The Flash Season 9 is bringing back an iconic DC villain played by a returning Arrowverse character in the cameo-filled finale.
The Flash's final season is not short of surprises. The first three episodes already revealed the debut of Javicia Leslie's Red Death, a powerful evil speedster from DC comics who is a Batman and Flash hybrid.
In the coming installments, The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace also announced that two popular Arrowverse villains, Teddy Sears' Zoom and Matt Leischer's Eobard Thawne, will return at some point.
Fast forward to the filming of the finale, set photos revealed a surprising villain team-up that will ultimately test Barry Allen's mettle.
The Flash Finale Brings Back Powerful DC Speedster
Canadagraphs shared new details about the filming of The Flash Season 9 finale in downtown Vancouver.
Alongside revealing set photos featuring the return of evil speedsters from Barry's past, the Arrowverse blogger also confirmed that series mainstay Tom Cavanagh is back as the Reverse Flash in the supervillain team-up.
Cavanagh was a series regular of The Flash for eight seasons, portraying Eobard Thawne and various iterations of Harrison Wells throughout his Arrowverse tenure.
The CW not announcing Cavanagh's comeback could be due to story purposes, considering that every version of Wells is now gone and Reverse Flash "died" during Season 8's finale.
Meanwhile, joining Cavanagh in the finale (based on the photos) are Jessica Parker Kennedy's Nora West-Allen aka XS, Kayla Compton's Allegra, Danielle Nicolet's Cecile Horton, Danielle Panabaker's Khione, Jon Cor's Chillblaine, Teddy Sears' Zoom, Rick Cosnett's Cobalt Blue and three stunt doubles playing the Flash, Godspeed, and Savitar:
Canadagraphs also confirmed that the finale will be directed by Vanessa Parise, and the cast and crew are using the same location where they filmed Season 7's final episode.
The insider also shared that there's another scene for the finale that will be filmed featuring a lot of Godspeeds doing a stunt sequence.
How Did Reverse Flash Even Come Back?
The Flash Season 8 finale featured an epic clash between Barry Allen and Eobard Thawne that led to the evil speedster's death. However, Tom Cavanagh's surprising comeback in the series finale as Reverse Flash suggests that his apparent demise was a fluke.
So, how did Reverse Flash cheat death (again)?
Based on the set photos, it's likely that Rick Cosnett's Cobalt Blue is leading the charge to terrorize Team Flash, meaning that he is the new avatar of the Negative Speed Force (a title previously held by, you guessed it, Reverse Flash).
Given that Cosnett's Eddie Thawne is an ancestor of Eobard, he may be swayed by the Negative Speed Force to go all-out against Barry Allen, aka the Positive Speed Force's avatar. This plan would include bringing back evil speedsters from previous seasons, including Reverse Flash.
Cavanagh's Reverse Flash may be a time remnant in the finale, a version of the villain plucked out from the timeline.
This would also explain the high stakes of The Flash's finale since it would likely be the ultimate battle between the positive and the negative speed force.
New episodes of The Flash Season 9 premiere on The CW every Wednesday.
