The eighth season of the American
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
television series ''
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'', which is based on the
DC Comics character
Barry Allen / Flash, premiered on
The CW on November 16, 2021.
The season follows Barry facing against his nemesis, the
Reverse-Flash, the futuristic alien
Despero, the fire Meta
Deathstorm and the Negative Speed Force. It is set in the
Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the universe, and is a spin-off of ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
''. The season is produced by
Berlanti Productions
Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell.
History
The company was founded in 2000 as Berlanti-Liddell Productions by ...
,
Warner Bros. Television, and
DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and was based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery that manages its DC Comics units and characters in other units, ...
, with Eric Wallace serving as
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
.
The season was ordered on February 3, 2021. Filming began that August and concluded the following April.
Grant Gustin stars as Barry, with principal cast members
Candice Patton,
Danielle Panabaker,
Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton, Brandon McKnight, and
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
also returning from previous seasons. This is the last season to feature Martin as a series regular. The series was renewed for a
ninth and final season, which premiered on February 8, 2023.
Episodes
Season eight is broken into three "Graphic Novel" storyline arcs, known as the fifth, sixth and seventh graphic novels respectively; this numbering continues from the first four "Graphic Novels" established in
season six
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
and
season seven. The first "Graphic Novel" of the season, "Armageddon", is a five-episode event featuring multiple actors reprising their
Arrowverse roles.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Grant Gustin as
Barry Allen / The Flash / Reverse-Flash
*
Candice Patton as
Iris West-Allen
*
Danielle Panabaker as
Caitlin Snow and Frost / Hellfrost
*
Danielle Nicolet as
Cecile Horton
* Kayla Compton as
Allegra Garcia
* Brandon McKnight as
Chester P. Runk
*
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
as
Joe West
Recurring
*
Carmen Moore as
Kristen Kramer
Kalibak
Kalibak () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the eldest son of Darkseid, half-brother of Orion and Grayven, and an enemy of Superman and the Justice League.
Created by Jack Kirby, being debuted w ...
* Rachel Drance as Taylor Downs
*
Tony Curran as
Despero
* Stephanie Izsak as
Daisy Korber
*
Agam Darshi as
Mona Taylor / Queen
* Christian Magby as
Deon Owens and Negative Deon Owens
*
Tom Cavanagh as
Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash / The Flash / Dark Flash
* Andres Soto as Marcus Ficus
*
Jon Cor as
Mark Blaine / Chillblaine
*
Jessica Parker Kennedy as
Nora West-Allen / XS
*
Natalie Dreyfuss
Natalie Rachel Dreyfuss (born February 25, 1987) is an American actress, who has had guest-starring roles on shows such as ''Burn Notice'' and ''The Shield''. She also had a recurring role on the television series ''Rita Rocks'', ''The Secret Li ...
as
Sue Dearbon
* Mika Abdalla as
Tinya Wazzo / Phantom Girl
*
Kausar Mohammed as
Meena Dhawan / Fast Track
Guest
Production
Development
The season was announced on February 3, 2021, along with 11 other CW series, including
''Batwoman'' and ''
Legends of Tomorrow''.
Writing
Speaking to the events of the season, showrunner Eric Wallace said that
Barry Allen / The Flash would become "the most confident, incredibly powerful, secure team leader". Wallace then commented that the series would return to Barry and
Iris West-Allen's relationship. Wallace went on to hint that multiple relationships, including
Joe West and
Cecile Horton's, would be further explored and deepened in the season, as well as that
Kristen Kramer
Kalibak
Kalibak () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the eldest son of Darkseid, half-brother of Orion and Grayven, and an enemy of Superman and the Justice League.
Created by Jack Kirby, being debuted w ...
and
August Heart may return in this season.
The graphic novel format for the series will continue in the eighth season. Wallace noted that one of the graphic novels would feature a new villain who is "a very scary fellow, and when he shows up, we might dip our toes into the world of horror and the supernatural."
In September 2021, Wallace revealed that Joe West is "going to get an incredibly different perspective on life, and it will lead him to a very big choice."
Wallace also revealed that Iris' time sickness will be dealt with after "Armageddon", and that solving it is "a huge, huge part of the entire season, and it will take all season to solve that. And that will have big ramifications for Barry and Iris' relationship and marriage." In March 2022, Wallace confirmed that in writing the season finale, "it all gets resolved by the end of season 8, so we can start fresh and clean, should we, knock on wood, be able to have the privilege to do a season 9", while also writing two endings.
Wallace also revealed that
Nora West-Allen's sexuality would be acknowledged this season.
Casting
Series star
Grant Gustin returns in the title role of
Barry Allen / The Flash. By May 2021, it was unclear if
Candice Patton and
Danielle Panabaker would return since they were still "negotiating new deals to return". A month later, both actresses, along with
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
, closed their deals.
Danielle Nicolet returns as Cecile Horton.
In August 2021, it was announced that the guest appearances for the "Armageddon" event would include
Tom Cavanagh as
Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash,
Javicia Leslie as
Batwoman
Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane.
History
* The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...
