The Flash may be in its final season, but set photos have offered exciting cameos from unexpected DC villains that could make this upcoming batch of episodes the most highly-anticipated yet.
The Flash Season 9 is set to wrap up most of the Arrowverse series' storyline while also confirming a significant cameo from at least one notable superhero. Set photos revealed that Batwoman actress Javicia Leslie will return as both a DC villain named Red Death and the female Caped Crusader.
In line with Leslie's return as Ryan Wilder, new photos also spoiled that a Season 1 villain, Rainbow Raider, will also make a comeback as an ally of Red Death.
Now, it seems that Rainbow Raider will not be the only returning villain in The Flash's final season.
The Flash Season 9 Features 3 Returning Villains
Canadagraphs revealed new set photos from the filming of The Flash Season 9, confirming the return of three villains from previous seasons.
The photos showed that Andy Mientus' Harley Rathaway a.k.a. the Pied Piper, Daimon Poitier's Keith a.k.a. Goldface, and Max Adler's Jaco Birch a.k.a. the Hotness, will all return in Season 9:
The Hotness last appeared in The Flash Season 8:
Pied Piper was last featured in Season 6:
Meanwhile, Goldface last made his presence felt just recently in Season 8:
In the photos, it appears that the three villains are teaming up with Flash and Batwoman instead of fighting against them:
Another batch of set photos showed Flash and Batwoman talking, with the Scarlet Speedster holding Red Death's helmet and chest plate:
Meanwhile, a video shows Grant Gustin and Javicia Leslie alongside Red Death's stunt double having fun while on break from filming:
Predicting Why The Flash's Villains return to Help Central City (Theory)
The return of these Flash villains is surprising, considering that it's been a while for most of them since their last appearance (except for Goldface). Among the three adversaries, the Pied Piper is the one who is a reformed villain who helped Team Flash take down Godspeed in Season 6.
It's reasonable to assume that the reason behind their team-up with Flash and Batwoman is due to the arrival of Red Death. It is possible that Red Death's threat over Central City could've complicated matters for these villains, thus resulting in a temporary alliance with the heroes.
Given that Pied Piper appears to be the most reasonable among the bunch, it's likely that he would be the one to convince both Hotness and Goldface to set aside their differences with Team Flash to help defeat Red Death.
Seeing Batwoman and Flash team up with villains is an exciting prospect for Season 9, mainly because the interactions will be a sight to see.
The Flash Season 9 is set to premiere on The CW sometime in 2023.
