The Flash Showrunner Teases Major Storyline for Iris in Season 8
The CW's The Flash will return for its eighth season this fall, kicking off with the five-part premiere event "Armageddon" in November. But once the series moves into the heart of Season 8 after that eagerly-anticipated event, it sounds like fans can expect a major storyline for Iris West Allen (Candice Patton.) According to series showrunner Eric Wallace, dealing with Iris' time sickness will be a huge part of the season and will be a season-long problem for the series to solve.
Wallace told TVLine that dealing with Iris' mysterious time sickness is something that won't factor into "Armageddon", but will after that event.
"Iris' time sickness gets dealt with after 'Armageddon'," Wallace said. "Solving Iris' time sickness 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's relationship and marriage."
As fans may recall, last season on The Flash, Iris began phasing through temporal planes without any real explanation as to why. All that is known is that her molecules had become unstable, requiring the Still Force, Deon, to stabilize her. Iris was eventually stable enough to be in the present and help the rest of Team Flash - including her future son and daughter - take on Godspeed as well as renew her vows with Barry (Grant Gustin). There have been plenty of theories as to why Iris has been ill. Even the series itself suggested that Iris could be pregnant, though Barry conducted a pregnancy test that seemed to prove otherwise. Other theories include the suggestion that Iris could be developing powers on a more permanent basis as well as the possibility that we haven't yet seen the end of the impact her time in the Mirrorverse in Season 6 had on her.
The only thing that we do know for sure is that whatever is going on with Iris, it doesn't sound like it will have much impact on "Armageddon." That five-part event was announced in August and will feature appearances by Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Brandon Routh as The Atom, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Chyler Leigh as Sentinel, Kat McNamara as Mia Queen and Osric Chau as Ryan Choi as well as Tom Cavanagh as Eobard Thawne and Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk.
"Simply put, these are going to be some of the most emotional Flash episodes ever," said The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace in a statement. "Plus, there are some truly epic moments and huge surprises that await our fans. And we're doing them on a scale that's bigger and bolder than our traditional Flash episodes. So yes, 'Armageddon' is a lot more than just another graphic novel storyline. It's going to be a true event for Flash and Arrowverse fans, old and new. Honestly, I can't wait for audiences to see what we've got planned."
You can check out the official synopsis for "Armageddon" below.
A powerful alien threat arrives on Earth under mysterious circumstances and Barry (Grant Gustin), Iris (Candice Patton), and the rest of Team Flash are pushed to their limits in a desperate battle to save the world. But with time running out, and the fate of humanity at stake, Flash and his companions will also need to enlist the help of some old friends if the forces of good are to prevail.
The Flash Season 8 kicks off with "Armageddon" on November 16 at 8/7c on The CW.