,
Brandon Routh as
The Atom,
Cress Williams as
Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning,
Chyler Leigh as
Sentinel,
Katherine McNamara as
Mia Queen,
Osric Chau as
Ryan Choi
Ryan Choi is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gail Simone and Grant Morrison, the character first appeared in ''DCU: Brave New World'' #1 (August 2006) as the third superhero character to use the At ...
, and
Neal McDonough as
Damien Darhk
Dan the Dyna-Mite
Dan Turpin
Damien Darhk
The enigmatic Damien Darhk is an elusive and dangerous criminal mastermind and enemy of the Teen Titans. He makes his first appearance in ''Titans'' #1 (March 1999). Claiming to be a major player in t ...
,
with
Tony Curran joining the cast as
Despero shortly after in an undisclosed capacity.
Courtney Ford cameos as
Nora Darhk
''Legends of Tomorrow'' is an American television series, developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Phil Klemmer, and Andrew Kreisberg, based on several characters from DC Comics. The series premiered in the United States on January 21, 2016, ...
in the fifth episode while
Katie Cassidy,
Juliana Harkavy
Juliana Jay Harkavy (born January 1, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Rebecca in ''Dolphin Tale'', Jessie in ''To Write Love on her Arms'', and Alisha in the television series '' The Walking Dead''. Her roles include ...
, and
Ben Lewis appear through archive footage as
Laurel Lance
Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Lance is one of two women under the alias Black Canary within the DC Universe; she is Dinah Drake's daughter and successor of the s ...
,
Dinah Drake
Black Canary (Dinah Drake) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the character debuted in ''Flash Comics'' #86 (August 1947) as ...
, and
William Clayton.
In October 2021, it was announced that
Rick Cosnett
Richard James “Rick” Cosnett (born 6 April 1983) is a Zimbabwean-Australian actor and producer. He is known for playing the roles of Wes Maxfield in ''The Vampire Diaries'', Elias Harper in '' Quantico'' and Eddie Thawne in ''The Flash''.
E ...
would reprise his role as
Eddie Thawne in a singular flashback episode after the "Armageddon" event, however in February 2022, it was announced that Cosnett would recur in a "multi-episode arc."
In November 2021, it was announced that
Max Adler would be guest-starring as
Jaco Birch / Hotness from
season four
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
for one episode.
Later that month, it was announced that
Robbie Amell would be returning as
Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm for two episodes.
In December 2021, newcomer Mika Abdalla was announced as
Tinya Wazzo / Phantom Girl.
On April 13, 2022, it was announced that this season would be Martin's last as a series regular, though he would still appear in the ninth season.
Filming
Filming began on August 16, 2021, and concluded on April 27, 2022.
Arrowverse tie-ins
The first five episodes of the season were crossover event episodes, featuring other actors and heroes from the Arrowverse. The CW President
Mark Pedowitz
Mark Pedowitz is the former chairman and CEO of The CW. He replaced Dawn Ostroff in 2011, who had been the Head of Entertainment since the network's inception in 2006. Pedowitz oversaw all aspects of The CW, including programming, sales, marketing ...
said the episodes would "not quite be a crossover, but it will have a crossover-type feel". One of these potential appearances was Cress Williams, reprising his role from the Arrowverse series ''
Black Lightning'' as Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning, who indicated in May 2021 that he had been approached to make a guest appearance in the season and was in talks to appear. Williams said he was "down" to appear since he enjoyed being a part of the "
Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover and felt he and Gustin got along well during their scenes together. Pedowitz also indicated at that time that other actors had also been approached. Re-elaborating in July 2021, Wallace said that the five-episode event would not be like a typical Arrowverse crossover, noting that "I think it'll give people that sense of scope that you sometimes feel—both emotionally and in the action sequences—with a crossover, without actually having 20 characters in one scene." However, because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions were put in place that limited some of the crew's options.
In August 2021, it was announced that the crossover event would be known as "Armageddon" with multiple Arrowverse heroes and villains returning. Wallace described the event as "the most emotional ''Flash'' episodes ever" with "some truly epic moments and huge surprises".
In November 2021, ''The Flash'' showrunner Eric Wallace urged viewers to rewatch the ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'' episode "
Green Arrow & The Canaries", as the "Armageddon" event would provide several answers to the loose ends left behind by the episode.
Marketing
At the virtual 2021
DC FanDome event on October 16, 2021, stars
Grant Gustin and
Candice Patton revealed the new golden boots as part of the costume in the new season. The first trailer for the "Armageddon" event was released on October 19, 2021, three days after DC FanDome.
The official poster for "Armageddon" was released on November 3, 2021. On February 25, 2022, The CW released a new official poster ahead of the mid-season premiere.
Release
The season premiered on
The CW on November 16, 2021.
Two weeks before the premiere, on November 5, 2021, the CW announced their mid-season schedule for their shows, announcing that after "Armageddon", the season would begin airing on Wednesdays starting March 9, 2022. Prior to the season premiere, Wallace stated that the season would have 18 episodes, but it was later confirmed to have 20 episodes.
Ratings
No DVR ratings are available after the eleventh episode.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flash (season 8), The
2021 American television seasons
2022 American television seasons
The Flash (2014 TV series) seasons