The Flash announces familiar faces returning for final season

Welcome to 2023, the year that will finally see the end of the Arrowverse after more than a decade. The Flash intends to end with a bang (or a lightning bolt), so it’s bringing back some familiar characters to join Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) on his victory lap. Those returning guest stars, per TVLine, include David Ramsey (an Arrow staple and frequent Flash guest), Keiynan Lonsdale, and Sendhil Ramamurthy, who join the cast ahead of its ninth season premiere on February 8, 2023.

Ramsey’s character John Diggle, as showrunner Eric Wallace notes to the outlet, is “one of the legacy Arrowverse characters who helped start it all.” He’s not only a close friend of Team Flash, he’s a representative of the OG Arrow team. (Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen died in the Arrowverse, so he likely won’t be making an appearance. That said, the DC Universe is full of loopholes for death, so you never know!) Wallace teases a “very emotional reunion as John Diggle aka Spartan helps protect Central City alongside Team Flash one last time.”

Meanwhile, Kid Flash (Lonsdale) hasn’t appeared on the show since the sixth season, after spending some time with The Legends Of Tomorrow. “Kid Flash isn’t just another speedster—he’s a beloved part of our Team Flash family,” Wallace says in his statement. “So as soon as we knew he was coming back, we set out to create a special and heartfelt story for his return. The result is a brilliant performance from Keiynan that showcases a side of Wally West you’ve never seen before.”

The reunion with Ramamurthy (who is currently starring in another DC project, Doom Patrol) is likely to be a lot less welcome for Team Flash. Wallace describes his performance as the sixth season villain Bloodwork as “brilliantly haunting and unforgettable,” saying the writers “wanted to have Ramsey play a part in Flash’s final race.” He adds, “Fortunately, everything came together and now the villainous Bloodwork’s return will set into motion one of the Flash’s wildest and most emotional adventures yet.”

Core cast members set to return include Gustin, Candice Patton (as Iris West-Allen), Danielle Panabaker (as Caitlin Snow), Danielle Nicolet (as Cecile Horton), Kayla Compton (as Allegra Garcia), Brandon McKnight (as Chester P. Runk), and Jon Cor (as Mark Blaine). Jesse L. Martin will also appear as Detective Joe West, though he is not a series regular in this final season.

Other previously announced guest stars include Supergirl’s Nicole Maines and Batwoman’s Javica Leslie. A teaser released last month also promised the return of villains Pied Piper (Andy Mientus) and Goldface (Daimon Poitier), as well as a new version of Captain Boomerang played by Richard Harmon. No word yet on the rest of Team Flash’s loyal allies–like Cisco (Carlos Valdes) or Nora and Bart Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy and Jordan Fisher, respectively), but chances are the show has some more surprises up its sleeve as the final season approaches.