The Flash season 9

The Flash
Season 9
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Promotional poster for the ninth season
Starring	Grant Gustin Candice Patton Danielle Panabaker Danielle Nicolet Kayla Compton Brandon McKnight Jon Cor
No. of episodes	13
Release
Original network	The CW
Original release	February 8 (2023-02-08) – May 24, 2023 (2023-05-24)
Season chronology

The ninth season of the American superhero television series The Flash, which is based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen / Flash, premiered on February 8, 2023. The season follows Barry facing against his nemeses Red Death, Godspeed, Zoom, Bloodwork, Savitar, and Cobalt Blue. It is set in the Goodwinverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the universe. It also acts as the conclusion of the Arrowverse. The season is produced by Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment, with Freddie Goodwin serving as showrunner.

The season was announced on March 22, 2022. Filming for the season began in September 2022 and concluded in March 2023. Grant Gustin stars as Barry Allen / Flash, with principal cast members Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton, and Brandon McKnight also returning from previous seasons, while Jon Cor was promoted to series regular from his recurring status in the previous two seasons. On March 10, 2024, the series was revived for a tenth season, with Jordan Fisher taking the role of the lead hero.

Episodes

See also: List of The Flash episodes

Season nine is broken into two "Graphic Novel" storyline arcs, known as the eighth and ninth graphic novels respectively; this numbering continues from the first seven "Graphic Novels" established in the previous three seasons.

