Flash: Julian Tells Barry About the Philosopher's Stone in New Clip

CBR

By Meagan Damore

Published Dec 6, 2016

In the clip, Barry approaches Julian about the Philosopher's Stone, which Julian describes as 'the first object to give human beings powers.'

There's no time like "The Present" for Julian Albert to fill Barry Allen in about the Philosopher's Stone -- and no, not that Philosopher's Stone. In this clip from the mid-season finale of "The Flash," Barry approaches his former labmate and asks about the Philosopher's Stone, which Julian reveals to be "the first object to give human beings powers."

If that sounds familiar, that's because you've already seen it in action. As Doctor Alchemy, Julian has been giving powers to those metahumans who had them in the Flashpoint timeline. What's worse, he's doing this at the behest of Savitar, a speedster with unimaginable power.

Barry gives Julian some pause when he follows up with a question about Savitar. Further deepening the mystery around Savitar's identity, Julian calls him "the first meta with speed" and follows up with "that is all I know." Of course, that's a big fat lie on Julian's part, as Julian has come face-to-face with Savitar a few times now. Indeed, as soon as Barry steps out of the room, Julian hears Savitar call out for him.

The clip also follows up on Julian's backstory. In an earlier episode, he revealed that he was the son of wealthy parents. Here, he tells Barry that he squandered his inheritance in his search for the Philosopher's Stone, which he says he never found -- but that's also a bit of a lie, seeing as he wields it as Doctor Alchemy.

In the comics, Doctor Alchemy found the Philosopher's Stone and used it to kickstart a criminal career. The stone has the ability to transmute objects; that is, it possesses the power of transformation and is virtually indestructible. It eventually landed in the hands of Megistus, an ancient alchemist. Megistus hoped to imbue all of humanity with superpowers, in an effort to protect the species from "Final Crisis" -- an event that's been teased on "The Flash" since the show's very first season.

Starring Grant Gustin as the Scarlet Speedster, "The Flash" airs Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW. The series also stars Jesse L. Martin, Tom Cavanagh, Carlos Valdes, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Keiynan Lonsdale and more.