The Flash boss unpacks [SPOILER]'s fate and shares 7 more teases for season 7
Barry enters the Mirrorverse in exclusive The Flash season 7 trailer
Watch an exclusive trailer for The Flash season 7
Warning: This article contains spoilers from Tuesday's season 7 premiere of The Flash.
Who knew the title of The Flash's season 7 premiere, "All's Wells That Ends Wells," would be so literal?
In the long-running CW superhero drama's season opener — some of which was supposed to be the 20th episode of season 6 before the pandemic — Nash Wells (Tom Cavanagh) sacrificed his life so Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) could regain his speed. Team Flash needed a power source for their artificial Speed Force and the best option they had were the multiversal particles in Nash's body, courtesy of the many Wellses living in his brain. Alas, those particles were unstable on their own and needed an organic conduit (read: human) to work with the ASF, meaning Nash had to die so that Barry could, well, run (Barry, run) again.
But if Nash and all the Wellses in his brain are gone, does that means Team Flash will have to move forward without a Wells since they, and everyone on Earth-Prime, are under the impression that the multiverse is dead? (Reminder: The multiverse is alive and well, but the characters don't know that.)
"No," showrunner Eric Wallace tells EW. "Tom Cavanagh is still part of the show. I would just say that we've already seen there's an infinite numbers of Wellses. Just because they're all dead doesn't mean that should change. And Tom Cavanagh has more to do in season 7 — much more to do."
Below, Wallace discusses Wells' fate and shares several more teases for the season ahead.
Katie Yu/The CW Tom Cavanagh as Nash Wells on 'The Flash'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: With Nash sacrificing himself in this episode, did you view that as his way of making up for starting Crisis? Was this always the plan with him?
ERIC WALLACE: That's a sub-theme. We don't really talk about it overtly, but he does make amends for the biggest mistake one can possibly make, which is causing all of the worlds to die, essentially, and being kind of taken over by the Anti-Monitor. What he's doing here is he's taking, from my point of view, the greatest superhero in the Arrowverse, the Flash [laughs], and enabling him once again to do his job. There could be no greater way to honor and make amends than doing that. But also on a micro level, it's about showing Allegra [Kayla Compton] that he can change and be a better person. That was really important because his death has an effect on Allegra moving forward, and it's a positive one, not a negative one.
One of the cool things about this episode is how it's about the new members of Team Flash — Allegra and Chester [Brandon McKnight] — really stepping up in the absence of the OGs. What can we expect from them moving forward?
This was all on purpose, because they're our two new series regulars, Brandon and Kayla, who are just terrific. But in order for them to really become true members of Team Flash, everybody has go through great tragedy. That's the unfortunate truth. Once they have gone through true tragedy, which is the death of Nash Wells in the season premiere, now they understand what true heroism means. So moving forward, now we can begin to dig deeper into who they are as characters, how they came to be, what's their makeup, their loves, their likes. I'm very happy to say we have a couple of very specific special episodes that really focus in deeper on how these characters fit in with Team Flash, but how they also individually reconcile with the biggest problems their pasts, because they've got some real problems they haven't dealt with that are going to crop up in season 7. And how they rise above those challenges not only makes them better people and allows them to put ghosts in the past to rest, but it makes them closer to Team Flash, and it bonds them closer to the rest of the Barry and company.
Should both the audience and Team Flash trust this artificial Speed Force will stick, or is that a concern moving forward?
Having artificial speed is only a short-term solution. At some point, they're going to have to deal with what it means to not have a real Speed Force around anymore — because Speed Force is dead. Creating an artificial one isn't always the best solution in the long run. It's a temporary measure.
Katie Yu/The CW Brandon McNight and Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Chester P. Runk on 'The Flash'
Looking ahead: Once we wrap up the dangling threads from "Graphic Novel #2," what's in store for Cisco [Carlos Valdes] and Caitlin [Danielle Panabaker] in season 7?