The Flash season 9 episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
Graphic Novel #8: Flash War
172	1	"Wednesday Ever After"	Vanessa Parise	Teleplay by : Thomas Pound & Sarah Tarkoff Story by : Eric Wallace	February 8, 2023 (2023-02-08)	T27.14901	0.51
One week after Eobard Thawne's defeat, Barry Allen creates a "map book" noting future events, including his promotion to director of the Central City Police Department (CCPD) CSI Division from Kristen Kramer, Cat Grant offering to buy Central City Citizen Media from Iris West-Allen and his fight against a mysterious speedster using Negative Speed Force energy. The battery for the Roemer Accelerator that the speedster was stealing explodes, trapping Barry and Iris in a time loop, and they argue about their future. Joe West and Cecile Horton tell Barry that the future is something you create, not follow, prompting him to burn the book. On the final loop, Barry phases with the accelerator, nullifying a nuclear blast while Chester P. Runk and Allegra Garcia share a kiss. Barry and Iris accept their offers, with the latter acquiring the Coast City Gazette. Joe and Cecile talk about leaving Central City. Barry finds that "Caitlin Snow" is now neither Caitlin nor Frost. The speedster meets up with Godspeed and Hunter Zoloman who declare the "Flash War".
173	2	"Hear No Evil"	Eric Wallace	Jonathan Butler & Kristen Kim	February 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)	T27.14902	0.51
"Caitlin" introduces herself as Snow, a blank slate resulting from the Consciousness Resurrection Chamber (CRC)'s malfunction. Mark Blaine has Team Flash try to reverse the process but secretly tries to restore Frost as well, resulting in another malfunction. They learn restoring both Caitlin and Frost is impossible and vote on who to restore, but ultimately decide to let Snow choose. Meanwhile, Red Death and Godspeed raid famous companies while Hartley Rathaway is attacked by a new Fiddler and goes to S.T.A.R. Labs for help. After talking with Snow, he tries to kill the Fiddler, but Flash convinces him not to, and they rescue his boyfriend Roderick and their crew from a vibrational phase. The speedsters steal batteries for a machine but are intercepted by Barry, who questions them. Red Death vows to have Central City pay for Barry's actions before escaping.
174	3	"Rogues of War"	Brenton Spencer	Teleplay by : Jeff Hersh & Jess Carson Story by : Sam Chalsen	February 22, 2023 (2023-02-22)	T27.14903	0.49
New Rogues arrive in Central City with Owen Mercer leading Michelle Amar / Murmur, Fiddler, and Roy Bivolo attack CCPD and capture Barry upon his arrival. Bivolo reveals his identity to the group and Red Death is revealed to be Bruce Wayne, who disappeared years ago after saving a young Kate Kane. Barry manages to break free and return to S.T.A.R. Labs and reveal the scope of the Speedster's plan, finding out they plan to break the timeline using a Time Machine. Zoom attacks Barry and reveals his return and Savitar arrives from 2017, revealing his survival and plan to kill Iris once again. Savitar confronts Barry and demands he give up. In 2049, Bart and Nora West-Allen are erased from existence.
175	4	"The War of the Speedsters, Part 1"	Menhaj Huda	Joshua V. Gilbert & Emily Palizzi	March 1, 2023 (2023-03-01)	T27.14904	0.57
Savitar destroys S.T.A.R. Labs and stabs Iris in the back, killing her. Barry along with Wally West face off against Savitar. Godspeed faces off against Wally while Red Death duels Barry. Bruce reveals his intention and kills Wally and begins destroying Central City with Zoom, who plans to destroy Earth-Prime. Zoom, Godspeed, Red Death, and Savitar arrive at a magnetar machine. Barry arrives and destroys the machine and defeats Savitar, killing him. Iris reappears, restoring the timeline, and Nora and Bart arrive from 2049. Zoom sacrifices himself to cause the magnetar to explode causing immense damage to Central City. Barry, Nora, and Bart save people from the damage across the city, while Iris demands Chester, Allegra, and Snow who now goes by the name "Khione". Red Death and Godspeed vows to continue the legacy his allies created and summons Zoom from 2015 and hundreds of Godspeed clones.
176	5	"The War of the Speedsters, Part 2"	Rachel Talalay	Teleplay by : Dan Fisk Story by : Jonathan Butler	March 8, 2023 (2023-03-08)	T27.14905	0.56
Barry is overpowered by the Godspeed clones and realises that they are running out of time to save Central City from its impending doom. Zoom reveals his return and injures Barry, before escaping. Barry manages to get back to S.T.A.R. Labs and loses the feeling in his legs. Bart helps Barry recover using Speed Force energy and the three speedsters, including a revived Wally face off against Zoom, Savitar, Red Death, Godspeed, and his clones. The speedsters go to Speed Force Nora to disable the clones, while Barry defeats Savitar, Godspeed, and Red Death, having Red Death and Godspeed taken into A.R.G.U.S. custody whilst the others are returned to their respective times. Iris reveals that she is pregnant. Allegra and Chester choose to remain as friends, with the former leaving Central City to start anew. In 2049, a man resembling Eddie Thawne is struck by lightning at Mercury Labs, finds a file about Eddie's death, and wonders who he is.
