Okay, folks, time for a fan theory here. After this week’s episode of THE FLASH, I realized that we may have just seen a reveal – of the REAL big bad of the season! Who do I think it is? I have my reasons, and I’ll be glad to explain…after the jump!

WARNING – TOTAL SPECULATION (THAT COULD BE RIGHT OR NOT) AHEAD!

Okay, who do YOU think is the real big bad villain of Season 5?

Cicada?  No

Eobard Thawne? Nice try, but again No

The Thinker in a return? Nope

The REAL villain of the season could well be…

…

…

…

Grace!

WHAT?! That innocent little girl?

YES – and here’s why I believe this could very well be true…

1. We now know that there are still bits of shrapnel from the satellite embedded in Grace’s head. Remember that glowing spot on her forehead? That’s from those dark matter-infused pieces of satellite. That’s what sealed off Team Flash’s attempt to “wake her up” and what is keeping them from even trying that route again.
2. What could those pieces of satellite do for Grace? Every other piece of that satellite has given someone the ability to do something radical. Cicada’s lightning bolt dagger can siphon off powers. Weather Witch’s scepter can control the weather. That smart phone could cause news to happen. You get it…so what can the pieces of satellite in Grace’s head do?
3. Grace has been able to hear everything anyone has said while she has been supposedly in a coma. She knows that metas have been blamed for what happened to her, and she is angry…VERY angry about that.

HERE’S WHAT THOSE PIECES OF SATELLITE IN HER HEAD COULD DO…stay with me now…

I believe Grace can control the thoughts and actions of others. She is behind it all.

• She controls her Uncle, and directs him to take revenge on all metas. She controls her physician, directing her to assist her Uncle. They are her pawns as she seeks revenge on the world of metas for what happened to her.
• She designed Cicada’s costume – doesn’t it look like something a kid would design? Her memories as seen in Episode 12 start out with that mask being worn by her Uncle…but without the costume. Later on, we see an amalgamated version of Cicada – with her blond hair peeking out from around the mask and hood. That costume comes from her imagination…aided by dark matter in those pieces of satellite shrapnel.
• She gets news back from her Uncle and her physician while she lays in that hospital bed, and that allows her to both plan her next moves and to strengthen her control of those two key pawns in her plot.

Now, let’s look at why the alternatives may not work out:

• Could Cicada really do all this on his own? He has been acting out of blind rage this whole season, and has been increasingly distracted by his own excruciating pain. How could he achieve the clarity of thought to be so effective? He can’t – he’s getting help from someone else. Someone like…Grace!
• Could Thawne be the real bad guy here? He could, but that would be simply derivative of Season One. Nope, remember something very important…he only asks for help when he is in dire need or BIG trouble. In Season One he helped Barry train as the Flash even though he hated him…so that Barry could help him try to return to his own time. Why would he help Nora learn how to go back in time? To stop his execution? Nope – Barry probably wouldn’t interfere in that final justice. SO…what’s that countdown clock?
• Thawne knows from his time travels the exact moment that Cicada kills him.
• …and he wants to stop it.
• Remember that we also learned in Episode 12 that Barry doesn’t stop Cicada before he disappears in 2024. Cicada stays around to slay 152 metas. Guess who is one of those? Thawne, of course! That countdown clock lets him know how much time he has before Cicada comes to kill him…and he has sent Nora back in time.
• Why? We also learned that in Episode 12 – Thawne helped Nora go back so that she could help him stop Cicada. That’s the only way Thawne will live…

…and let’s not even discuss the Thinker. I just threw that name in for fun. That hopefully would not be a character with any real role this season (even though his chair keeps showing up).

SUMMARY:

Grace is the REAL villain behind it all. That metahuman cure that Barry wants to use on Cicada won’t stop the carnage. The only way to stop Cicada is to somehow stop Grace. They either need to take her powers or convince her that metas aren’t her enemy.  Hopefully they can…that is, if this theory is right.

SO…while this could be just a theory, it does have some basis in Flash Fact. What do YOU think? IS Grace the real villain here? Or is it someone else? Leave your comments below!

Share