Who Dies On The Flash Season Finale?

05/19/2015 06:06 pm EDT

After the Flash's season one finale airs tonight, it's likely that one of the castmembers won't cross the finish line. After all, most television season finales are marked by a major character death, and Flash's sister series, Arrow, has made a habit of it for its three finales. And with the fight against the Reverse Flash reaching its climax, no one is safe from the specter of death.

But, who might exit tonight's finale in a casket? ComicBook.com runs through the possibilities.

Norah Allen (Again)

Brutal? Yes. Likely? Even more so. As the CW has  revealed, Barry will finally travel to the past to save his mother from Reverse Flash. And with all the recent press talk about divergent timelines, we think Flash will succeed in that mission—initially. Much like the 2011 storyline Flashpoint, Flash will inadvertently rewrite history by saving his mother, creating a dystopian universe. After Barry sees the dark future he's created, he'll realize that his mother must die for the salvation of time itself. Faced with that heart-breaking realization (Grant Gustin's words, not ours), Barry will go back to that fateful night and allow Reverse Flash to murder his momma all over again. That's gotta hurt.

Reverse Flash

While we'd hate for The Flash to kill it's golden goose of a villain so early in its run, Eobard Thawne could very well receive a visit from the Black Flash. It's not like he's croaked—multiple times—in the comics. In fact, it was Barry himself who killed Reverse Flash in the comics, in a scenario very similar tonight's finale (instead of killing Norah Allen, Thawne tried murdering Barry's finance). Who's to say that Barry doesn't kill the Reverse Flash to save his mother? But, do to any number of paradoxical time loops, its possible that when reality is restored, Reverse Flash is somehow written out of history.

Joe West

Possibly one of the most likely candidates on the list, Joe West's death could provide the emotional gravitas that a season finale needs without severely disrupting the show's status quo. Regardless of how he goes, Joe's death could be a catalyst for many characters to take the next step in their heroic careers. Joe and Cisco grew pretty close throughout season one—perhaps Joe's death is the motivation Cisco needs to transform into the superhero he's destined to become: Vibe.

Eddie Thawne

Now that he's out of the running (heh) for Iris' affections, what other narrative purpose could Eddie Thawne serve? After all, Reverse Flash already told Eddie that he will die an unremarkable and forgotten man. Burdenoned with that knowledge, and the fact that his bloodline will eventually produce The Reverse Flash, what if Eddie sacrifices himself? In doing so, he knows (or at least thinks) that he can stop Reverse Flash from ever existing, nipping the team's problems in the bud. If we ignore the Butterfly effect for this one, it certainly seems likely. And with the Particle Accelerator rigged to blow yet again, Eddie may see his chance to mark himself in the history book as the man who gave his life to prevent the travesty from happening again.

Henry Allen

Apologies to all the John Wesley Shipp fans out there, but Barry's dad also stands a good chance at perishing tonight. It's possible that in Barry's trip to the past, he somehow alters events enough so that not only his mother dies, but his father does as well. Perhaps Barry informs Henry of the Reverse Flash's arrival, and Henry tries stopping the madman himself. And heck, maybe he does succeed in killing Thane (adding a nice wink to classic Flash fans), but not before Thawne deliver a fatal blow himself. The death would be tramatic enough for Flash to learn that he can never tamper with time again, while also finishing Barry's obsessive mission to prove his father's innocence.

But what say you? Who do you think could die tonight? Share your theories in the comments below.

The Flash's season finale airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. on The CW.

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