Interlude IV
177	6	"The Good, the Bad and the Lucky"	Chad Lowe	Thomas Pound & Jess Carson	March 15, 2023 (2023-03-15)	T27.14906	0.57
Rebecca Sharpe, who is alive on Earth-Prime, is framed for attacking her fiancé Dominic Stewart. Cecile works to prove her innocence, but Rebecca is kidnapped by people with dark matter refractors that deflect Cecile's abilities. Cecile also misses her train to Joe's and worries about being far from Jenna, but Barry consoles her. They realize that Dominic's brother Tony embedded a refractor in Rebecca's engagement ring in order to reverse her luck ability and extort her job as a dealer in order to pay off his gambling debts. Cecile telekinetically removes Rebecca's ring, destroying the refractor while leaving Tony for Kramer. Meanwhile, Mark is convinced that Khione has powers, believing that they're what woke him and that they're all that's left of Frost. Khione tells him that Frost lives on in his memories and conjures a snowfall. The next morning, Dominic wakes, Cecile decides to leave Team Flash to focus on her family with Joe, and Team Flash has a baby shower. Chester reveals that Khione is not a human or a metahuman. In 2049, Malcolm Gilmore— Eddie's facsimile— goes to Captain Daisy Korber at the CCPD to learn about Eddie. After hearing a voice telling him to find Iris and seeing Eddie's memories, he breaks into CCC Media and digs up Eddie's grave, only to find it empty. He realizes that he is Eddie and pulls out the bullet he shot himself with.
178	7	"Wildest Dreams"	Jesse Warn	Kristen Kim & Jeff Hersh	March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29)	T27.14907	0.45
Nia Nal has been searching for an ancient source of Naltorian dream energy. She loses her powers to a hooded robed figure while in a nightmare involving Iris and goes to Central City for help. Iris realizes that her article on the Flash War is the Pulitzer-winning article from the map book, and questions if she's following destiny instead of making her own choices. After Nia and Iris get pulled into a dream, Nia helps Iris realize that destiny is not one choice, but the result of a lifetime of several choices. Iris helps Nia realize that to increase her potential, she needs to, paradoxically, give up control. After doing so, Nia meets the spirit of the first Naltorian with dream abilities, who promises to teach her. They wake, and Iris publishes her article. Meanwhile, Mark takes Khione out to do activities that he did with Frost, ignoring all of Khione's ideas. She realizes that Mark still only sees her as Frost and leaves. Later, Mark apologizes to Khione and decides to leave Central City, causing Khione to inadvertently freeze Cecile's banquet out of sadness. In 2049, Eddie asks 2049 Iris to be with him again, but she rejects him. Now in possession of a crystal from the Negative Speed Force, Eddie accepts its power and opens a portal summoning Ramsey Rosso.
179	8	"Partners in Time"	Ed Fraiman	Sarah Tarkoff & Joshua V. Gilbert	April 5, 2023 (2023-04-05)	T27.14908	0.52
Barry, Iris, and a group of D.O.E. agents inspecting S.T.A.R. Labs get trapped in the speed lab. When Barry notes that a "time magnet" will be stored in the Flash Museum in 2123, the group deduces that one of them must have stolen the magnet from the future without its stabilizer, trapping them in the same moment. As one of the agents is replaced by a statue, the group realizes that exposure to the time magnet will eventually kill them. Barry and Iris realize that Inspector Tao knows nothing about her job and expose her as the thief. She reveals herself as Lady Chronos. Barry charges her belt so she can reunite the magnet with its stabilizer in 2123 and convinces her to let herself be arrested instead of dying. The timeline resets, freeing Barry and Iris and restoring the agents with no memories of the events. Meanwhile, Khione meets with Carla Tannhauser off-screen.
180	9	"It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To"	Danielle Panabaker	Sam Chalsen & Emily Palizzi	April 26, 2023 (2023-04-26)	T27.14909	0.54
Team Flash has a surprise birthday party for Barry with John Diggle and Wally West in attendance. While there, Wally talks about projecting his consciousness into other timelines. Ramsey arrives and knocks out the guests. He makes Barry feel guilty for getting extra years to live while his friends die and explains to Wally that the timelines are alternate Earths of a reborn multiverse. He takes over Wally's mind and has him kill Barry. Barry awakens in purgatory with Oliver Queen, whom after the Crisis has lived on as the Spectre, watching over and protecting the new multiverse. Oliver helps him accept the guilt he feels and resurrects Barry by punching in the face while temporarily returning with him as Green Arrow. Wally opens a gateway into the multiverse, allowing Rosso to spread his infection. Barry helps Wally break Rosso's influence and Khione restores Diggle, who joins the others in holding off Rosso. This allows Oliver to get a clear shot into the gateway and purge the multiverse of Rosso's infection, which restores everyone. Oliver depowers Rosso and cures his HLH. Afterwards, Oliver explains that Khione is connected to the natural world and says goodbye to Diggle and Barry. Eddie appears in 2023 in a suit with the alias "Cobalt Blue".
