‘The Flash’ has given us one of the best ensemble casts in all of genre television. Caitlin Snow was introduced as a brilliant scientist and series regular, especially with her cold attitude, it was a given that one day she’d become Killer Frost. We even got a preview at the end of the first season, but that just turned out to be Earth-2 Caitlin Snow. Nevertheless, it’s very likely we’ll get the Earth-1 component; with all the tragedy Caitlin’s been through, it’d be a natural course for her character. But the question is, just how could it happen?
Just Like Earth-2
Our first “sneak peak” at any live-action incarnation of Killer Snow was when our heroes crossed over to Earth-2. We really don’t know how Earth-2 Caitlin turned evil. There wasn’t much to her, other than her shifting alliances between Zoom and Team Flash. She also has romantic relationship with Earth-2’s Ronnie Raymond, there known as Deathstorm instead of Earth-1’s Firestorm. On Earth-1, Caitlin Snow also had a relationship with Ronnie, albeit less evil, but Ronnie died.
It’s possible that Earth-1’s Caitlin could just get so fed up with… something that she becomes a supervillain, which is probably what happened to her Earth-2 counterpart. She’s certainly smart enough to develop some powers for herself, especially after working with so many metas. However, in this scenario, I doubt Ronnie’s death (or, rather two deaths), especially after so much time has passed, would be enough motivation for Caitlin to turn to the dark side. Then again, her next boyfriend Jay’s death just doubles the trauma (more on that later).
As A Benevolent Meta
Here’s an idea: maybe Earth-1 Killer Frost isn’t so bad! When the Earth-2 Caitlin helps out Team Flash, we find that even evil Caitlin isn’t so frigid after all. So maybe Caitlin ends up as a meta somehow, but uses it to help rather than hinder. Metas’ powers usually don’t make the bad guys more evil; they just give them the capacity to act upon their true nature. Being the Flash, for example, made Barry better. And I have a feeling Caitlin’s true nature isn’t so bad. The name would take some justifying (maybe she kills… evil plans?), especially if she wants to stay on Team Flash, but it could work.
As A Heat Vampire
Weird, I know, but the only Caitlin Snow we know from the comics is from the New 52. While still not quite a Flash villain, in Justice League of America #7.2, Caitlin Snow gets caught in an accident in an arctic S.T.A.R. Labs outpost, becoming a “heat vampire” that is only satiated by Firestorm’s powers.
This seems like a possible direction for ‘The Flash’, as Caitlin would not be evil, but merely so desperate for energy that she’d have to resort to violence, and, presumably, a fight against the Flash.
Like The Killer Frosts Of Comics Past
The comic book version of Caitlin Snow lacks the substance of the version on ‘The Flash’, and the other two Killer Frosts were completely different women. While there was an incarnation of Killer Frost in the comics of late 1970s who made a brief appearance in the Firestorm series (yet again not matching up against the Flash), she didn’t make a huge impact on the comics world. She got her powers after locking herself in a thermafrost chamber after a certain scientist didn’t return her affection. And just who was that scientist? Dr. Stein. Old, grumpy Martin Stein. As much as we’d all love to see The CW’s Martin Stein make out with Caitlin, I think it’s safe to say this direction seems a bit too far from the Caitlin Snow we know from ‘The Flash’.
The more prolific Killer Frost of the comic world had the name Louise Lincoln. Dr. Lincoln repeated the Stein-loving Killer Frost’s experiment, and took vengeance on Firestorm, for whom she blamed for her friend’s death. Again, this strikes me as more of a “reboot” of the former Killer Frost, and therefore even further from our Caitlin. Either way, there’s one common thread among them all: Firestorm.
A Victim Of Her Emotions
As I alluded earlier, even her boyfriend’s two deaths weren’t enough to bring down Caitlin Snow. In fact, they seemed to have lightened her up since we first met her character. But, when she finally gets over it, and when she finally falls in love again with Jay Garrick (the Flash on Earth-2), Zoom shows up and kills the guy, because that’s what Zoom does.
I’m sure there’s more to Jay’s death, but it hasn’t been revealed yet. And besides, with all these dopplegangers, anything can happen. Even still, this could be the blow that tips Caitlin over the edge, resurfacing all her grief for Ronnie and adding to it, creating a big icy snowball of cold-hearted rage. It seems pretty likely for a show in which characters so easily fall victim to their emotions.
Caitlin Snow was pretty stingy when she first showed up. But after that date with Barry (the one where Barry speed-dressed her into her pajamas, remember?), she finally warmed the hearts of ‘The Flash’ viewers. She’s been fairly jolly ever since, depending on the health of the ones she loves, but her comic book counterpart casts a dark shadow on her future.
