The Flash: Is H.R. Wells a Villain? Our New Savitar Theory

Is Wells about to repeat history?

As Flash's third season continues, the single biggest mystery driving the show right now involves the identity of Savitar. Whomever's hiding under that massive armor, they're someone with a serious grudge against Team Flash and a knowledge of the terrible things the future holds for them.

Full spoilers for The Flash continue below as we theorize on the true identity of Savitar.

At this point, Wally West seems the most likely candidate. Wally's growing psychological instability and his ever increasing mastery of the Speed Force hint that Kid Flash is about to take a dark turn. And the fact that "The Wrath of Savitar" ended with Wally being trapped in the Speed Force only lends further fuel to the fire. His last-ditch attempt to defeat Savitar may have only ensured that he becomes Savitar instead.


That being said, the most recent episode also offered solid new evidence pointing to a completely different theory. It may actually be H.R. - the happy-go-lucky Harrison Wells of Earth-19 - who becomes Savitar.

The series has an established habit of revealing that Barry's speedster enemies are secretly people very close to him. The original Harrison Wells turned out to be Reverse-Flash in Season 1, and the man who called himself Jay Garrick was revealed as Zoom in Season 2. It seems all but certain that Savitar is a future version of someone on Barry's team, someone driven mad by their long confinement in the Speed Force and with a huge bone to pick with Barry.

But why is H.R. becoming such a likely candidate? For one thing, we can't help but notice that H.R. and Savitar are the only two characters on the show who refer to Wally as "Wallace." That oddly specific affectation doesn't seem like simple coincidence, though it could just as easily be a red herring on the part of the writers.

H.R. shows off his love of storytelling.
H.R. shows off his love of storytelling.

But we're also intrigued by one of Savitar's lines in last night's episode. He told Barry "I love a good myth," acknowledging his habit of referring to himself as a god and building up a cult of worshipers. And if there's any other character who's fond of myths and stories, it's H.R. Unlike the other Wellses, H.R. is no super-genius. He's a writer by trade, and he gets his kicks by turning Team Flash's adventures into stories he can beam back to his home world. H.R. also has a bad habit of making himself out to be more impressive than he actually is. Team Flash found this out the hard way when they learned that H.R. more or less conned his way into their ranks early in the season.

Basically, H.R. seems like exactly the sort of person who might try to paint himself as a god given the right set of circumstances. And despite his eternally sunny disposition, he also seems like the kind of psychologically fragile person who's only one bad day away from becoming a villain. H.R. is a lonely guy who fled his own world in order to seek out a family who would finally accept him, warts and all. What if something happens in the near future that drives a wedge between H.R. and the rest of Team Flash? What if the loss of his new family causes H.R. to turn against them? At that point, he's only one Speed Force jolt away from becoming Savitar.

We also get the strong sense that there's a lot the writers aren't telling us about H.R., especially concerning his relationship with his former business partner on Earth-19, Randolf Morgan. The implication being that H.R. might have had a good reason to flee his own world for the sanctuary of another.

Do we really need to go through this again?
Do we really need to go through this again?

There are definitely some downsides to this theory. The Flash has already hinged one season around the reveal that a Harrison Wells is secretly a demented speedster looking to ruin Barry Allen's life. Not to mention the fact that making H.R. - one of two characters who only joined the the Team Flash lineup this season - the main villain is a pretty predictable move. Barring any further complications, making H.R. the secret supervillain mastermind of Season 3 just won't carry the shock value viewers crave.

That's one reason we're still leaning towards Wally as the most likely Savitar candidate. But whatever this villain's identity, hopefully we won't have much longer to wait until the big reveal comes. Let us know who you think is underneath Savitar's armor in the comments below.


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The Flash

Release Date Oct. 13, 2015