Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Flash season 9.
Many questions must be answered before The Flash finale and the end of the Arrowverse. The Flash had an impressive run of nine seasons on The CW, serving as the anchor of the network’s line-up for many years and as the heart of the shared setting of superhero shows commonly known as the Arrowverse. However, with the series coming to a close and the Arrowverse seemingly ending with it, there are still many mysteries that must be solved before the final episode ends.
The four-part finale of The Flash, “A New World,” offered a look back at the past of the series and a look into the future of the Arrowverse, as Barry Allen was depowered and pulled across time by the Negative Speed Force. The penultimate episode ended with the resurrected Eddie Thawne agreeing to become the new avatar of the Negative Speed Force, giving in to his own anger over how pointless his death had been. This set up a fateful confrontation between the two rivals for Iris West’s affection while raising several questions needing answers.
12 Will The Negative Speed Force Finally Be Destroyed?
In many ways, The Negative Speed Force has been the chief villain of The Flash series, striking at Barry Allen through a succession of chosen avatars, like the Reverse Flash, Zoom, and Savitar. Originally believed to have been an artificial construct created by Eobard Thawne, the Negative Speed Force was confirmed to be a naturally occurring counterpart to the Speed Force in the finale of The Flash season 8. It was further revealed in “A New World, Part Three” that Barry Allen’s death and the destruction of the Speed Force would lead to the complete erasure of the Arrowverse timeline.
This is apparently the Negative Speed Force’s ultimate goal, creating a reality where it is the supreme power behind the management of the universe. The Flash finale sets up a final confrontation between Barry and multiple Negative Speed Force hosts pulled from across time and reality. It remains to be seen, however, if Barry can destroy the Negative Speed Force or if it must be allowed to survive to maintain the cosmic balance.
11 Will Iris Give Birth To Nora Without Complications?
The birth of Barry and Iris’ first child, Nora West-Allen, has been foreshadowed since The Flash season 4. Iris went into labor in “A New World,” while Barry was pulled across time and space. This gave Barry even more motivation to return to his own time so that he wouldn’t miss the birth of his first child. However, with Nora having powers in the womb, there is some question about whether her birth will go off without complications, even without the threat of supervillains attacking the West-Allen family on this special day.
10 Will Cecile Avert Her Dark Future?
Cecile Horton pushed her psychic powers to new heights in “A New World,” projecting her mind into the body of her 2049 self to save Barry Allen. While this incident inspired Cecile to adopt the superhero codename Virtue, it also caused her to learn that her future self had become a full-time superhero and had barely seen her boyfriend and daughter in the past year. While Chester Runk inspired Cecile with a pep talk affirming that she would never abandon her family, it is possible Cecile might decide to give up superheroics rather than risk it.
9 What Will Khione Do Next?
Born of Dr. Caitlin Snow’s efforts to resurrect her twin sister, Frost, Khione was a figure of mystery throughout The Flash season 9. Possessing a myriad of powers tied to the natural world, Khione defied classification as a metahuman or magical being, eventually being revealed as a newborn goddess in “A New World, Part Two.” Khione agreed to stay with Team Flash until the Negative Speed Force was defeated but felt that she needed to go out into the world and explore the full range of her powers rather than focusing on one team or one city. This leaves her future heading into The Flash finale uncertain.
8 Will Khione and Chillblaine Get Involved?
A romance between Khione and Mark “Chillblaine” Blaine was teased throughout The Flash season 9. Khione showed signs of being attracted to the former Rogue, despite Chillblaine originally trying to manipulate her into sacrificing her life so that he could try and resurrect his girlfriend, Frost, and then treating her like a clone of Frost. Chillblaine left Team Flash for nine months after realizing how badly he’d treated Khione, who still regarded him as her best friend despite his bad behavior. It is possible that love might still bloom between the new nature goddess and the former thief in The Flash finale.
7 Will Eddie Thawne Survive?
One of the bigger mysteries in “A New World” centered around Dr. Malcolm Gilmore, a scientist in 2049 who was the spitting image of Eddie Thawne. Gilmore was ultimately revealed to be Eddie Thawne, resurrected by the Negative Speed Force to serve as its latest avatar. Barry Allen swore that he would find a way to save Eddie’s life, though Eddie decided his life wasn’t worth saving given that Barry had stolen his fiancée and, when pushed to make a choice, Iris chose Barry over Eddie. It remains to be seen if Eddie might yet be redeemed and if he will survive his joining with the Negative Speed Force.
6 Will Cisco Ramon Get A Mention?
One figure who has been curiously absent from The Flash season 9 is Cisco Ramon. The former STAR Labs engineer and Team Flash technician left the series in Season 7 to take a new job leading the Technology and Science division of ARGUS. It was hoped that Cisco might appear in The Flash finale, but actor Carlos Valdes confirmed he could not work a Flash cameo into his schedule. However, it is entirely possible that Cisco might still be referenced, sending some advanced ARGUS tech to support Chester Runk in the battle with the Negative Speed Force.
5 What Happened To Elongated Man?
Introduced in The Flash season 4, Ralph Dibny became a valued member of Team Flash as the ductile detective Elongated Man. Dibny was written out of the series following The Flash season 6 after off-screen issues with actor Hartley Sawyer. Despite this, Ralph’s love interest, heiress turned cat burglar Sue Dearbon, continued to work with Team Flash throughout The Flash seasons 7 and 8. Nothing has been said about what happened to Ralph or where his romance with Sue went beyond his traveling overseas. Sadly, given how Sawyer’s comments tainted the character, it seems unlikely Ralph’s final fate will be addressed in The Flash finale.
4 Will Allegra Choose A Codename?
A former gang member turned reporter, Allegra Garcia was a late addition to Team Flash. The Flash season 9 saw Allegra embracing her metahuman powers and a potential romance with Chester Runk. While Chester worked with Allegra to develop technology or a supersuit that could conceal her identity, Allegra was still uncertain about wearing a costume and adopting a codename, even if she was at peace with using her powers to actively fight crime. It is possible, however, that Allegra might choose a codename in The Flash finale.
3 Will Any Other Arrowverse Characters Return?
While several villains have been confirmed as returning for The Flash finale, nothing has been said about what heroes might show up to help Barry Allen battle the Negative Speed Force. The Flash season 9 already saw the return of Kid Flash, John Diggle, and Oliver Queen, but no special guest heroes have been teased for the series finale. While it is unlikely that The Flash finale will address the final fate of the Legends of Tomorrow, whose final season ended with an unresolved cliffhanger, it is possible that some heroes from Black Lighting and Supergirl might show up to help the Arrowverse go out in style.
2 How Will The Flash Actually End?
The exact details of how Barry Allen’s story and The Flash will end have been kept a closely guarded secret. It has been revealed that the series will not end with Barry Allen’s death and that things will end on a happy note, with things “left in a place where the story continues,” according to actor Grant Gustin. The details beyond that are vague, though it is suspected that the finale’s title, “A New World,” might refer to a reborn Earth-Prime, free from the history of the earlier Arrowverse.
1 Will There Be A Setup For The Flash Movie?
With The Flash movie arriving in theaters less than one month after The Flash television finale airs, there is some speculation it might reference the film. A connection between the Arrowverse and DCEU exists, with Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen having met Grant Gustin’s Flash during Crisis on Infinite Earths. While multiple sources have denied Gustin appearing in The Flash movie, nothing has been said refuting Miller making a cameo in the show to tease the film. While this might be seen as a distraction from the show, it would not be unexpected for Warner Bros. to try and promote the highly anticipated movie in The Flash finale.
The Flash series finale airs Wednesday, May 24, on The CW.