The Flash EP Teases an “Emotional” Season 7 Arc for One Character

Fans got their first look at The CW‘s The Flash during DC FanDome this past weekend with a new trailer teasing the high stakes that the team faces with Iris (Candice Patton) still trapped in the Mirrorverse. However, while Iris’ fate looks to be a big element of things heading into Season 7 the Arrowverse series has another character it will also have to address when the series returns — Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man. Actor Hartley Sawyer was fired from the series earlier this year, shaking up plans for the character and connected stories but now showrunner Eric Wallace is teasing how the show is handling that with an “emotional” journey for one character.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Wallace explained that he had originally planned a storyline that saw Ralph and another character, but had to rethink the story and now, without Ralph, it’s become a much more “emotional” journey.

“There was a whole storyline that involved Ralph with another character in particular going off on a two hander journey — a season-long [arc] that would have involved a whole bunch of twists and turns that would have played into the season’s big bad, which I don’t want to spoil,” Wallace said. “And yeah, we can’t do that anymore. However, as is always the case, and this is why I like planning ahead, it turns out to be a situation of some lemons and we made lemonade out of it. We pulled the Elongated Man out of this particular storyline, and the storyline became so much stronger because now it’s focused on the other character, [who] I don’t want to reveal because it’s a surprise.”

Wallace did, however, reveal that the other character is a series regular.

“For that other character, it became a much more of an emotional journey,” Wallace continued. “And this other character I’m referring to is one of our series regulars, so it’s going to be very exciting. That particular character now gets to go somewhere that we never imagined they would until many seasons down the line, but we just pulled that up. So, I think it’s going to be really fun. And it was a good way to, like I said, make an awkward situation into a great opportunity that ends up making Team Flash as a whole, stronger.”

Wallace also addressed Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss) in Season 7 now that Elongated Man is no longer part of the story.

“You’re going to see Sue more than once this year even without the Elongated Man — on her own, making appearances, and helping Team Flash in an unexpected way. And it’s just going to be hilarious because she was so much fun,” Wallace revealed, adding that continuing to have Sue on the show was “one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as a showrunner. I called up Natalie and said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re still going to be part of this season. We’ll find a way.’ Now, when I told her that, to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure [how]. But I am happy to report we found a way.”

The Flash is expected to return with new episodes in 2021 on The CW.