‘The Flash’ Season 8: Grant Gustin Teases the Existence of Multiple Timelines in ‘Armageddon’
“Armageddon” is an Arrowverse crossover that isn’t an Arrowverse crossover because it only takes place in the world of The Flash. From now on, let’s just call it a crossover hybrid. But however the five-part event is labeled, “Armageddon” promises to be a game-changer for The Flash Season 8. And now, thanks to Grant Gustin, we know that the crossover hybrid will include multiple timelines.
What is ‘Armageddon’ in ‘The Flash’?
The synopsis for The Flash Season 8 Episode 1, “Armageddon, Part 1,” reads, “When a powerful alien threat arrives on Earth under mysterious circumstances, Barry, Iris, and the rest of Team Flash are pushed to their limits in a desperate battle to save the world. But with time running out and the fate of humanity at stake, Flash and his companions will also need to enlist the help of some old friends if the forces of good are to prevail.”
The alien in question is Despero, played by Tony Curran. In the comic books, Despero rules as a tyrant on his planet, Kalanor, much to the dismay of some of its inhabitants. He clashes with the Justice League often.
In “Armageddon,” though, Despero leaves his planet for an unknown reason and arrives on Earth to confront The Flash. And, of course, the villain’s presence threatens humanity’s existence.
Grant Gustin teases the five-part event
Per TVLine, The Flash star Grant Gustin previewed the high stakes of “Armageddon” and what fans can expect.
He said, ” … towards the very end of the [first] episode, Despero shows up for the first time and essentially says that Barry is going to be the cause of the Armageddon to come. Barry, first of all, is in disbelief and tries to tell Despero that this is just not possible, but there’s enough evidence that Despero gives to leave Barry pretty concerned that this future is something that might end up happening.”
Knowing that Neal McDonough and Tom Cavanagh are slated to reprise their roles in “Armageddon” as Damien Darhk and Eobard Thawne, Gustin added, “We’re going to see a couple of different timelines, I guess you could say. It’s cool. It’s a bit of an alternate reality that we’re going to be in. That was another thing, I had a blast working with Neal and Tom. I had never worked with Neal before, and their parts in our storyline are integral and pretty cool.”
Fans know that Barry’s time-traveling endeavors never end well. And even though it’s still a mystery as to how Darhk and Thawne arrive, it might be safe to say that Barry uses his time-traveling skills to recruit them for the fight against Despero. But we will just have to wait and see how the use of multiple timelines factors into “Armageddon” in The Flash.
Who’s showing up to the party in ‘The Flash’ crossover hybrid ‘Armageddon’?
Many heroes and villains from across the Arrowverse will join Team Flash in “Armageddon.” The star-studded cast includes Chyler Leigh as Sentinel, Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Brandon Routh as The Atom, Kat McNamara as Mia Queen, Osric Chau as Ryan Choi, Tom Cavanagh as Reverse Flash, and Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk.
These Arrowverse characters won’t all appear in one episode together, though, thanks to coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols. We know that Routh is in the first episode, Williams appears in the second one, and Leslie, Leigh, and Chau are in the third. As for the rest of the characters, that’s a mystery.
The Flash‘s five-part event, “Armageddon,” begins on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
