The Batwoman writers respond to the big reveal of Red Death in The Flash season 9, episode 3. The final season of The Flash is going all the way out as the series is exploring Barry Allen’s last year in the Arrowverse. After years of speculating whether or not the villain would ever show up, Red Death has emerged as the latest big bad in The Flash season 9. However, the DC TV incarnation is taking a different route from the comics. While Red Death is an alternative version of Bruce Wayne in the lore, a familiar Arrowverse player is instead filling that role in The Flash.
In the final minutes of The Flash season 9, episode 3, Red Death unmasked herself, revealing none other than Ryan Wilder. This is the first time she has been seen in the Arrowverse since the end of Batwoman season 3.
As social media reacted to Red Death’s unmasking, the Batwoman writers also chimed in about the return of Leslie. The account thanked The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace for letting their lead be part of the final season. They also thanked The Flash writers for allowing Ryan to be brought back to the Arrowverse.
Everything We Know About Arrowverse’s Red Death In The Flash Season 9
While Red Death is Ryan, it’s unclear which version of Batwoman this is supposed to be. The Flash season 9, episode 3, titled “Rogues of War,” revealed that Ryan went missing weeks ago while she was out on a mission. Not long after is when Red Death emerged in Central City before the big reveal in this week’s episode. But the whereabouts of Ryan are unclear as Red Death may not be the Earth-Prime version of Batwoman.
Given that Red Death in the comics is a multiverse version of Batman, it’s possible The Flash’s take is going a similar route. Either this is a Ryan from a parallel universe or an alternative timeline. If it’s a doppelganger, it would explain why she may or may not have kidnapped Earth-Prime’s Batwoman. Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Arrowvere established a new rule that there couldn’t be more than one version of a person on the same Earth.
With only two episodes left in the Red Death saga, The Flash season 9 will be giving its answers pretty soon. With episodes 4 and 5 literally being a two-parter for “The Mask of Red Death,” it’s likely next week’s episode will go into her backstory. The Flash season 9, episode 5 will then probably be the final showdown between Barry and this version of Ryan. Given how much they have been building up Red Death over the last few weeks, The Flash season 9 will hopefully give a good payoff to the overall storyline.