The Flash Season 7: What to Expect for Iris West-Allen

The CW superhero series The Flash was one of the few DC television universe properties to appear during the first day of the first-ever DC FanDome event, and it did not disappoint.

With the bulk of the DC TV universe waiting in the wings to headline DC FanDome’s second weekend on September 12, The Flash presented a fast-paced Q&A with showrunner Eric Wallace and stars Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdez, Danielle Panabaker, Brandon McKnight, Danielle Nicolet, and Kayla Compton.

The wide-ranging group conversation covered everything from Wallace’s decision to split the season into two distinct halves to the COVID-19 shutdown that forced a halt to Season 6 production three episodes before its scheduled end. And there were a few exciting hints about what’s to come in Season 7.

During The Flash panel, Candice Patton weighed in on when we might see Iris make her way out of the mirror universe in which she spent most of Season 6 and what we can expect for her character moving forward.  

“It’ll be interesting to see when she comes out – and I believe she will come out very soon when we pick up Season 7 – it’ll be very interesting to see how she’s been affected by being stuck in this maddening world with this supervillain,” Patton said.

From the Season 7 trailer that was screened during the DC FanDome panel, we already know that Iris is struggling to maintain her grip on her own sanity in much the same way Eva did. From being taunted by visions of herself – “I’m a product of your broken mind” one sneers at her – to hallucinating different versions of her own life, it appears as though she isn’t having an easy time distinguishing what’s real and what isn’t

Patton’s performance in multiple roles was a highlight of Season 6, so it’s exciting to see that she’ll still be front and center here, even if the Iris that comes home to Central City may end up being a bit different than the one who left it. (And the question of precisely how different she might be is certainly still up in the air.)

But no matter how rocky Iris’ return is, one thing will remain constant in Season 7: Her relationship with Barry.

The Flash’s marquee couple spent the bulk of Season 6 apart, thanks to the fact that Iris was kidnapped and replaced with a mirror universe version of herself. And while Barry is now desperate to find his wife, he hasn’t been terribly successful as yet.

“They will find their way back to each other,” Patton said in response to an anxious fan worried that the real Barry and Iris hadn’t actually shared the romantic moments between the couple we saw in Season 6.

“A lot of the romance and the chemistry between Grant and I has always been something even deeper than that. It’s the way we look at each other and [the way] the characters are written.”

The Flash Season 6 also dug into Iris’ life as a journalist as the character established new relationships with her female coworkers, a trend that will hopefully continue once both she and her photographer Kamilla manage to make it out of the mirror world.

“It was a long time coming,” Patton said. “I think we’ve kind of teased Iris being this ace reporter since Season 1. And it’s always kind of been put on the back burner, so it was a nice treat to have it finally be at the forefront of her character arc for the season.

“It’s such a male-dominated cast. Having more women and having this kind of Charlies Angels reporter team, it was really cool. It brought a new energy to the show. And I hope we carry on with that in the next season.”

The Flash is currently slated to return to The CW in January 2021.