'The Flash' Season 4: Clifford DeVoe AKA Thinker Is Reportedly the Main Villain
Barry Allen's (Grant Gustin) next adversary in "The Flash" season 4 has been revealed by sources who spoke with TVLine.
Citing the unnamed sources, TVLine reported that the show's next big bad will be Clifford DeVoe, also known as The Thinker. He will reportedly be Barry's new rival once he finds a way to escape from the Speed Force prison. As showrunner Andrew Kreisberg previously teased, season 4 will mark the first time that the Flash will not fight with another speedster.
"Next season we're not going to have a speedster [as the Big Bad]," the showrunner said in March during a PaleyFest panel.
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Comic book fans would know that The Thinker is a longtime Flash and Titans villain. The character was created in 1943 and he is considered as one of the Flash's earliest rivals. In addition, the Flash was the first to ever imprison the Thinker, making them archenemies.
Originally a rival to Jay Garrick, The Thinker fought three generations of the Crimson Comet until his death in the 1998 comic "The Flash #134." Following his demise, The Thinker's brain patterns were used to develop AI that also became a villain.
Known as a tech-enhanced antihero, The Thinker uses various high-tech gadgets to fight his foes. One of his most popular tools was the "Thinking Cap," a metal hat that is capable of projecting mental force. He can also bring his virtual self from the grave through a replica of the said cap.
Just like many notorious villains, The Thinker was not always a bad guy. He slowly built the foundation of his career as a promising district attorney, similar to Marvel heroes Laurel Lance and Matt Murdock. After ruining his first major case, he decided to turn to a life of crime as he watched his career slowly go up in smoke.
"The Flash" season 4 is expected to premiere in October on The CW.
