General Eiling's Return Is Bad News For 'Flash'

The Flash has been providing a great, lighthearted yet still impactful take on a superhero who doesn't get as much shine as Superman and Batman. But even in such a joyful universe, actions have consequences. As metahumans gain a higher profile and Gorilla Grodd is brought into the picture, The Flash will have to worry about more real world consequences of having a profile as a superhero beyond the local police. What does that mean exactly? Well, General Eiling returns to The Flash in "The Nuclear Man," which spells trouble. The return of the army official who has an intense history with Harrison Wells is very foreboding for our favorite Scarlet Speedster. He brought some gravitas to The Flash earlier in the season and will be coming back this season for two more episodes.

After "The Nuclear Man," Gen. Eiling will also appear in the Feb. 17 episode "Fallout." But we won't be seeing him as the hulked out supervillain that was featured on the Justice League animated series — or at least not anytime soon. Instead, The Flash is developing Eiling as the kind of villain Barry has to outsmart rather than outrun. He represents the real world consequences to the appearance of metahumans and superhero hijinks.

What do we know about Eiling thus far? Well, he's intelligent, obsessively patriotic, and sees metahumans as weapons to be used by the government. He's also one of the few people who doesn't back down to Harrison Wells. Their history hasn't been entirely spelled out, but we do know Eiling and Wells were involved in a project that made Gorilla Grodd.

The synopsis for the Feb. 17 episode of The Flash reveals quite a bit of important spoilers (so, obviously, spoilers ahead). For one, Dr. Stein and Ronnie Raymond will be seperated. Although it seems that may not last for long. But the most interesting The Flash spoiler? General Eiling targets Firestorm when he returns. This makes total sense. Remember that in the "Plastique" episode, Eiling was hellbent on bringing the reluctant metahuman back into the army's fold because of her potential as a weapon.

I know we all tend to focus on Harrison Wells/Reverse-Flash, but The Flash has a lot of great villains. We obviously haven't seen the last of Captain Cold and Heat Wave, and there are all those criminals stuck in the makeshift prison at S.T.A.R. Labs. Anyone want to bet on when we'll see those bad guys get out? But General Eiling stands in a league of his own.

With the U.S. Government, ruthlessness, and high intelligence on his side, Eiling may be the most difficult foe Barry faces at this point in his life as a superhero. I wouldn't be surprised if he's developed into an Amanda Waller-like character for The Flash. especially since those characters have worked together in the comics. I just hope Barry finds a way to outsmart this guy and keep everyone he loves safe, because Gen. Eiling is the last person he needs targeting him.

Images: Jack Rowand/The CW; theflashgifs/Tumblr; Giphy