Differences
Fewer High Stakes
As mentioned in the similarities section, the lives of Barry’s friends are altered due to him modifying the past. However, the lives that were changed because of FLASHPOINT in the show are different from the ones in the comics. In the comics Aquaman and Wonder Woman’s people were at war, Superman was held prisoner by the US government, and Thomas Wayne was Batman with his wife Martha as the Joker. Due to Barry’s selfish decision, the whole world was put in jeopardy. Because of this, the comic version of FLASHPOINT had significantly higher stakes than the ones on the show. This is part of what made the FLASHPOINT have such a big impact; one decision made by the Flash affected everyone in the DC universe! Since FLASHPOINT on the show only lasted one episode, fans only got to see how The Flash show was altered and not all the DC shows. Due to Barry only being aware of how his close friends were affected, there was no immediate urgency for him to fix the timeline. Also, in FLASHPOINT Barry lost his powers, so there was even a greater need to fix the timeline.
Maintaining Super Speed
A major difference between the show and the comics is that Barry still possesses his super speed. In the comics, after the Flash stopped the Reverse-Flash from killing his mother the timeline was altered completely. The Reverse-Flash was the one who essentially motivated Barry to become a CSI in order to find the man who killed his mother, thus putting Barry in his lab where he gets struck by lightning and becomes the Flash. In other words, Barry is not the Flash in FLASHPOINT and does not possess his super speed. However, in the show Barry does possess his powers for some reason. This was not a big drawback, as the episode still provided audiences with a similar message as the one given in the comics. It is however worth mentioning, as it’s never really explained in the episode.
Losing Memories of the Previous Timeline
In the show, Barry began to lose his memories of his original timeline the more he used his super speed. This was not an issue in the comic version of FLASHPOINT. Barry was able to retain all his memories of the previous timeline on top of his new memories from FLASHPOINT. In fact, even after he corrected the timeline and created the New 52, Barry still remembered everything in both timelines. This is why Barry was able to learn from his mistake in the comics; he experienced and remembered the repercussions of his actions. This change from the comics was clearly made to give Barry a greater incentive to fix the timeline and to make him realize that he was not truly happy living in his alternate life.
In the end, while FLASHPOINT only lasted one episode, it still gave viewers the same sensation that readers felt when they read the comics. The show still kept the focus of the story on the Flash and how he learns a lesson from the whole ordeal. It also maintained that altering a single event in the past could drastically change the lives of everyone, even if the effects were limited to the characters specific to the Flash TV show. It was a solid episode and a great way to kick off the 3rd season of The Flash!
So what did you think of the show’s version of FLASHPOINT? Did it disappoint you that it only lasted one episode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Next time we’ll have a character spotlight on the villainous speedster, the Rival!
