Who is Savitar on 'The Flash'? New clue sparks identity theory after episode 19
Seriously, who is Savitar? Tell us!
If you're a fan of The Flash, you're probably getting just a tad frustrated not knowing who's underneath all the armor. I know I am. It's been months now since Savitar first appeared, and yet his identity remains a mystery. There are theories, of course, and I posited not long ago that Savitar could be anyone from a future Barry Allen to Wally West or even Jay Garrick.
Most of us probably hoped we'd have our answer following episode 19 of The Flash, titled "The Once and Future Flash." Barry decided to travel to 2024, a point in time where Iris had already died and Savitar was trapped in the Speed Force. Obviously, if Barry was able to defeat his enemy in the future, he must have learned his identity — right? Wrong. So, we'll have to wait yet another week to find out who's been torturing Barry all this time.
Though we didn't learn Savitar's identity for certain, we did get some clues to make one last guess before the reveal probably happens in episode 20. Said clues have narrowed my list down to three names, with one standing tall above the rest: Wally West.
Is Wally West Savitar?
Wally West is a common name floated as Savitar's true identity. Do a quick Google search and you'll see he may very well be the most popular name — well, after future Barry, that is. But the idea Barry Allen will become Savitar continues to seem more far-fetched. With Wally, on the other hand, some fuel has been added to the fire.
When Barry traveled to the future in "The Once and Future Flash," he was given a glimpse into a world where Savitar succeeds in killing Iris — and it's not pretty. Cisco has lost his hands and his powers; Barry has withdrawn; and Wally West is wheelchair-bound and completely catatonic. And how did the young speedster get that way? He tried to face off with Savitar on his own.
What would cause Wally to lose himself entirely? A broken back alone is unlikely to cause his future catatonic state, but perhaps learning Savitar's identity would. What if Wally went toe-to-toe with Savitar only to learn that he was battling himself? At least, that's what I think happened. Let's call it: I'm anywhere from 89.5% to 91.5% confident that Wally and Savitar are one and the same.
You might think this doesn't make sense. After all, Wally has a broken back and is completely catatonic, yet he's supposed to somehow become the god of speed? And wait, isn't Savitar trapped in the Speed Force at that point? Honestly, I can't completely refute those arguments other than to say that after three years of watching The Flash and spending two with Legends of Tomorrow, there's no point in trying to play logic with time travel.
Plus, in addition to Wally being in a catatonic state — likely from learning the evil speedster's identity — let's not forget Savitar told Barry he "created himself." And technically, Savitar is the one who gave Wally his powers. It may cause a crazy time-travel headache, but hey: It's time travel, remember?
Who else could it be?
OK, so I'm 75% confident Wally West is Savitar. But if he's not, who else could it be? The other major hint we got in "The Once and Future Flash" was that whoever Savitar is, he's only able to convince Killer Frost to join his side after revealing his identity. This would have us believe that whoever Savitar is, Killer Frost trusts him. But who would Killer Frost trust?
Immediately, we have to suspect Caitlin Snow's former romantic interests — and each season of The Flash has given her a new one. First there was Ronnie Raymond, who ultimately became Firestorm and then died in the singularity at the end of season one. Season two brought Jay Garrick, whom we later learn is Hunter Zolomon and Zoom. And, of course, season three has given Caitlin Julian. Could it be any of these lovers? Maybe.
Let's take a look at Ronnie Raymond. If there's anyone Caitlin Snow — even as Killer Frost — would wish to align with, it's Ronnie. He was the first love of her life, and the Earth-2 version of Killer Frost was madly in love with him as Deathstorm. The issue, of course, is Ronnie is dead. Right? Well, maybe not. It's possible that when he was sucked into the singularity, Ronnie found himself trapped in the Speed Force. Maybe this is even how he gets his speed.
How about Zoom? Hunter Zolomon actually seems like an interesting candidate. He's already a speedster, so we don't have to worry about how he got his powers. But he was turned into Black Flash at the end of season two, and we've since seen him acting as a type of grim reaper on Legends of Tomorrow.
For Zolomon to become Savitar, The Flash's writers would have to work overtime to explain away the plot holes. Plus, let's not forget Abra Kadabra mentioned Zoom and Savitar as separate people when teasing Barry. That leaves Julian, who I'm frankly not even remotely convinced could be Savitar.
In conclusion
With just one week likely remaining until we learn Savitar's identity, I'm 67% confident he is Wally West, so that's where I'm placing my bets. However, I do think there's an outside shot Ronnie Raymond could be Savitar, especially given Caitlin's reaction. Still, Killer Frost could see that a former member of Team Flash — in Wally West — is Savitar, which could explain her reaction.
Of course, there's always the possibility Savitar could be someone else entirely. As I've mentioned in the past, Grant Gustin has said nobody would be able to guess the answer to season three's biggest mystery.
"With Zoom and Reverse-Flash, the audience was starting to realize things before we all started to piece it together," Gustin told TV Line. "But I don't know how you would know this year. And when you do find out, it's like, 'Oh. My. God!' There are really no secrets or hints leading up to to it."
With all that said, I'm 50% sure Wally West and Savitar are the same person. But we'll hopefully know for sure after episode 20. For now, I have no idea who Savitar is.
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