When Season 2 of The CW’s The Flash came to a close, viewers were shown Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen travelling back in time to stop the murder of his mother by Reverse-Flash. In the comic book realm, Barry doing this was all part of the Flashpoint story arc with saw the Scarlet Speedster’s actions set off a whole host of events that led to a much different present day DC landscape. As such, many are expecting big changes when The Flash returns later this year, particularly with the first episode of Season 3 being titled Flashpoint. Regardless of this, Gustin has revealed that the whole altered world of Flashpoint won’t last for the entirety of the upcoming season.

Speaking to IMDb and Kevin Smith, Gustin explained, “People were like, ‘Why did he do that?’ And I think that he wasn’t going to do that, but I think that sitting on that porch, having just defeated Zoom, Iris says to Barry what he’s always wanted to hear, and he feels empty inside. That was the moment. As selfish as it was that Barry wanted his parents, I think it’s more about ‘these two speedsters took away their life because of me and they deserve to have a chance at life. I can’t do this, I need to give them that chance.’”

On how much of a presence Flashpoint will be on the show’s third season, Gustin added, “I think we can state Flashpoint does not last all season long. But there are permanent ramifications.”

In the comic book Flashpoint, Barry’s altering of the past causes chaos in the present day; Barry himself has no superpowers; Bruce Wayne died that night in Crime Alley rather than his parents; Thomas Wayne became an alcoholic, abusive Batman; Martha Wayne became The Joker; Kal-El was locked up as a military experiment as soon as he landed on Earth, meaning no Superman; Wonder Woman and Aquaman are at war with one another, leading to destruction across the globe; and Cyborg is the world’s greatest hero… and let’s face it, nobody likes Cyborg!

In the first trailer for The Flash’s third season, it certainly seems like many things are indeed different in present day Central City, but it remains to be seen just how long these changes will last for and what changes, if any, will remain a permanent fixture of the show as Season 3 progresses. In case you missed that trailer, you can find it in the player below: