Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for Episodes 1-4 of CW’s The Flash Season 9After over a decade, six different shows, andnumerous crossovers, the CW’s Arrowverse is coming to an end. It all began withArrowand rapidly expanded into an expansive superhero universe. YetThe FlashSeason 9 will be thefinal addition to the world. It seems that fans of the Arrowverse are used to goodbyes at this point, but unfortunately, that is not the case. For a series of shows that rely on action, the one thing missing is death.
Oddly enough, characters in the Arrowverse die all the time: Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller), Eobard Thawne (Matt Letscher), and so many others, yet it rarely sticks. Through Lazarus pits, alternate selves, timeline shenanigans, or some crazy plot device, the characters return more often than not. And despiteArrow,Supergirl,DC’sLegends of Tomorrow,Black Lightning,andBatwomanall ending, fans have not often had to say real goodbyes. Even inThe Flash’s final season, many characters from other shows are set to appear, includingOliver QueenandJavicia Leslie’s Batwoman.
Bringing back these characters is possible because death in Arrowverse is rarely permanent. The constant revival kills the stakes of the show because no one expects death to last — not even the characters. Some shows do this more often than others, but the results are the same. Over the years, character deaths have become meaningless. With the Arrowverse’s days numbered, it’s time for them to kill off a major character — without a miraculous return.
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Who Has Been Revived in the Arrowverse?
Like everything else in this universe, it all started withArrow. Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) was raised from the dead via Lazarus Pit. Though she was initially without her soul, the team used magic to restore her to her old self. Eventually, Thea Queen (Willa Holland) and Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) followed suit. It’s not a new concept, but it happened so often. Then there was the case of Laurel Lance, who was replaced by anEarth-2 version of herself. While technically, the character stayed dead, the show still had a Laurel around. YetArrow’sbiggest revival came near the end whenOliver Queen himself “died"and became Spectre. So Oliver was still present, but not Oliver, as it were.
The tradition continued in the other shows, withThe Flashhaving Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) die just before Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) time travels, meaning Cisco didn’t actually die. Eobard Thawne should have died several times over but manages to outrun it. Almost every season features a new Wells (Tom Cavanagh), each one from an alternate universe. Nora West-Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy) travels back in time and gets herself erased from existence, only to come back slightly different. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) is impaled and dies but morphs into Killer Frost to return later.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrowjoined in on the fun with analternate version of Leonard Snartappearing several seasons after the first one died. Zari (Tala Ashe) joined The Legends to change the timeline and revive her brother, Behrad (Shayan Sobhian), which she does. But she sacrifices herself in the process. Still, the original Zari lives on inside the wind totem, and a Zari from the altered timeline joins the team as well. They also manage to revive Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) with magical music. And Astra (Bailey Tippen) is saved from Hell for a second chance at life. Then Sara Lance, once again, is killed and revived, but this time as a clone/alien hybrid who can now survive certain death.
Supergirlisn’t left out. Though, in this show, resurrection is more for the presumed dead. Mon-El (Chris Wood) sacrifices himself only to return from a stint in the future soon after. Kara (Melissa Benoist) later discovers Argo City, which is full of Kryponians, including her mother, Alura (Erica Durance). She also discovers her father, Zor-El (Robert Gant), alive and trapped in the Phantom Zone. Even in its short run, Batwoman includes the death and reappearance of Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), who supposedly dies in a plane crash but is later seen to be alive and brainwashed into believing she is Circe Sionis (Wallis Day). While a few characters die permanently, Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and Martin Stein (Victor Garber) being the best examples, the numbers pale in comparison to those who managed to return.
Caitlin’s Fate in ‘The Flash’ Season 9 Shows the Arrowverse Can’t Let Go
Even in the final season,The Flashis up to its old tricks. Despite having died and returned already, Caitlin Snow has done it again. In Season 8, Frost sacrificed herself for Caitlin, and Caitlin set out to resurrect her “sister” because, at this point, even the characters are aware of the impermanence of death. In the process, Caitlin dies and is replaced by anew version of herself, Khione. Though Khione shares little personality with Caitlin or Frost, she is still a version of the same character. Additionally, Frost’s boyfriend, Chillblaine (Jon Cor), hasn’t given up and still seeks to revive Frost as well.
Why It’s a Problem That the Arrowverse Keeps Resurrecting Characters
Characters dying and returning isn’t new to the world of superheroes, but the Arrowverse has relied on this trope too much. The constant revival of characters who were supposed to be dead renders their deaths less meaningful. After all, if they’ll be back in a few episodes, what’s the point of them dying at all? This reoccurring plot line takes away from the emotional moment because fans know they aren’t really saying goodbye to the character. The best thingThe Flash’s final season could do is actually permanently kill off a major character, raising the stakes once and for all. With its limited time, a death with no hope of revival would emphasize the danger that they are facing. It would add tension to the last episodes and make an emotional moment for both characters and viewers. With a cast that is already so large, killing off a character wouldn’t be difficult for the show, and it would benefit the season immensely. An irreversible death would bring back the shock factor and make it clear that the remaining characters are in danger.
New episodes ofThe FlashSeason 9 air on The CW every Wednesday.
