Red Death Review: "Rogues of War"

The moment I've waited patiently for has arrived. Well, actually, it's the first of a three-pronged moment, but even so, every epic event has a beginning. So when we last left this saga, Red Death was fully released, and in this episode, we know what the planned result of the thefts is: a plan to build a cosmic treadmill. Based on Barry's description alone, it's an unstable object, but if placed in the wrong hands--for example, a deranged and maniacal supervillainess who just happens to be a speedster--it could completely wreck the space-time continuum.

The episode's opening reveals a new addition to the villainous faction: Murmur, a female version this time. The group only needs a vibration engine to complete the treadmill, and as for Barry, he realizes that the only way to deal with this trifecta from Hell is a group of Rogues of his own. He already has Hartley (Pied Piper), but he needs more. The first recruit was easy: Jaco (aka The Hotness). As we recall, Barry helped exonerate him in an earlier episode, and he was happy to ditch his barista job to join Barry and Hartley's mission. The next part wasn't so easy.

The pair approached Mark Blaine (Chillblaine), and when we last saw him, he was furious at both of them for refusing to bring Frost back. Despite this, he was in, and they managed to get Goldface in as well. So the team was formed, but there's one problem--the four Rogues wanted the engine for themselves, each for a different reason. This leads Barry to voice his distrust in the group, who decides to go on their own and leave Barry behind. I swear, even the Legends of Tomorrow (I miss that show) weren't this combustible.

Under the advisement of Iris, Barry joins the quartet as they're about to pull off the mission, and when Goldface asks how Barry arrived so quickly, Jaco informed Goldface that Barry was The Flash, though Barry was just about to tell him on his own, so that's taken care of. The group enters and encounters Red Death's group, which includes a very hilarious moment where Jaco and The Fiddler actually form a bond due to their shared interest in heavy metal music (mainly the legendary group, Nine Inch Nails). It's not all cozy, though.

The fight was due to the fact that the generator was turned on after they shut it down, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, Mark appeared and double-crossed the group, revealing that he was approached by his "generous benefactor" before Flash and Hartley arrived, and he was promised that Frost would be resurrected. So we have a four-on-four showdown that's giving me Survivor Series vibes, but at that moment, Red Death appears and takes down Flash before running off. Earlier in the episode, Chester informed Iris that he had to make a call to Gotham, and after Team Flash's setback, the results of that call:

Chester revealed that he contacted Luke Fox, who informed him that all of the objects were enhanced versions of their Bat-tech. In addition, an important tidbit was revealed about Batwoman (another show I miss): she went missing. In the final moments, the quartet is shown discussing their mission, though Mark repeated his reasons for going along with their plan, and threatened to take the engine back to Flash when he didn't get the answers he desired. At that moment, Red Death confronted Mark, who demanded to know who the speedster really was. Ask, and ye shall receive:

The statement is followed by the official reveal of Red Death's identity: an evil version of Ryan Wilder/Batwoman. After unmasking herself, the villainess utters the following familiar words: "I am vengeance!" I still have chills. I figured that Javicia Leslie's official villainous debut would be saved for the very last scene, and I figured it would be brief. However, I drank in every second of that moment! Now of course, she is not Ryan Wilder, she clearly has to be an evil version from an alternate Earth (similar to Red Death in the comics). Unmasked, Red Death's appearance was only for a few seconds, but it was all that Leslie needed to portray her madwoman demeanor to absolute perfection.

Episode 9.03, "Rogues of War," aired on The CW on February 22, 2023, and as I said before, it's only the beginning. The two-parter, "The Mask of the Red Death," will follow this episode starting next week, and along with seeing more of an evil Javicia Leslie in action, we should know what motivated Ryan Wilder's heel turn in her alternate world. How fitting that the two-parter will air on the first two Wednesdays in March; it's called March Madness for a reason!

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