Throughout the nine seasons of The Flash, we have seen Team Flash say goodbye to the people they love and grieve over the death of some members like Frost. So, who dies in The Flash season 9 finale?
In The Flash series finale, Barry talks to baby Nora about how he’s lost people he cared about the most when he was just a kid. Barry goes on to say that he does not want the same thing to happen to Nora.
So, who dies in The Flash season 9 finale? Thankfully, no one from Team Flash dies in The Flash season 9 finale, although Chester almost didn't make it out alive. And surprisingly, one original member returns: Caitlin.
Warning: More spoilers ahead for The Flash series finale. Read at your own risk!
Did Caitlin Really Die? Caitlin’s Return Explained
Caitlin seemingly dies in The Flash season 9, but she comes back in the series finale. After Frost dies in The Flash season 8, Caitlin tries to resurrect her through science. Barry finds out about this and wrecks all of Caitlin’s equipment in her apartment.
While Mark was initially reluctant, he decides to help Caitlin resurrect Frost. He lets Caitlin enter the Consciousness Resurrection Chamber (CRC), the machine that would supposedly bring Frost back.
However, instead of bringing Frost back, the machine brings Khione, a new version of Caitlin. Due to this, the original Caitlin was presumed dead.
But in The Flash series finale, Caitlin Snow comes back. After Khione (who is actually a goddess) chooses to ascend to become the natural order’s protector of all things, Caitlin suddenly appears.
While this initially surprises Team Flash, they realize that when Khione ascended, she did not need her physical body anymore. Thus, Khione used her gifts to return Caitlin back to her rightful place.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actress Danielle Panabaker said that returning as Caitlin was “great”.
“It was how I wanted to go out. It's how I joined the show, and it was appropriate that that's how I left the show as well,” Panabaker said.
While there may be questions as to why only Caitlin returned and not Frost, it can be recalled that Frost actually died, while Caitlin didn’t. Caitlin’s body was just taken over by Khione, so it makes sense for the character to return to The Flash series finale.
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Does Eddie Thawne/Cobalt Blue Die? Eddie’s Fate Explained
No, Eddie Thawne/Cobalt Blue does not die in The Flash season 9 finale. He remains the avatar of the Negative Speed Force which Barry sees as the key to maintaining balance between the two Speed Forces.
In The Flash season 9, the Negative Speed Force resurrects Eddie Thawne and chooses him to become its avatar. While Eddie initially rejects this, he’s angered by the fact that his sacrifice meant nothing because the Reverse-Flash wasn’t really erased.
He thinks he was forgotten and that Barry repaid him by stealing his then fiancé, Iris. After realizing all these things, Eddie Thawne chooses to accept the power of the blue crystal and become Cobalt Blue.
In order to win, Cobalt Blue goes back to the Negative Speed Force to gain more speed. Barry realizes that Eddie will go through the same thing as Eobard Thawne where absorbing all the energy from the Negative Speed Force would kill the speedster.
Barry refuses to let Eddie die because the latter once saved him. Barry then confronts Cobalt Blue and tells him that he’s become the person he died trying to stop.
The Negative Speed Force gets in Eddie’s head and tells him to end Barry’s “pathetic existence.” But Barry tells Eddie that he has to remain as the avatar and that while Eobard gave in to hate, Eddie can fight.
Barry explains that with Eddie as the avatar, both sides can work together. Convinced by Barry, Eddie destroys the crystal. However, he explains to Barry that just because he agreed, doesn’t mean they will always see eye-to-eye. “We’re still on opposite sides,” he says.
Barry says that they will find a way together. Barry and Eddie then shake hands, and Eddie asks Barry to tell Iris that he’s happy for her.
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Did Nora West-Allen/XS Die?
Nora does not die in The Flash season 9 finale. After Cobalt Blue resurrects the evil speedsters, Nora West-Allen/XS takes on Savitar. During their fight, Savitar tells Nora that while Iris escaped her fate, she won’t.
Savitar then stabs Nora in the back the same way he did with Iris in The Flash Season 3. While it appears that Nora dies in The Flash season 9 finale, the speedster survives. Nora was able to phase, so the blade misses her.
Nora then takes off the blade and stabs Savitar in the back. A week later, Nora spends the rest of her time in the present-day timeline playing with her younger version.
She then tells Barry and Iris that if they think that it was a crazy 24 hours before she was born, they should wait for Bart’s due date.
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Did Chester Die? Chester P. Runk’s “Death” Explained
While it may seem that Chester dies in The Flash season 9 finale, the character survives. Reverse-Flash goes to S.T.A.R. Labs and attacks Chester with lightning. Allegra arrives but Chester was already unconscious and appeared to be dead.
Allegra cries over his body and Eobard Thawne arrives. Thawne tells Allegra that while he gets to kill her boyfriend, he gets to kill her too wearing the face of her old mentor, Nash.
Allegra defeats Reverse-Flash by blasting him with her powers. She goes back to Chester immediately but he still doesn’t wake up.
Allegra starts crying, and later on, Chester wakes up. She then kisses him.
After defeating the evil speedsters, Mark reveals that Chester is a metahuman with black hole powers. He explains that Chester’s blood is “generating Hawking radiation at a molecular level”, which is the same kind of energy found inside black holes.
Mark further explains that when Chester’s consciousness bonded with a black hole, some of the cosmic energy bonded right back with him. This explains why Chester doesn’t have a scratch “despite being hit by enough electricity to kill a circus full of elephants.”
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What Happens to the Negative Speed Force?
The Negative Speed Force remains, but with Eddie Thawne as its avatar, it wouldn’t really be a threat like it once was. Khione explains to Barry that the solution is not to stop Eddie because a new avatar would just be picked.
She then suggests that Barry should change Eddie’s point of view and stop the never-ending cycle of violence and death. Khione explains that balance doesn’t have to be about violence and death.
“Nature is about more than balance. It’s about co-existence. All things living together. Not in conflict, but in mutual trust,” Khione says. But Barry thinks that co-existence is impossible because while he stopped fighting, Eobard Thawne didn’t.
Barry explains that balance could not be achieved because the negative forces are at war with them and will always be. Thus, according to Barry, it is impossible to achieve balance.
But Khione responds that he should believe in the impossible. With Eddie Thawne as the avatar of the Negative Speed Force, balance between the two Speed Forces is achieved.
Although, as what Eddie said, they may not always be on good terms. But at least, with Eddie as the avatar of the Negative Speed Force, there’s a truce between the two Speed Forces.
So, in The Flash season 9 finale, no one really dies. Thankfully, the members of Team Flash all get their happy endings.
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The Flash is available to stream on The CW’s website and The CW app.