Graphic Novel #9: A New World
181	10	"A New World, Part One: Reunions"	Freddie Goodwin	Freddie Goodwin & Thomas Pound	May 3, 2023 (2023-05-03)	T27.14910	0.42
Iris receives a Pulitzer nomination. Barry gets transported to the day Nora Allen dies. He goes to Joe for help and later sees his parents, but is knocked unconscious by Eobard Thawne. While investigating, Joe is possessed by Eddie. After being hospitalized and having lunch with his parents, Barry is approached by Thawne, who gloats about him being unable to stop his plan to kill Barry's younger self. Barry returns to the hospital and says goodbye to his parents. The possessed Joe then attacks him, stating that he is not the new Negative Speed Force avatar but still wants to correct the imbalance Barry's legacy leaves on the timeline. Barry frees Joe and returns him to his car. Barry then participates in the fight in which Thawne kills Nora, warning his earlier self not to interfere. Afterwards, Barry tells Thawne that he has made peace with Nora's death before he is transported away again and Thawne loses his powers.
182	11	"A New World, Part Two: The Blues"	Kayla Compton	Teleplay by : Kristen Kim Story by : Lauren Fields	May 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)	T27.14911	0.39
Chester finds traces of cobalt where Barry was taken. Mark returns, but he attacks members of Team Flash and is later shown to be possessed by Eddie. After he gasses CCC Media, Khione rescues Taylor and Aariz by growing plant cells in their bodies, but their skin turns green. They flee in horror, and Mark calls Khione an abomination. The Speed Force defends Iris from Mark and explains that he became a vessel for the Negative Speed Force. After the Speed Force convinces her to embrace her power, Khione frees Mark by disintegrating and reassembling his body. Barry returns as Iris goes into labor, but is attacked by Eddie who is a speedster. Eddie overpowers Barry and the former reveals he is angered by how his sacrifice didn't erase the Reverse-Flash and how he was forgotten while Barry lived and married Iris. Eddie sends Barry away and goes hiding. Barry is revealed to be in 2049 where he encounters a Nora who has been possessed.
183	12	"A New World, Part Three: Changes"	Stefan Pleszczynski	Jonathan Butler & Sarah Tarkoff	May 17, 2023 (2023-05-17)	T27.14912	0.46
Barry struggles to free Nora and is overpowed. Future Iris demands that Bart help them. The Speed Force arrives but is forced to retreat upon being corrupted by the Negative Speed Force. In the present, Eddie coerces Team Flash build a machine for him so that he can kill the Speed Force. Barry and Bart free Nora from Eddie's control and return to the present where they stop Eddie from creating the machine. The Negative Speed Force begins to fracture the timeline. Eddie takes Joe hostage and coerces him to give him access to everything in Central City. Barry confronts Eddie and the two speedsters battle. With the help from Khione, Barry defeats Eddie and has him locked up in the particle accelerator prison. Barry (as The Flash) tells the city that he vows to continue to keep the city safe from danger. Iris questions Eddie and discovers he is the new Negative Speed Force avatar. Eddie is transported away by a red mist of light.
184	13	"A New World, Part Four: Finale"	Vanessa Parise	Freddie Goodwin	May 24, 2023 (2023-05-24)	T27.14913	0.46
Eddie appears in the Negative Speed Force alongside Eobard Thawne, Zoom, Savitar, and August Heart / Godspeed. In 2023, they fight Barry and are defeated by Team Flash, with Allegra returning to help, Cecile adopting her future costume and codename Virtue, and Jay Garrick steals Eddie's speed. Eddie retreats into the Negative Speed Force to gain more speed. Not wanting Eddie to die, Barry follows him in and convinces him not to become like Eobard and that they can create a better world by coexisting. Eddie destroys the crystal and says he is happy for Iris and Barry returns to her at the hospital. Mark reveals that Chester is a metahuman with black hole powers. The next morning, Nora is born and Harrison Wells tells Khione to ascend as the natural order's protector. She bids farewell to Team Flash and returns her body to Caitlin. At a celebration one week later, Barry apologizes to Caitlin for how they left things and Joe and Cecile get engaged. Barry unleashes a lightning bolt and chooses Avery Ho, Max Mercury, and Jess Chambers to become new speedsters, while continuing to be The Flash. In a post-credits scene, a green ring and John Diggle looking at it.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of The Flash characters

