'The Flash' season 3 spoilers news: John Wesley Shipp to return in major role as Earth-3's Jay Garrick

"The Flash" season 2 finale capped off a series of heartbreaking twists with the revelation viewers had been eagerly anticipating for months: the identity of Zoom's prisoner, also known as The Man in the Iron Mask.

In "The Race of His Life," the mysterious prisoner was finally unmasked and his identity revealed. The Man in the Iron Mask was Jay Garrick, a superhero version of Barry's (Grant Gustin) father, Henry Allen, from Earth-3.

John Wesley Shipp, who played Henry, also played Earth-3's Jay Garrick/The Man in the Iron Mask. As such, seeing his late father's face once again was an emotional moment for Barry. It can be recalled that Henry's death earlier this season had been weighing heavily on Barry.

Shipp's turn as a version of The Flash is a homage to his portrayal of the titular hero in the '90s CBS series.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor confirmed that he is set to return as the Earth-3 version of Jay Garrick in the upcoming third season of "The Flash."

"They have all kinds of exciting and interesting plans for me, that are interesting not only in the context of the storyline, but they continue to spin out, which will be very challenging for me as an actor," Shipp said. "That's all I'm allowed to say about that. But yes, I will be back next season."

The actor also said that while he has not been informed about the "The Flash" team's plans for his character, the Earth-3 Jay Garrick will play a major part in the third season. Shipp also pointed out that with Garrick being the head of a crime-fighting superhero team and with there being multiple crossovers in the DC multiverse, there is so much for the character to do.

"There are endless possibilities — they're just now mapping out what they can do with the character Jay Garrick," the actor told E! News. "I mean, come on, he's the head of the Justice Society of America."

"The possibilities are literally endless," he added.

The third season of "The Flash" is expected to air in 2017.