WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Pay the Piper," the latest episode of The Flash.
In the sixth season of The Flash, Godspeed has been a consistent threat to the Scarlet Speedster. In the premiere episode, Barry Allen went head to head with the villain as he caused havoc around Central City -- only it wasn't Godspeed. After the Flash took down the speedster, it was revealed that a mindless man had been sent to pose as the villain.
That thread was dropped until the show's most recent episode, "Pay the Piper," where Godspeed returned looking to take advantage of the Flash in his weakened state. With the help of frenemy Hartley Rathaway, Barry was able to take down the speedster for a second time; however, it once again was an imposter. But unlike his counterparts, this Godspeed got a little chatty in his defeat.
The most recent Godspeed made it clear that he wasn't the brains of the operation, and there is someone more sinister pulling the strings. He went on to say that the mastermind of the scheme is looking to steal the Flash's velocity before becoming a mindless automaton as all the other imposters had. This plan is an ambitious one for Godspeed, but it shouldn't be unfamiliar to viewers of The Flash.
All the way back in Season 2, fans were introduced to Zoom, an evil speedster from Earth-2 who was hellbent on becoming the fastest man alive. During his crusade, the villain captured Earth-3's Jay Garrick, and posed as him as he made his way onto Team Flash. Zoom's reason for doing so was that he wanted to become close to the Flash to be in a place to steal his speed.
Zoom achieved his goal for a short time before Barry was able to turn the tides and take the villain down with the help of time remnants. From that point on, Barry's speed was secure as he battled the likes of Savitar, the Thinker and Cicada in subsequent seasons. But now, as the show enters Season 7, it's obvious that the Scarlet Speedster will once again have to fight for the fate of his powers.
The issue that stems from this storyline is that The Flash could quickly begin treading water if it's handled poorly. Three out of the seven seasons of the series have seen Barry come up against a speedster villain, something that makes sense when looking at the character's history. But as the series gets into its later outings, it's important to keep things feeling fresh, which may be difficult when dealing with a concept that's already been touched upon on several occasions.
With the finale of Season 6 coming three episodes early due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the continuation of the Godspeed story will likely have to wait until Season 7. Hopefully, with extra time to iron out details, the powers that be at The CW will take its newest villain in a direction that diverges from what fans have already seen.
Airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, The Flash stars Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Panabaker, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Nicolet and Hartley Sawyer.