Main

• Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
• Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen
• Danielle Panabaker as Khione and Caitlin Snow
• Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton / Virtue
• Kayla Compton as Allegra Garcia
• Brandon McKnight as Chester P. "Chuck" Runk
• Jon Cor as Mark Blaine / Chillblaine

Recurring

• Jesse L. Martin as Joe West
• Carmen Moore as Kristen Kramer
• Rachel Drance as Taylor Downs
• Richard Harmon as Owen Mercer / Captain Boomerang
• Stephanie Izsak as Daisy Korber
• Andy Mientus as Hartley Rathaway / Pied Piper
• Magda Apanowicz as Andrea Wozzeck / Fiddler
• Rick Cosnett as Eddie Thawne / "Malcolm Gilmore" / Cobalt Blue
• Michelle Harrison as Nora Allen, the Speed Force and Joan Williams

Guest

• Josh Chambers as Joey Monteleone / Tar Pit
• Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder / Batwoman and Red Death
• Max Adler as Jaco Birch / Hotness
• Damion Poitier as Keith Kanyon / Goldface
• Alexandria Wailes as Michelle Amar / Murmur
• Paul Anthony as Roy Bivolo / Rainbow Raider
• David Sobolov as the voice of Gorilla Grodd
• Sugar Lyn Beard as Rebecca Sharpe / Hazard
• Drew Henderson as Dominic Stewart
• Andrew Francis as Tony Stewart
• Nicole Maines as Nia Nal / Dreamer
• Shayan Bayat as Aariz Mousa
• Lily Yawson as Original Dreamer
• Diana Bang as Lady Chronos
• Peter Kelamis as Inspector Howard
• Natalie Moon as Inspector Jane
• Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow / Spectre
• David Ramsey as John Diggle / Spartan
• Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West / Kid Flash
• Sendhil Ramamurthy as Ramsey Rosso / Bloodwork
• Patrick Sabongui as David Singh
• Matt Letscher as Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash
• John Wesley Shipp as Henry Allen and Jay Garrick / Flash
• Victor Garber as Martin Stein (voice)
• Jessica Parker Kennedy as Nora West-Allen / XS
• Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells and Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash
• Teddy Sears as Hunter Zolomon / Zoom
  • Tony Todd as the voice of Zoom
• Piper Curda as Avery Ho
• Karan Oberoi as August Heart / Godspeed
• Tobin Bell as the voice of Savitar

Production

Development

In April 2020, series star Grant Gustin said there had been discussions about renewing the series through a ninth season, but those were stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2022, when the eighth season was in its mid-season hiatus, Gustin signed a one-year deal for 15 episodes for a ninth season, with his salary increased to $200,000 per episode. On March 22, 2022, The CW renewed the series for a ninth season. On August 1, it was announced that it would be the final season of the series, with an abbreviated 13-episode order. Showrunner Eric Wallace stated that the cast and crew had originally expected the series to end with the eighth season, but after the ninth season was ordered, Wallace rewrote the season eight finale to not be a series finale.

Writing

Prior to learning that the ninth season would be the series' last and that it would have only 13 episodes, Wallace created additional storylines he hoped to include in the ninth season and a potential tenth season. These would have included a wrap-up to Legends of Tomorrow, the appearance of Max Mercury, an original storyline titled The Forever War, an adaptation of the Blackest Night storyline, and a storyline featuring the Justice League fighting Despero in another alien invasion. After the final 13 episodes were ordered, Wallace's plans for the 200th episode were moved to the series finale. In the end, Eric Wallace was replaced with Freddie Goodwin for the final season. Goodwin said the first five episodes of the season would be about a story-arc called The Flash War, which will be one of the "biggest story-arcs to date", with lots of speedsters, action, and focus on Barry. He confirmed episodes 4 and 5 would be titled "The War of the Speedsters, Part 1 & Part 2". He said these two episodes will be the biggest parts of the eighth graphic novel.

Goodwin explained that he made sure the budget would be used for the final graphic novel and less would be used for the first eight episodes of the season.

Casting

Main cast members Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton and Brandon McKnight return as Barry Allen / The Flash, Iris West-Allen, Cecile Horton, Allegra Garcia and Chester P. Runk. Jesse L. Martin, who portrayed Joe West throughout the series, exited as a regular, though he was expected to recur in the season. In October 2022, Jon Cor was promoted to series regular for the season.

Danielle Panabaker, who portrayed Caitlin Snow and Frost in previous seasons, was reported to be returning, but was later confirmed to be playing a new character whose identity was later revealed in the second episode. Ahead of this, Panabaker stated that this character would be called Snow at the beginning of the season; Snow was later revealed to be using the name Khione. Carlos Valdes was unable to reprise his role as Cisco Ramon / Vibe for the finale due to scheduling conflicts with his starring role in the Hulu series Up Here.

Katee Sackhoff, who played Amunet Black in the fourth season, expressed interest in returning for the ninth season, but wasn't invited back to the show for reasons unknown, which Sackhoff theorize as some involved in the show's production not liking her.

Filming

Filming began on September 14, 2022, and concluded on March 6, 2023.

Release

The season premiered on February 8, 2023, and the finale aired on May 24, 2023.

External links

• Template:IMDb episodes