‘The Flash’ season 9: new and returning cast, synopsis, release, and more

After nine seasons on The CW, The Flash is coming to an end, but it won’t be going out silently. New and familiar faces will be returning and Central City is under attack by an assortment of rogues.

New and returning cast

Many of the show’s cast will be returning for The Flash season nine. Grant Gustin, who’s played forensic scientist and speedster Barry Allen since the beginning, will suit-up again, and Candice Patton returns to play gutsy reporter Iris West-Allen. Other Team Flash members returning include Danielle Panabaker as S.T.A.R. Labs scientist Caitlin Snow, Danielle Nicolet as the telepathic Cecile Horton, Kayla Compton as the electromagnetically-powered Allegra Garcia, and Brandon McKnight as tech-wiz Chester P. Runk.

Jon Cor, who plays ice villain Mark Blaine/Chillblaine, has been promoted from recurring character to series regular in season nine, and his character closely ties into Caitlin’s. He’s been the romantic interest of Caitlin’s sister Killer Frost (who was once an entity connected to Caitlin before she separated), but after her death, his relationship with the rest of the team has been frosty at best. With Chillblaine returning, he could be going back to the villainous side of things.

What about Joe West?

Joe West, played by Jesse L. Martin, is the adoptive father of Barry Allen and he’s been on the show since the very beginning. Martin will be leaving the show to star in the new NBC drama The Irrational, which is a major shakeup for the show. He’s given Barry sage council and has been the patriarch on the show that has kept everyone on the right track at one point or another. In good news, the door is still open for Martin to return in some capacity. He can’t leave the show behind without saying goodbye.

Could Cisco make a return?

In the beginning, it was Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco Ramon/Vibe (Carlos Valdez) who worked together at S.T.A.R. Labs and helped make The Flash what it was. Cisco was the mechanical engineering genius who came up with many well-placed comedic lines and created the names for many of Central City’s villains. He grew into his powers as the hero Vibe, being able to detect reality anomalies and use sonic manipulation. Cisco left in season seven to take a job at A.R.G.U.S. Labs (DC’s other advanced science lab) and to follow his passion, but don’t be surprised if Cisco visits Central City again to see his friends before it’s all said and done.

The Flash season nine synopsis

The CW has released the synopsis for The Flash season nine, which gives fans a taste of the dangers to come:

“After defeating the Reverse Flash once and for all, the ninth season of THE FLASH picks up one week following their epic battle, and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) are reconnecting and growing closer than ever before.

But when a deadly mow of Rogues descend on Central City led by a powerful new threat, The Flash and his team—Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Meta-Empath Cecile Horton (Danielle Nicolet), the light-powered meta Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton), brilliant tech-nerd Chester P Runk (Brandon McKnight), and reformed cryogenics thief Mark Blaine (Jon Cor)—must once again defy impossible odds to save the day.

But as The Rogues are defeated, a deadly new adversary rises to challenge Barry Allen’s heroic legacy. And in their greatest battle yet, Barry and Team Flash will be pushed to their limits in order to save Central City one last time.”

The Flash season nine plot

There’s still much we don’t know about the season nine plot, but there are details we can extrapolate from what we know so far. The new season picks up only a week after the season eight finale, so they’ll be in a similar place from when we last left our heroes. Flash’s archnemesis Eobard Thawne came back as the Negative Reverse-Flash. His powers were drawn from the Negative Speed Force and he was stronger than he ever was before. The Flash was chosen as the Speed Force avatar and the Positive Forces energized Barry, also giving him a major boost in strength.

Iris had a time sickness that gave her visions of the future, and she knew a sacrifice had to be made in order for the side of good to win. When the Flash threw a lightning bolt at his enemies, Iris is teleported in front of it, seemingly killing her. What actually happened was that her consciousness went inside the time stone that Damian Darkh gave Joe West during the “Armageddon” event. After a deep conversation with Darkh, Iris physically returns to Joe’s house. She goes to the battlefield where Flash and Thawne are going at it and convinces Barry to calm things down. He sits down and meditates, which agitates Thawne, and the supervillain channels so much energy that it destroys him.

Has Thawne finally pushed Barry over the edge? Stream the season finale free only on The CW: #TheFlash
— The Flash (@CW_TheFlash) July 7, 2022

From the synopsis, we know that Thawne is gone for good and the Wests will have some time to bond. In season seven, Iris was trapped in the Mirrorverse, and in season eight, Iris was trapped in the Still Force, so hopefully, season eight will have more of the two working together in the same plane of existence.

In the post-credits scene for season eight, Barry questions who the new avatar for the Negative Speed Force will be. The scene cuts to the year 2049 when a glowing blue crystal is shown in a laboratory. Something of this nature hasn’t been linked to any known Arrowverse villain, but some theorize that this could be Flash’s comic book villain Cobalt Blue. He’s a big-time rogue and he would be a perfect candidate as the show’s next main antagonist.