A major plot point in The Flash was the death of the Speed Force, the extradimensional energy field that was the source of Barry’s abilities. He’s currently working on an artificial replacement for it, and a new fan theory has postulated that it’ll be revealed to be the A.I. Gideon.
The theory explains that as it was explicitly stated in season 1 that Barry is the one who created Gideon at some unspecified point in the future, it stands to reason that he would have had a specific reason to do so, other than fulfilling the requirements of a stable time loop required so Eobard Thawne can bring her back when he usurps Harrison Wells’ life.
As well as her having been shown to be able to read messages written in the Speed Force language, which is a highly specific capability with which to program an A.I., she can track Barry as he time travels and retains awareness of how Earth-Prime differs from Earth-1, suggesting her consciousness (for lack of a better word) exists outwith the standard flow of reality. It’s clear that she’s much more than merely a highly advanced operating system, and it follows that something whose functionality is so geared towards speedsters would have been constructed with the intention of being used by one.
It also makes sense for Barry to build the artificial Speed Force with self-awareness, as the natural one was a sentient entity as well, and in crafting a replacement he would seek to design it as close to the original as possible. It took on the form of various people when it wanted to impart information, and the holographic head of Gideon may well be the new equivalent of such self-representation, while Barry being able to communicate directly would confer significant advantages.
This may all only be pure speculation, but if proven correct, it’d address a number of issues currently lingering in The Flash, and streamline several plot points going forwards.
Published: Dec 3, 2020 11:34 am