The Flash's Grant Gustin Says Speed Force Will Change Barry

The Flash may have ended its third season on a sad note, but the show won’t be without its lead for long. Barry Allen sacrificed himself to the Speed Force the last time fans saw him, but the Flash will return to Central City when season four rolls around. And, now, Grant Gustin is detailing just how the Speed Force will change the superhero.

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ComicBook had a chance to speak with Grant Gustin at San Diego Comic Con, and the actor had plenty to say about Barry’s time in the Speed Force.

“We’re not necessarily going to see Barry’s experience in the Speed Force. We’ll see kind of the effects that the Speed Force has had on Barry, and he’s been in there six months real-time,” Gustin started.

“I suspect the Speed Force is kind of nonlinear with time, so Barry has experienced his entire life from star to end infinity times over since he’s been in there.”

Continuing, the actor said, “He’s going to have kind of an awakening when he comes out. He’s going to have some knowledge that he probably doesn’t even quite understand yet. He’ll also be little scrambled; He won’t really be himself the first time we see him.”

Fans won’t be too surprised to hear about the Speed Force’s effect on the Flash; After all, Barry was well-aware during the season three finale that his sacrifice wasn’t going to be an easy one. Being stuck in the Speed Force is damaging, and The Flash went so far as to prove that by trapping Wally West there for a spell. When Barry exits the Speed Force, he will not be the same man he was before he stepped foot into it, and Gustin said that truth makes his job a bit more exciting next year.

“It’s almost like a fresh start for me as an actor,” the actor said, nodding to how different Barry will be in season four.

For now, fans will have to wait and see how the Flash recovers from his stint in the Speed Force. Barry may never return to the person he once was, but the character’s desire to help others hopefully won’t be stamped out - not even the Speed Force could change that trait.

CW's The FlashWednesday at 8PM on CW

With the help of his adoptive father, Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), his lifelong best friend and love interest Iris West (Candice Patton), and his friends at S.T.A.R. Labs — Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), C.S.I Julian Albert (Tom Felton), and an Earth-19 novelist named H.R. Wells (Tom Cavanaugh) — Barry continues to protect the people of Central City from the meta-humans that threaten it.

Based on the characters from DC, THE FLASH is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “Supergirl”), Andrew Kreisberg (“Arrow,” “The Flash”), Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) and ToddHelbing (“Black Sails”).

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