DC Comics fans know that the in-universe classification for individuals with superpowers is "metahuman." It's a term that's been around for decades, used in pretty much every DC title ever.
Not every DC superhero or villain is a metahuman, of course. Batman, Green Arrow and Lex Luthor, for example, have no special powers, while Superman, Wonder Woman and Doomsday would be considered metahumans. It's a pretty broad term that encompasses the likes of the magically-empowered or characters with otherworldly heritage and everything in between.
The CW's hotly-anticipated new series, The Flash, from the creators of Arrow, is about to take this concept head-on. It's no surprise that the main character, the fastest man alive, is of course a metahuman, but a new clip (exclusively posted online by IGN) from the pilot shows that there's a whole city full of metas out there for The Flash to fight. (Or, who knows? Maybe he'll team up with some of them to fight evil together. They can't all be bad, right?)
So what we learn from this clip is that The Flash is using the same basic plot conceit that Smallville did. On that show, the same crash landing that deposited Clark Kent on Earth brought along a ton of Kryptonite that fell from the sky and altered normal humans, making them into the "meteor freaks" the future Superman would fight week after week. Similarly, The Flash is utilizing the scientific-experiment-gone-awry that turns Barry Allen into the Flash to create what looks like potentially thousands of baddies for him to have to deal with.
What's most interesting about this approach is that it should make for a striking contrast to Arrow, which has stayed firmly rooted in non-meta heroes and villains, putting it in the more grounded, action/suspense genre. The Flash looks like it's going to be all meta, all the time, which will send it straight into science fiction. That the two shows (and heroes) exist in the same universe, and there are plans for them to crossover from time to time, invites mingling between their two genres, which should produce some interesting results.
The Flash premieres on The CW Tuesday night, October 7, 2014, at 8:00 PM EST.
