(Totally different tangent to my Barry has got it wrong thread, so I'm making a new one for this).
There's one damn good reason why Wells CANNOT possibly be "just" Reverse Flash. (And I hope the producers/writers actually sit down and consider all the ramifications of changed timeline stuff when they write their eps)
In the episode "Power Outage" Barry lost his powers, and upon checking with his computer (Gideon, though it's strange having a male name and female voice), it was realised that the timeline had been changed and that all mention of The Flash, and Barry Allen, had disappeared from history.
IF, Wells was indeed Reverse Flash, because his inspiration for going back no longer existed at that point, he should have ALSO quite literally popped out of the current timeline at the instant that Barry's powers disappeard, and it would have left Barry, Cisco and Caitlin to defeat Blackout by themselves. (Although Blackout would NOT have needed defeating at that point, because with Wells literally yanked back to his own time and the timeline changed back to normal, Blackout's powers (and those of all the other metahumans) should have disappeared as well.) (Although they would have all got them at later points due to accidents etc, but it would have been a staggered process rather than an all at once process as was the case with the reactor).
I'll explain.
Wells is a time traveller and knows the future, of that there is NO doubt. However, by his own words the SOLE reason for him going back in time is to seemingly (create) "help" (and do a thesis on) The Flash.
It's like the chicken and the egg paradox, which came first The Flash or Wells' interference.
In Wells' future The Flash was history, so maybe he sought to be the person who created him, nudge the process along (an ego thing perhaps).
Imo, Barry would have STILL become a speedster regardless of Wells, as at some point a bolt of lightning would have STILL hit the rack of chemicals.
This can be said with 100% CERTAINTY, because The Flash as Barry Allen existed BEFORE Wells even considered going back.
Anyway, bearing the above in mind, when Barry lost his powers and The Flash disappeared from history, if Wells WAS RF, his motivation to go back in time to be an ego tripped hand in The Flash's creation SHOULD have disappeared as well. (Gideon confirmed it should have as there was no mention of The Flash when it searched. However since it's outlined that Barry and the others would have still got their powers but at a later date, it's possible that The Flash, relative to Gideon at that point, may have been called The Streak instead and his identity never known).
Anyway, in the present timeline, when Barry lost those powers, Wells SHOULD have literally been thrown out of the current timeline and back to his own time with NO knowledge of the Flash/Barry Allen.
In the timeline, ALL events from Wells' decision to go back, until the moment Barry lost his powers, would have been a "closed loop", relative to Wells (since it was Wells alone who was responsible for the timeline change)
The events of Wells' interference would have STILL taken place, but in an offshoot of the timeline where Wells going back started a circle/loop and the circle/loop was completed the instant Barry lost his powers).
The straight timeline without Wells' interference would have then overwritten itself as normal with Barry (and the other metahumans) gaining their powers at a future date.
(To visualise what I mean, get a pen/pencil or w/e and draw a line on a piece of paper. At any point above it or below on that line, but yet still touching it, it is possible to draw a complete circle/loop.
This is what happens when a timeline change is "rectified". The loop is still there on the original timeline, the changes STILL take place, but because the loop is now closed, the original timeline STILL carries on as if no change had ever happened in the first place)
As for Wells, in his own present (the future) at the instant he thought of going back, he wouldn't think that anymore.
So why wasn't he thrown back ?
Well, one possible explanation is that Wells is NOT strictly RF, he's someone such as Rip Hunter or a linear man etc, who is NOT affected by any drastic changes to the timeline.
The above explanation is clear to me. I hope it makes some sense to you.
There's one damn good reason why Wells CANNOT possibly be "just" Reverse Flash. (And I hope the producers/writers actually sit down and consider all the ramifications of changed timeline stuff when they write their eps)
In the episode "Power Outage" Barry lost his powers, and upon checking with his computer (Gideon, though it's strange having a male name and female voice), it was realised that the timeline had been changed and that all mention of The Flash, and Barry Allen, had disappeared from history.
IF, Wells was indeed Reverse Flash, because his inspiration for going back no longer existed at that point, he should have ALSO quite literally popped out of the current timeline at the instant that Barry's powers disappeard, and it would have left Barry, Cisco and Caitlin to defeat Blackout by themselves. (Although Blackout would NOT have needed defeating at that point, because with Wells literally yanked back to his own time and the timeline changed back to normal, Blackout's powers (and those of all the other metahumans) should have disappeared as well.) (Although they would have all got them at later points due to accidents etc, but it would have been a staggered process rather than an all at once process as was the case with the reactor).
I'll explain.
Wells is a time traveller and knows the future, of that there is NO doubt. However, by his own words the SOLE reason for him going back in time is to seemingly (create) "help" (and do a thesis on) The Flash.
It's like the chicken and the egg paradox, which came first The Flash or Wells' interference.
In Wells' future The Flash was history, so maybe he sought to be the person who created him, nudge the process along (an ego thing perhaps).
Imo, Barry would have STILL become a speedster regardless of Wells, as at some point a bolt of lightning would have STILL hit the rack of chemicals.
This can be said with 100% CERTAINTY, because The Flash as Barry Allen existed BEFORE Wells even considered going back.
Anyway, bearing the above in mind, when Barry lost his powers and The Flash disappeared from history, if Wells WAS RF, his motivation to go back in time to be an ego tripped hand in The Flash's creation SHOULD have disappeared as well. (Gideon confirmed it should have as there was no mention of The Flash when it searched. However since it's outlined that Barry and the others would have still got their powers but at a later date, it's possible that The Flash, relative to Gideon at that point, may have been called The Streak instead and his identity never known).
Anyway, in the present timeline, when Barry lost those powers, Wells SHOULD have literally been thrown out of the current timeline and back to his own time with NO knowledge of the Flash/Barry Allen.
In the timeline, ALL events from Wells' decision to go back, until the moment Barry lost his powers, would have been a "closed loop", relative to Wells (since it was Wells alone who was responsible for the timeline change)
The events of Wells' interference would have STILL taken place, but in an offshoot of the timeline where Wells going back started a circle/loop and the circle/loop was completed the instant Barry lost his powers).
The straight timeline without Wells' interference would have then overwritten itself as normal with Barry (and the other metahumans) gaining their powers at a future date.
(To visualise what I mean, get a pen/pencil or w/e and draw a line on a piece of paper. At any point above it or below on that line, but yet still touching it, it is possible to draw a complete circle/loop.
This is what happens when a timeline change is "rectified". The loop is still there on the original timeline, the changes STILL take place, but because the loop is now closed, the original timeline STILL carries on as if no change had ever happened in the first place)
As for Wells, in his own present (the future) at the instant he thought of going back, he wouldn't think that anymore.
So why wasn't he thrown back ?
Well, one possible explanation is that Wells is NOT strictly RF, he's someone such as Rip Hunter or a linear man etc, who is NOT affected by any drastic changes to the timeline.
The above explanation is clear to me. I hope it makes some sense to you.
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