In the wake of his father’s death at the literal hand of Zoom, The Flash‘s Barry Allen is in “the darkest place we’ve ever seen him,” Grant Gustin affirms in this video Q&A.

Speaking with TVLine at The CW’s Upfronts event red carpet, Gustin also notes that despite this tragic blow, Barry is a man of optimism, and that’s a quality he likely won’t lose — though putting the best spin on things may be markedly harder coming out of the Season 2 finale (airing Tuesday at 8/7c).

The Flash frontman also weighs in on whether Barry might push would-be girlfriend Iris away after losing a loved one to a supervillain, ponders the prospect of another team-up with Supergirl (who this fall will also call The CW home) and reflects on the trickiness and hiccups of complex inter-show crossovers.

Per the official logline for the season finale, titled “The Race of His Life,” Barry vows to do whatever it takes to stop Zoom after the sinister speedster reveals his true plan.

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