Danielle Panabaker and I had a conversation at the end of season 6 right before she was going off, and I pitched her what my plan for her character was. After she stopped laughing, she said, "That's going to be the most fun ever!" [Laughs] I can tell you without any spoilers, what happens to Caitlin and Frost this season is just a delightful journey that is a constant of both humor and growth for both sides of the character.
As far as Cisco goes, Cisco is going to face the biggest emotional challenge of his life. I can't really tell you what it is because it's pretty interesting, but let's just say the big bad of "Graphic Novel #3" will… Gosh, this is such a big spoiler… As a result of an encounter with the first new big bad of season 7, Cisco's life is fundamentally changed, and he's going to have to learn how to either reconcile with it or deal with the ripples it brings in the rest of the areas in his life in order to continue functioning as a member of Team Flash. If he doesn't, then there will be consequences — both for him personally and for the team emotionally.
Do you view this season's "Graphic Novels" as a direct continuation of season 6's, thus naming "Graphic Novel #3" and #4 instead of #1 and #2?
Correct. It's like we're telling a big serialized novel. Every "Graphic Novel" builds on the other. When I originally took over at the beginning of season 6, I had a two-year plan storywise, with an idea of where I wanted [to go] should we get lucky enough to get an eighth season, which we did, because I wanted [the "Graphic Novels"] to build on each other. Which is why at the beginning of season 7, after we wrap up the Eva McCulloch [Efrat Dor] story, the big bad of the first half of season 7 is a direct result of the events of the "Graphic Novel #2." That big bad couldn't exist without what Team Flash does at the end of Eva McCulloch's story and what Eva McCulloch does. It's a direct relation, and it's the same thing going from 3 into 4. Everything is connected because we're really telling one big story over seasons 6 and 7, and that is the story of, "How do you have a love affair and a marriage and a relationship when both people have equally important jobs?" One of them is saving the world with superpowers. The other is saving the world with the truth as a reporter. That's really hard. That's really the story of seasons 6 and 7 when looked at as a whole. They're very serialized and organic, even though there are some metas of the week along the way, including one that is going to bring particularly a blast from the past in ["Graphic Novel #3"]. I'm particularly excited to bring back a big bad from the first three seasons of The Flash, and I hope the fans enjoy that person's return as much as I did, because it's just going to be awesome.
I have to ask: Is it Zoom?
No. [Laughs] I can only say that because of the first three speedster villains, everybody knows I have a special place for Zoom in my heart.
That's why I asked!
Everybody loves Savitar. But I love me some Zoom, and I love me some season 2. I am determined at some point to bring Zoom back, even if it's only for a few episodes. I just haven't figured out how yet, but I will do it. Give me time.
The interesting about Eva is how, as you mentioned at the end of last season, she didn't have a personal grudge against the Flash, unlike previous big bads. Are you keeping with that trend in "Graphic Novel #3" and #4?
I'd say yes and no. Mainly yes, because both of the big bads for "Graphic Novel #3" and #4, we've got some new characters, right? I don't think it's any spoiler [to say] at some point this season we might just meet the real Godspeed. But the way he fits into Barry's life, I think, is going to come in a more unexpected way. As far as the other big bads for the season, let's just say we'll continue to introduce a major big bad that has not been seen in previous seasons. I think we can accurately say that. As far as their connection and to why they come into conflict with the Flash, there just might be a secret connection in Barry's past that he is unaware of.
Katie Yu/The CW Kayla Compton as Allegra on 'The Flash'
Is there anything else you want to add?
To fans of Barry and Iris: Last year, Barry and Iris spent a lot of time apart. There's a conscious effort this year, especially in the back half, to bring Barry and Iris not just together, not just stronger than ever, but to have the big bads of the two sides of the season actually be villains of them as a couple, not just of the Flash separately. It creates stories that have more of Candice and Grant together in really fun ways.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CW.
(Video provided by the CW)
Related content: