In October 2014, The Flash took off running following a brief introduction on mother series Arrow. The show rapidly (pun intended) set itself apart from The CW's original DCTV series, presenting viewers with a lighter superhero affair. The first season saw Barry Allen come up against his most fearsome foe, the Reverse-Flash, leading the show to reach fan-favorite status in no time thanks to its healthy blend of superspeed antics, humor, drama and warmth.

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While the second season performed strongly, some fans complained of a dip in quality, lamenting the fact that the basic story was very reminiscent of the previous season, a retread of sort -- but it was still a strong effort. Then, Season 3 continued that trend, once again offering similar developments and story beats. The series had become formulaic, with a story that seemed to lose track of what it wanted to tell. Now, the fourth season has arrived, and it appears as though everyone involved has course corrected, promising something new and different from the citizens of Central City.

Season 4 began with an episode titled "The Flash Reborn," a title indicating the strong possibility that the series might once again look to the source material -- the comic books -- to begin anew.

Season 3 started with Barry creating a new "Flashpoint" timeline, albeit one very different from the comic books of the same name. After Barry decided to play God and change time itself, he spent the rest of the season trying to fix his mistakes, ending up with no other choice but to sacrifice himself to the Speed Force in order to right his wrongs. While this is much different than the way Barry sacrificed himself to save the entire world from the Anti-Monitor in the Crisis on Infinite Earths 1985 maxiseries, the end result is still the same: Barry was believed dead.

While it took decades for Barry to come back to life in the comics, in the Arrowverse, Barry was gone for a mere six months. While the show's return was fairly low key compared to his comic book resurrection (Barry returned to life in the thick of a battle for the fate of the entire planet in the pages of Grant Morrison's Final Crisis), there's no reason The CW series cannot look to the comics for inspiration as he regains his footing. Specifically, it would be a wise choice to pull from Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver's The Flash Rebirth, a series that explored the impact Barry's return had on the entire Flash family.

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Like the show, the comic series started during a dark time for the DC Universe. But over six issues, as Barry cemented his return amongst the living, he brought with him a glimmer of hope, a joy and a happiness that the DCU hadn't felt in a long while. The producers of the series have promised Season 4 will go back to the roots of the series and focus on the fun of being a superhero, which is the right move. Yes, Barry is allowed his moments of darkness, but he is, at his core, a lighter character who has more moments of levity than despair.

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The Flash Family

One of the complaints that arose during the last two seasons was that there were too many speedsters running around Central City. While that is certainly a valid criticism, The Flash Rebirth proved that there is a way to make multiple speedsters integral parts of a story, while keeping the focus on Barry and Wally. Yes, Wally West had a big role to play in the comic, and seeing as how he is also a big part of the television series, he should see a rebirth of his own, one that results in him become a hero who can stand on his own. Wally shouldn't face the insecurities that once plagued him on the show, and he should have the wisdom that came from being the one and only Flash of Central City in Barry's absence.

Wally had decades to prove himself a worthy successor to Barry Allen in the comics -- a span that saw him become a fan-favorite to a generation of readers -- but the television series didn't dedicate more than the first half of the Season 4 premiere to his solo career. That's if you can call it a "solo" career, considering he spent more as a duo with Vibe than alone. (Though he's also apparently been teaming with Legends of Tomorrow's Citizen Steel, so there may be more stories yet to be told.) That's fine, though; upcoming episodes can still show us an evolved character who is more than worthy of filling Barry's red boots.

The Flash Family, from Wally to Bart (Barry's grandson from the future), Jesse Quick and Jay Garrick are all important players. They illustrate the fundamental idea of legacy in the DC Universe, and every one of them has room to grow on The Flash, even if they haven't all debuted yet. The television series is already one about family, and it should reflect that in every aspect possible.

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Going in Reverse

And then, there's perhaps the Flash Family's most important member aside from Barry: Eobard Thawne. He may be their ultimate enemy, but he's also an intrinsic part of the mythology. In fact, as much as The Flash Rebirth was a series about Barry Allen's return form the grave, so too was it about Reverse-Flash's resurrection. Sure, Eobard has already been defeated in the Arrowverse shows, once by Barry, then by the Legends of Tomorrow, and both times found the character erased from existence. But if there's one thing Thawne is known to do, it's to find a way to come back to life -- no matter how unlikely.

As the Flash is "reborn" on his series, so too should Thawne. It shouldn't happen right away, perhaps not even this season, but for every positive, there has to be a negative. The Rebirth story by Johns and Van Sciver introduced the idea that the Speed Force was a creation of Barry Allen's speed as well as Thawne's own Negative Speed Force, and this new season would be a perfect way to set up this expansion of the mythos. In the comics, Thawne was the one responsible for bringing Barry back to life. Could he have helped in some way on the show as well?

The Lighting Rod

Finally, The Flash Rebirth established the idea of the Lightning Rod, a physical presence tethering all speedsters to the real world should they run too fast and disappear into the Speed Force. For Barry Allen, that person is Iris West. Since Iris has been an important part of Barry's life from the beginning, it makes sense to tap into this bit of lore from the comics, and expand upon the idea that Iris was fundamental to Barry's physical return. She already helped "wake" Barry up, but the circumstances of what brought him out of the Speed Force remains shrouded in secrecy. Hopefully, answers will come, and Cicso can coin the phrase "lightning rod."

We already know a wedding is in the cards for the couple (something that will be explored in the Arrowverse's next big crossover), and the series would do well to let these two be there for each other. After so many ups and downs, it's time for Barry and Iris to become a strong and stable couple, for the two of them to become a team that faces things together, not apart. The Flash has all the right tools to return to its former greatness. Much like Barry Allen, it just needs to take the time to slow down every once in a while to see what's missing, to look to the comics for inspiration in order to keep Barry and Central City's speedster family on the right track -- that's just a Flash fact.

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8pm on The CW.