That theme of family was important in keeping this episode grounded as a whole. But as Barry reminded him, Cisco has his own support network to help keep him grounded. That theme also played into Cisco’s struggle and his fears over becoming corrupted by his power like his own doppelganger did. This episode hinged very heavily on the importance of family in shaping a person and making them stronger. Hunter had no one and nothing to help him rise from tragedy. Barry had Joe and Iris to serve as a surrogate family. It seems the only thing that really separated the two in those crucial early years is that Barry had a support system to fall back on where Hunter didn’t. But the fundamental difference between the two is what kind of man they grew to become. Both were eventually transformed by the particle accelerator accident and became metahuman speedsters.

Both of them had their childhoods ripped apart by similar tragedies. If there’s any one takeaway from “Versus Zoom,” it’s that Hunter Zolomon is Barry Allen’s true Earth-2 doppelganger.

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