SPOILER ALERT for the third season of The Flash, especially the season finale titled “The Finish Line”.
Season three of The CW’s hit show The Flash has reached its end. After a year of battling Savitar, who was revealed to an evil version of Barry himself, the baddie was erased from the timeline after Iris was saved. But the show did not end on a happy note, as fans were given a nice big cliffhanger.
After Barry and Iris sat on the couch talking about their future wedding, things got weird outside. There were weird lightning bolts coming from the sky, causing earthquake-like tremors. But it was not an earthquake, but rather the Speed Force. It was not happy, as Jay was released during the final battle against Savitar. That meant no speedsters were in the prison that required at least one speedster in it.
As a result, Barry felt it his responsibility to take that spot. To the shock of everyone, fans included, Barry willingly gave himself up to the Speed Force. When a vision of his mother came out, Barry willingly took her hand after saying goodbye to all of his loved ones.
But we all know Barry will find his way back. Season four of The Flash is on the way, and it would not be the same without Barry Allen. Plus, the show has already laid some groundwork on pointing to next year’s big bad!
It all started when it was revealed by the show’s producers that season four would be the first year without a speedster as the big bad. In the first three years of the show, Flash has gone up against the likes of Reverse Flash, Zoom and Savitar. So it was certainly refreshing to hear the show would move in a new direction.
Then the show name dropped a man named Devoe in the 18th episode of the season, titled “Abra Kadabra”. But fans really got talking after the season finale, when Savitar mentioned the name once more.
Now I am not an avid reader of the comics, but from what I have seen online, Clifford Devoe is a man who takes on the mantra of The Thinker. He gave it a try as a lawyer for a while, but was not all that successful. He would eventually turn to the world of evil, where he would use his brain and lots of gadgets to get his way with things.
With several name drops, it is a pretty good bet that we will be getting the Thinker in the next season of the hit CW show. That brings us to the real question though. Who will play the villain? Here are three actors I could see taking on the role.
Shawn Hatosy
Hatosy is one hell of an actor. And there are a few traits that he is very good at pulling off. Those are being bad and being creepy. If you need an example of him pulling off both of these characteristics at once, just check out Animal Kingdom on TNT, where he plays Pope.
Hatosy knows how to pull off a role that requires smarts and physicality. He is jacked, and certainly, has the physique of playing an opposing villain. But with a name like the Thinker, mind games will certainly need to come into play. He does plenty of that as Pope.
You can also look to Hatosy’s work on shows like Dexter and Criminal Minds, where he also plays some characters with a dark side. He would certainly be a welcome addition to the Arrowverse if the showrunners decided to go this direction for the Thinker.
Matthew Gray Gubler
Matthew Gray Gubler in a villain role? You best believe it. A while back I wrote about how Gubler would be perfect for the role of The Riddler. Since Batman is not currently a part of the Arrowverse, that is not likely to happen anytime soon. But from the limited knowledge I have on the Thinker, he profiles as a similar character in terms of using his brain.
Gubler is best known for his role as Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds. So we know Gubler can play the role of a genius. He pulls that off flawlessly. He has also done his part of displaying a bit of a dark side on the show, as he has had his share of time dabbling with drugs.
Simply put, Gubler has the range to pull off a convincing baddie. Criminal Minds has been renewed for a 13th season, meaning it may be hard for Gubler to commit to a big role with the CW show. But if his schedule allowed, he would be a tremendous option for the role of the Thinker.
Dash Mihok
The actor who plays Bunchy on Ray Donovan would certainly be an interesting choice for the role of the Thinker. Mihok is no stranger to television, having played roles in shows such as Gotham, Blue Bloods, Grey’s Anatomy, Hawaii Five-O to name a few. On all of the shows I have seen him, he has done a good job at portraying a darkness within.
But he also knows how to add a complexity to the characters he plays. He has tremendous range and can handle almost any task given to him. On Ray Donovan, he portrays a very vulnerable character. He was raped as a child by a priest, and that fragile nature shows through. But he also has an anger inside of him that tends to show through.
Then on Gotham, he played a straight up jackass. He had zero respect for Nygma or Ms. Kringle. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. After seeing Mihok in both roles, I was convinced he could play a really solid villain within the Arrowverse at some point down the road. That time could certainly be now. Mihok as the Thinker would certainly have my vote.
So what do you think? Can you see any of these actors playing The Thinker in season four of The Flash? Tell us in the comments!