The Flash series finale airs this week, but is the Arrowverse over after The Flash Season 9? For the past decade, we have seen Barry Allen/The Flash grow and become a better and wiser superhero each season.
Barry Allen has fought numerous villains along the way, and he’s been victorious with the help of his family and friends. In The Flash Season 9, Team Flash went through various challenges and obstacles, such as Joe West leaving Central City, Caitlin Snow’s death, the evil speedster Red Death, and Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork.
We have also had numerous crossovers this season, including one with Green Arrow/Oliver Queen and another with Supergirl’s Nia Nal/Dreamer. So, is the Arrowverse over after The Flash Season 9?
Will the Arrowverse End After The Flash Season 9?
The Flash season 9 will serve as a conclusion to the Arrowverse. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Flash actor Grant Gustin shared his thoughts on ending The Flash after Season 9:
"It just felt like time. A lot of people wanted us to get to 10 seasons, but in my mind we did 10 years — it was 2013 when I was cast as Barry Allen, and we finished in 2023. We had done everything we needed to do, the characters were in a good place, and we had reached the conclusion.”
Additionally, while Superman & Lois was supposedly a part of the Arrowverse, showrunner Todd Helbing confirmed that the series was separate from Earth-Prime. Helbing also added that the Superman and John Diggle in the series are doppelgangers of the versions on Earth-Prime.
This leaves The Flash as the last Arrowverse series, and so we’re gonna have to say goodbye to the Arrowverse after The Flash Season 9. But even though The Flash will serve as the conclusion to the Arrowverse, at least the series ends on its own terms, unlike canceled Arrowverse shows such as Batwoman and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
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The Future of the Arrowverse
While The Flash Season 9 finale will effectively end the Arrowverse, showrunner Eric Wallace says that he’s “hopeful that the Arrowverse is not over.” In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wallace said:
"I still am hopeful that the Arrowverse is not over. I've approached it as The Flash is over and I want to make the best Flash series finale as possible. On the other side, of course, there's no Batwoman. There's no Legends. There's no Black Lightning. There's no Arrow or Supergirl. It is very strange. All of the shows that were on Earth-Prime, they're all going away. So what does that mean? I don't know."
Additionally, while Superman & Lois was confirmed to be separate from the Arrowverse, Wallace told Helbing to put “some Arrowverse” in a fourth season:
"I'm going to have lunch with Todd in the next couple weeks. And I'm going to tell him, 'If you get a fourth season, you've got to sneak some Arrowverse in there. You are now carrying the torch.'"
In line with this, while Superman & Lois has yet to be renewed for a fourth season, Helbing shared with Entertainment Weekly that he would love to have Gustin on the show, as well as Iris West-Allen with Lois Lane. This is something that has yet to be seen, but Wallace says that The Flash series finale will show how the Arrowverse could still continue in some way:
"I've wrapped up a lot of things in the series finale, and it ends on a very hopeful note that shows you how the future of the Arrowverse could continue in some way, shape, or form. It hopefully gives people closure, but also some hope for the future, because otherwise it's very sad to think that there's no more crossovers, that there won't be an Arrowverse after May 24. That saddens me because I love it so much, and it was such a big part of not just my life, but a whole fan base's life."
It would be nice to see some Arrowverse characters appear on Superman & Lois. But if this is the last time we will be seeing The Flash characters, at least we can properly say goodbye.
Watch The Flash series finale promo below:
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The Flash series finale airs this Wednesday, May 24, on The CW.