Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, and Danielle Panabaker will stay on The Flash for another year

Earlier this year, The CW’s The Flash lost a couple of original cast members—specifically Tom Cavanagh (and all of the other alternate universe Tom Cavanaghs) and Carlos Valdes. The Flash still needs someone back at STAR Labs working the computers and reminding him to “run, Barry, run!” though, so thankfully a few familiar faces will be sticking around for The Flash’s upcoming eighth season. As reported by Deadline, Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, and Danielle Panabaker have all signed new deals to stay on the show for another year.

Martin plays Joe West, Barry’s adoptive father and also father-in-law (just go with it), Patton is Iris West-Allen, Barry’s wife and briefly a superhero in her own right, and Panabaker is Dr. Caitlin Snow, a.k.a. former(?) super villain Killer Frost. The three also popped up in the many Arrowverse crossovers, often as different people or different versions of the same people.

Grant Gustin, who plays the Flash, was already under contract through the eighth season, but that means everyone’s deals will be running out at the same time, which implies a certain thing about the future of the show. The CW hasn’t said if The Flash will end after its eighth season, but that’s as long as Arrow ran for, Black Lightning is already one, and Supergirl is going to end after its current season, so we could soon be seeing the end of an era for The CW’s superhero shows. Then again, Batwoman is still going, Superman & Lois just started, and DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow will hopefully outlive the sun, so it’s not like the Arrowverse—though it seems increasingly weird to still call it that when Arrow hasn’t been on for a few years. If The Flash really does end after season eight, though, maybe fans can try calling it the DC’s Legends Of Tomorrowverse? That rolls off the tongue, right?