally the most logical and obvious choice to take the reins of Team Flash, right? Over the past two seasons, we've seen Wally grow from the cocky, confused kid, with a lust for The Fast and the Furious, to becoming a legitimate partner to the Flash. Sure, he's still seen as a bit of a wide-eyed sidekick, but he's played a pivotal role in the lead up to things; therefore, making his contribution absolutely imperative in the long run. Forcing Wally to step up will also create another interesting angle for the producers to explore later on: what will happen when Barry returns? If Wally does a good job as Central City's new Flash, there's really no need for the original speedster in the team. That said, we could have a potential power struggle taking place between Barry and Wally - and who wouldn't want to see that? Jesse Chambers-Wells (Jesse Quick) Despite possessing the stupidest name since Justin Bieber, Jesse Quick is a pretty cool character. Her relationship with Wally in season 3, for example, was far more heartwarming and exciting than Barry's whiny to-and-fro antics with Iris West (who sadly lived and resulted in the death of our beloved, coffee-loving H.R. Wells). Now, there's the perfect opportunity to bring her back as a season 4 regular since Jay Garrick is free from the Speed Force prison and can protect Earth-3 again. Her father, Harrison Wells, is also seemingly back in Team Flash, so it'll be a happy family reunion in Central City if she chooses to swap Earths. If we've learned one thing from the success of Wonder Woman, it's that we need and want more female superhero protagonists in entertainment. Jesse might not be the same A-list category as Diana Prince or Black Widow, but just like The CW elevated Felicity Smoak to star status, it can do the same for the female speedster. Bart Allen Well, here's a character that we haven't seen in The Flash. Even though John Wesley Shipp hinted that there had been talks of Bart Allen way back in 2015, Barry and Iris's grandson hasn't popped up on the show yet. Yes, we've had allusions to him here and there, but nothing concrete to date. Introducing an Allen from the future could be a welcome twist - even if the character is portrayed by Grant Gustin himself. Whether he goes by the Kid Flash moniker or Impulse, there's a legion of fans waiting for this one to become a reality. Not to mention, he'd also bring with him a host of other superheroes and storylines to explore. If the producers use the Young Justice version of the character as a template, Bart could add some fast-talking, wisecracking humor into the mix as well. While Barry and Wally do have their moments, they're mostly wet rags and are always sulking about something or the other. It'd be fun to have a lighthearted speedster who isn't carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for once. Jay Garrick As we've seen before, Jay Garrick is all about sacrifice and willing to take one for the team if necessary. With Barry trapped in the Speed Force, Jay could take his place in Team Flash and help look after Central City with Wally West. After all, two Flashes are better than one. Think of Jay and Wally as the equivalents of Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond, with the older, wiser crime-fighter providing much-needed guidance to the young whippersnapper. Heck, with Jay and Joe West as mentors, Wally really has no excuse in becoming the best Flash possible. Although, we must admit this suggestion is a little bit of a selfish choice, because we just want more of John Wesley Shipp in the series. He's easily the highlight of every episode he appears in and injects a healthy dose of nostalgia and fun into his role(s). Wally West No, this isn't a mistake. You're reading the name Wally West again. You see, in DC's Rebirth, there are two Wallys running around. One is actually the original Kid Flash, created in 1959, and the other is the newer version of the character from the New 52. Since the show is all about timelines, there's always the chance that the other Wally is out there and waiting to appear in this world. Can you imagine how the longtime Flash fans would react to this news? It'd probably break the Internet faster than pics of Kim K's butt. Look, the show is jam-packed with speedsters, which is one of its biggest flaws at the moment, but introducing the original Wally West is a must-happen event. Whether it occurs next season or further on down the line, it simply has to happen. He's a popular character and a humungous part of the Flash folklore, so you can't ignore him. Julian Albert With Caitlin Snow struggling to contain her "killer" instinct, Julian is a broken man. He's already done a couple of questionable things in the aid of trying to help her, so it wouldn't surprise us if he crossed other boundaries in the future. What if Julian decides to, ahem, stumble upon some super-speed powers, in an effort to get closer to Caitlin? He's shown that he possesses the intellect to do something like this, and it's an entirely plausible concept on this show, so we wouldn't write off this possibility at the moment. Unfortunately, Julian isn't a really likeable fella, so even if he did become the hero, the chances are it would have to be for an episode or two at the most. It's not like any of us are begging to see more of him, especially when there are far more interesting characters around. He's a real gloomy Gus and unlikely to change his attitude anytime soon. August Heart (Godspeed) If you haven't read Joshua Williamson's The Flash series, you're missing out on a really solid title. One of its greatest moments was the introduction of August Heart, AKA Godspeed. While the character served primarily as an antagonist, we feel he could work well as a hero (at first). A colleague of Barry's, August experienced the tragedy of his brother being murdered by a criminal. Due to the destruction of the evidence on the night that Barry got struck by lightning, the killer walked free and never paid for his sins. Later on, August was caught in a Speed Force storm and became Godspeed, using his powers to exact revenge. Not only can August absorb other speedsters' speed, but he can also create a clone of himself due to how fast he is. Imagine a powerful character like Godspeed joining Team Flash before becoming an almighty villain? Sounds like the perfect storyline to us. Eobard Thawne (Reverse-Flash) Oh, yes! You know why season 3 hasn't been as good as the first two? Because we haven't seen enough of the Reverse-Flash, the Scarlet Speedster's greatest adversary. This needs to be remedied, and we have the perfect way to do so. With Barry out of the picture, what motivation does Eobard Thawne have to stay a bad guy? Okay, he has plenty, but hear us out here for a second. Like Captain Cold found his conscience, so, too, could Reverse-Flash. Instead of screwing with timelines, he could dedicate himself to helping Team Flash keep Central City free from the evil doers of all the alternate universes. Obviously, his babyface turn would only be temporary, because we all know that bad guys are bad to the core on TV shows. But at least this keeps us entertained until Barry returns and fights his nemesis again. To make things more fun, we could even have a member of Team Flash defect to Reverse-Flash's side. Our vote's for Cisco. Barry Allen Barry Allen can replace Barry Allen in Team Flash. There, we said it. How, you may ask? It's rather simple - well, not really, but we'll try to explain. We know that Barry can run at supersonic speeds and mess around with time, correct? Well, what if he could run so fast that he is in two places at once, like Godspeed? Essentially, he could trick the Speed Force into thinking he's in the prison when he's not. He'd be sipping coffee with Iris at Jitters and laughing at how he pulled off the great escape. Ta-da! Scientifically, it does sound impossible considering a human's mass and having to be in a certain position for a sustained period of time, but this is the comic book world, people. They'll find a way to make it happen and explain it to us in a convincing way. That, or we might just end up with a clone story of sorts. And that's a wrap, folks! Tell us, do you think Barry will be replaced in season 4 of The Flash? As always, please be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.