WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Flash Season 8, Episode 6, "Impulsive Excessive Disorder," which aired Wednesday, March 9 on The CW.
The Flash Season 8 has been rife with time-travel shenanigans, from the Reverse-Flash creating his own Flashpoint to rewrite history to XS and her brother Impulse traveling back in time to restore the Arrowverse's prime timeline. All of these wholesale revisions have resulted in Jay Garrick surviving into the year 2049, serving as a superhero mentor to Nora and Bart Allen decades into the future. Jay's reappearance is more than just ensuring that the original Flash has a future in the Arrowverse; it hints at a multitude of unseen adventures that would be ripe for a prequel spinoff, especially since one DC Universe spinoff was just canceled.
After undoing a divergence that caused severe alterations in the timeline, Nora and Bart return to their native period where they are reunited with Jay and make sure that history was restored. Jay shares his own time-travel experiences, recalling that there was a solid 16 years where he would be transported on-and-off to fight against the Axis Powers in World War II. The anecdote itself is one that is just posited without much context and seems ripe for further exploration, especially given Jay's activities elsewhere within the DCTV Universe and renewed prominence in the Arrowverse.
In Stargirl Season 2, Jay appears in a flashback episode as a member of the Justice Society of America. After the JSA decides to execute the Eclipso of that era to prevent any further danger, a disgusted Jay decides to leave the team and operate as a solo superhero until he linked up with the Flash Family in the Arrowverse. This not only effectively makes Jay the link between the Arrowverse and Stargirl's separate universe but suggests there's a whole set of adventures Jay had with the JSA before he decided to quit the team that could similarly be explored in greater detail.
The major draw in Jay potentially starring in a Flash spinoff series is that the main series appears to be winding down. Several longtime cast members have already departed, while star Grant Gustin has signed a contract extension for only the ninth season. While it's still a possibiity that Gustin could sign on for additional seasons beyond Season 9, that also leaves the longer term future of The Flash in doubt, with a spinoff series perhaps better positioned to continue the story than having The Flash carry on without its original star.
A potential spinoff wouldn't have to focus entirely on Jay Garrick, especially given the character's mentor role for the next generation of superheroes. However, Jay has hinted at an extensive history of heroism spanning space and time that would provide plenty of material for a spinoff to explore. And with Nora and Bart already having an established history with Jay, the Golden Age superhero wouldn't be alone if he stepped up to carry on The Flash's story.
Jay Garrick's return to the Arrowverse is a welcome one; the elder statesman superhero serves as a visible reminder of the Speed Force's legacy and opens up the stakes of the show to encompass different worlds and timelines. Just as Jay provided guidance for Barry Allen at the beginning of The Flash, the hero has gone on to mentor his children and taken on an especially close dynamic with Bart. The future of the show and the Arrowverse remains uncertain -- but with Jay having a whole host of thrilling adventures, the DCTV brand has an exciting direction it could potentially follow.
Developed for television by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns, The Flash airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT on The CW.
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