Warning: the following article contains spoilers for The Flash season eight, episode twenty, “Negative, Part Two.”
The eighth season of CW’s The Flash has come to an explosive close, and a shocking twist has left fans wondering whether what they just witnessed is final.
ICYMI, Barry Allen/Flash (Grant Gustin), his children Impulse (Jordan Fisher) and XS (Jessica Parker Kennedy), and new speedster Meena (Kausar Mohammed) teamed up to defeat and kill the Negative Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) in the finale. This was the last version of Eobard Thawne in existence, which made it seem like he could be gone for good, but in the world of superheroes and series renewals, one can never be too sure.
Now, showrunner Eric Wallace has opened up to Deadline about the final fate of The Reverse Flash and if we’ll ever see Cavanagh again.
“At this point, yes. The Negative Reverse-Flash, just like Frost, is dead…Now, having said that, we’ve got another season, and I wasn’t expecting that. I’m very happy about it. [But] just because the Negative Reverse-Flash is dead doesn’t mean that Tom Cavanagh might not pop up on the show in some capacity in Season 9. I think I can say that without giving any spoilers away.”
The Flash is one of the last DC shows standing on The CW and it’s been one of the network’s most popular series. It was given an early renewal along with Superman & Lois for season three, which means Wallace and his team will have to continue the story, but the Flash being without his archnemesis seems almost unfathomable taking into consideration their epic rivalry.
Cavanagh has been on the show since the first episode where he played Thawne pretending to be Barry’s mentor Harrison Wells. Although he’s no longer a series regular, he’s popped up frequently in different roles over the seasons, playing many versions of Wells across the multiverse. In a show that manipulates time, it wouldn’t be that difficult to find another way to implement the character in a new way.
Season eight also sees the death of Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker), but her original persona Caitlin Snow is alive and attempting to bring her back. In the finale, her science experiment inadvertently brings someone else back instead. While Wallace confirmed that Frost is officially dead, it’s likely from the tease that Panabaker will be playing another version of her character similar to what Cavanagh has done.
The Flash season nine will air on The CW in early 2023.