As Flash prepares to enter its eighth season this November, it will be doing so without one of the most loved characters on the show. Fans sadly waved goodbye to Cisco Ramon as actor Carlos Valdes chose to end his time on the long-running DC series and see what other adventures are out there for him. Of course, the door was left open for everyone's favorite super nerd to visit his old pals in Central City should Valdes ever get sentimental or should Flash need some good vibes.
And while Flash will surely feel different without Cisco there to name the villains, invent the doohickies, and crack wise with the rest of Team Flash, the series is still filled with fantastic characters - and actors - to carry on the adventures of the Fastest Man Alive.
11 Grant Gustin As Flash
There would be no Flash without the hero himself, so it should come as no surprise that Grant Gustin will be returning to the series to put on the red suit once again. Gustin used the pandemic to bulk up his physique, showing a new dedication to playing the Scarlet Speedster that had many fans swooning at his Instagram pics. Gustin reportedly signed on for seasons eight and nine, which suggests that fans will get at least one more season after the coming year. What happens then is anyone's guess.
10 Candice Patton As Iris West-Allen
It's hard to imagine Flash without Iris West being by his side, but some reports during the production of the show's seventh season suggested that fans may see that happen when it was reported that Candice Patton wasn't sure she wanted to come back for another season.
Thankfully, Patton did indeed sign on for the eighth season, but if the show continues into a ninth season, a new deal may be needed to bring her back. Hopefully, if there is a ninth season, Candice and the CW can agree to terms that make everyone happy.
9 Danielle Panabaker As Caitlin Snow
While old school comic fans know Caitlin Snow's alter-ego Killer Frost as a sometimes friend sometimes foe of Firestorm, most fans of the character only know her as the ever helpful and ever concerned personal physician and friend of the Flash as played by Danielle Panabaker.
Like Candice Patton, Panabaker's contract with the series has ended with season seven, but she agreed to sign on for the eighth season. The actress, who already had an impressive resume before joining the cast of Flash, recently had a child with her husband, so it would be hard to hold it against Panabaker if she chose to leave the show after this coming season to spend time with her family and explore other options.
8 Jesse L. Martin As Joe West
As a former cast member of Law & Order, stepping into the shoes of Detective Joe West must have been pretty easy for Jesse L. Martin, and the actor's skills and grace have acted as something of an anchor for the show - making sure that the Flash never forgets where he came from or what he's fighting for.
Like Patton and Panabaker, Martin's contract was up at the end of season seven, and after suffering a back injury during the fifth season, it wouldn't have surprised anyone if the actor chose not to come back. Thankfully, Martin is returning, which means fans will get at least a few more moments of that great Joe West laugh and those heart-to-heart talks that only Martin can pull off.
7 Danielle Nicolet As Cecile Horton
Danielle Nicolet's time on Flash isn't like the rest of the main cast. While the actress first showed up as Cecile Horton in the nineteenth episode of the first season, she didn't become a series regular until the fifth season. It's hard to imagine a time when Cecile wasn't a part of Team Flash, and with Cisco leaving, Cecile's psychic powers make her more important to the gang than ever before. Perhaps this upcoming season will help answer one important question when it comes to Cecile and Joe West - when they're both on missions, who is taking care of their child?
6 Kayla Compton As Allegra Garcia
Introduced in the sixth season as Allegra Garcia, the daughter of supervillain Wavelength, Kayla Compton was made a series regular in the seventh season but hasn't had much of a chance to stand out just yet.
Allegra started off as an intern for the Central City Citizen working for Iris West, but likely due in part to both seasons six and seven having fewer episodes than normal, her storyline kind of got lost in the mix. Hopefully, Compton will have a chance to grow Allegra into a bigger part of Team Flash in the eighth season.
5 Brandon McKnight As Chester Runk
Another character introduced in the sixth season that became a series regular in the seventh season, Chester P. Runk, better known as Chunk in the comics, is played by Brandon McKnight. McKnight's Chester has big shoes to fill as he goes from being Cisco's assistant to the big brain of Team Flash. Not only will the rest of the team be judging him, but so will the fans. Luckily for viewers, McKnight has already shown his ability to handle both the comedy and the drama that the series calls for from his character.
4 Carmen Moore as Kristen Kramer
Introduced in the seventh season, Carmen Moore will be back in season eight as Kristen Kramer, a woman who had a real grudge against metas - and Killer Frost in particular - only to learn that she is a metahuman herself. At the end of the seventh season, viewers saw that Kramer has the power to mimic the powers of any metahuman that she is near, which should prove to be quite useful should Team Flash ever need some help taking on a major villain, like the already announced Despero, who will be played by Tony Curran.
3 Tom Cavanagh As Reverse-Flash
Along with losing Carlos Valdes during the seventh season, Flash fans also had to deal with Tom Cavanagh leaving the series. Cavanaugh, who has played a number of versions of Harrison Wells over his seven years on the series, also played Reverse-Flash from time to time, and thankfully he will be returning as the greatest foe Flash has ever faced for season eight. Reverse-Flash last showed up for the season seven finale to help Barry Allen take down Godspeed, but the villain from the future made it clear that he wasn't about to become a good guy. It isn't known how many episodes Reverse-Flash will appear in, but the more Cavanaugh fans can get the happier they will be.
2 Jessica Parker Kennedy And Jordan Fisher as XS And Impulse?
Jessica Parker Kennedy first appeared on Flash way back during Crisis on Earth-X, but it wasn't revealed until later that she was XS, the daughter of Barry and Iris from the future. It looked like XS was erased from existence during the season five finale, but when she returned in season seven, she didn't come alone - she brought her brother Impulse, played by Jordan Fisher with her.
While there has been no announcement of XS and Impulse returning for season eight, it certainly felt like their appearance in season seven was setting up for more visits in the near future, and with this coming season kicking off with a 5-part epic story called "Armageddon," it isn't hard to imagine the siblings will stop by to help their dad.
1 The Armageddon Guest Stars
On the subject of the "Armageddon" event, while all five parts of this Arrowverse event will happen on Flash instead of crossing over across the other shows, that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of old friends stopping by.
Already announced as being part of Armageddon are Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer from Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, Cress Williams reprising his role as Black Lightning, Chyler Leigh's quick return to playing Alex Danvers after the end of Supergirl, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak-Queen, Osric Chau as Ryan Choi, who was introduced during Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Neal McDonough as the villainous Damien Darhk. "Armageddon" will also feature Javicia Leslie's Batwoman, marking her first crossover with the other Arrowverse heroes.