The Flash: Why Green Arrow is returning for final season

The Flash made a triumphant return in the show’s ninth and final series last night, and thanks to a new interview with showrunner Eric Wallace, we now know why Green Arrow will be joining proceedings later in the season.

The Flash has been a huge success for The CW. The superhero series that spun off from Arrow and forms part of the Arrowverse has been on for nearly a decade, across eight action-packed seasons.

Showrunner Eric Wallace had hoped to reach 10 seasons and 200 episodes, but sadly this ninth season will also be the show’s last. And it’s also a truncated series, running to 13 episodes rather than the usual 22.

But Wallace is still finding time to include some friendly faces in the run, with multiple Arrowverse characters returning, including Stephen Amell’s Arrow, and Rick Cosnett’s Eddie Thawne.

What is Season 9 of The Flash about?

When asked about the final season’s guest stars, Wallace said they are all in service of the overarching narrative.

“Everything’s related to what would work for the story we wanted to tell in Season 9,” Wallace told Deadline. “This season’s themes are very much about Barry coming to terms with unfinished business in the past, and Iris coming to terms with events in the future that have yet to come, and the apprehension and anxiousness that comes with that.

“In Barry’s thematic journey, in dealing with the past, we simply just needed people from his past to join the story at key moments throughout Season 9. Two people that immediately came to mind that had to be part of the season were Stephen Amell and Rick Cosnett.”

Why Green Arrow is returning to The Flash

Green Arrow is returning to The Flash because Barry Allen’s mentor needs to be there as the end approaches. As Wallace explains to Deadline…

“We have to have them come back, because they’re such a big part of Season 1 of the show in very different ways. One is kind of a mentor figure and the other is a close friend to Barry. Fortunately, it all worked out.”

“It’s the same thing with a lot of the other folks who’ve been chosen as guest stars, specifically Javicia Leslie [Batwoman]. Ironically, her storyline has to do with — this isn’t a spoiler – but it has to do with future events, which play directly into Iris’ storyline.

“We knew coming off of Armageddon last year that there was such incredible chemistry between Candice Patton and Javicia Leslie, and I knew I wanted to duplicate that. So when we decided dramatically to tell the story of Iris this season dealing with anticipation and anxiousness over the future, bringing in Javicia became a no brainer.”

The Flash screens on The CW in the States, and on Sky in the UK, while here’s everything we know about the final season.