Racing into its eighth season, The Flash is now the second longest running show in the Arrowverse, taking up the mantle of the primary series with the end of Arrow. Unfortunately, it and other shows in CW's DC superhero universe were upended in their shooting schedules by the global pandemic, causing their then current seasons to come to abrupt endings. This also affected how their followup seasons -- if scheduled -- were handled.
Thankfully for fans, The Flash is coming back this Fall, and it's reuniting several Arrowverse heroes in an experimental crossover story. Picking up with the return of Thawne in Season 7, The Flash will have to fight alongside all of his closest allies in order to take down his coming cosmic threat. Here's a look at when Season 8 of The Flash will premiere and what it will be about.
Where Did The Flash Leave Off In Season 7?
Season 7 of The Flash was split into three "graphic novels," with a brief interlude separating the first two from the season's ending. The last section of the season had Barry Allen going to battle with the drones of the villainous speedster Godspeed, eventually taking him into the future as he has dreams about his potential future daughter, Nora.
This has Barry teaming up not only with Nora, but also his future son, Bart Allen, as well as his wife, Iris West-Allen, who is suddenly given speedster powers by the Speed Force. Bart has personal reasons for wanting to take down Godspeed, a.k.a. Augustus Heart, which have to do with Jay Garrick. Together, the Fastest Family defeat Godspeed, who's incarcerated after having his knowledge of Barry's identity removed. Also returning, however, is Eobard Thawne, who targets Barry and makes it clear that he's back once again to wreak havoc on his rival's life. Given a brief moment of respite, Barry and Iris then renew their vows with their loved ones.
When Does Season 8 of The Flash Start?
The Flash will return on Nov. 16 on the CW. Season 8 will begin with a five-part storyline titled "Armageddon," which will seemingly adapt some version of the comic book storyline of the same name. The story will involve the alien tyrant Despero trying to conquer Earth, with Barry forced to request the aid of several other heroes in order to stop him, including Black Lightning, the Atom and Mia Queen, the future Green Arrow.
Though this makes it a crossover of sorts, it's not a full-on event in the same way that Crisis on Infinite Earths was. Rather, it's entirely self-contained within The Flash and doesn't officially involve the stories of any other show.