The Flash Has Seen the Future, and A Major Character Dies If He Can't Stop Savitar

Tonight's midseason finale of The Flash, titled "The Present," delivered a key moment that will drive most of the story through the spring of 2017, as promised. And the moment -- which was seen on-camera, but in the form of a "maybe-this-could-happen alternate future -- chilled Barry (and social media audiences) to the bone.

Now in its third season, The Flash had been lagging a bit, but had been energized by two back-to-back episodes that had the fans excited and curious for what would be revealed in the mid-season finale. Heading into tonight's episode, showrunners said it would provide a trajectory-changing reveal.

Up to now the main source of this season's villains has been Dr. Alchemy empowering individuals whose personal histories were altered by Flashpoint, but according to executive producer Andrew Kreisberg, that's going to get back-burnered as Savitar's real plan comes into focus