After eight seasons and 171 episodes (plus the fun bonus crossover events!), the fastest man alive is close to reaching the finish line of his impressive TV run. First premiering back in 2014, The Flash will begin its ninth and final season, consisting of thirteen episodes, on Wednesday, February 8. The Flash tells the story of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), a forensic chemist who is unexpectedly struck by lightning during a science experiment gone wrong. He gains super-speed abilities and puts these newfound powers to good use by protecting the city as a superhero, but he isn’t alone in his efforts. Barry works alongside a worthy team of like-minded heroic allies who have ultimately become his family after saving the city together countless times.

With The Flash Season 9's premiere just around the corner, keep reading below for a handy cast and character guide, so you can remember where we last saw these characters and who plays them. Be warned though, there be spoilers ahead!

Related:'The Flash' Showrunner Teases What's Coming in the Final Season

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen in The Flash poster
Image via The CW

Despite his consistently life-threatening line of work, Barry is very down-to-earth and kind at heart. He would do anything for his friends and family, and even during the worst of times, will do his best to keep them all upbeat and positive. Barry can sometimes rush into action when his emotions get the better of him, but fortunately, he’s always got a supportive family by his side to help guide him. In Season 8, through many twists and turns, Barry was once again brought face to face with his ultimate adversary, Eobard Thawne / The Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh). By the season’s end, Barry finally defeated him once and for all by removing him entirely from the timeline and the Speed Force.

Outside of his titular role (which he also reprised in other Arrowverse shows), Grant Gustin is perhaps best known for his recurring role on Glee as Sebastian Smythe. He also recently starred in the 2022 Netflix film Rescued by Ruby.

Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen

candice patton the flash social featured
Image via The CW

Iris is a news reporter who now runs her own company, Central City Citizen Media. She first got her big break in journalism when she began reporting about The Flash, whom she would later marry! Iris splits her time between managing her media company and assisting Team Flash with their many world-saving missions. During Season 8, Iris dealt with a mysterious "time sickness", given to her by vengeful entities in the Negative Speed Force. Fortunately, by Barry defeating Thawne, this sickness was resolved.

Candice Patton has had recurring roles on TV shows such as The Game and Con Man. She also appeared in the film The Guest.

Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow and Frost

Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow in The Flash Season 9 Episode 1
Image via The CW

Caitlin is a bioengineer at S.T.A.R. Labs, who is also a founding member of Team Flash. Though usually easygoing, she later learned that she had a violent super powered alter-ego originally known as Killer Frost. The two contrasting personalities struggled for control of one body until they learned to recognize their differences and work together. They were later able to split from one another, allowing both to lead their own lives. During Season 8, both Caitlin and Frost contended with Deathstorm, an evil entity posing as Caitlin’s deceased fiancée Ronnie (Robbie Amell). Despite once being a criminal, Frost, now a member of Team Flash, sacrificed herself to save the city from Deathstorm’s plans. Caitlin struggles to accept Frost’s death and attempts to resurrect her, no matter how dangerous it may be.

Apart from the Arrowverse, Danielle Panabaker is perhaps best known for her role of Layla in the 2005 film Sky High. Since then, she has also had recurring roles in shows such as Bones and Justified.

Jesse L. Martin as Joe West

Jesse L. Martin in the flash series
Image via The CW

Joe is the captain of the CCPD (Central City Police Department), as well as Iris’s father. He first met Barry as a young boy, becoming his legal guardian after his father Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) was wrongly convicted of murder. With Henry living life behind bars, Joe became Barry’s second father figure, a role he proudly took on as he continues to give strong advice and care for him. In Season 8, Joe was, unfortunately, a pawn in Eobard’s game to rewrite the timeline, being killed off to frame Barry for murder. This was swiftly resolved, allowing Joe to help Team Flash with their next big missions including Deathstorm’s arrival in Central City.

After appearing in numerous plays, most famously Rent, Jesse L. Martin got his big break on TV in the expansive world of Law & Order and its spin-off shows. He portrayed Detective Edward Green for over 200 episodes!

Related:'The Flash' Season 9 Trailer Has Barry Allen Saving the World One Last Time

Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton

the-flash-danielle-nicolet
Image via The CW

Cecile is Central City’s DA, who now specializes in metahuman-related cases (meaning those with powers). She is also a member of Team Flash and is Joe’s partner, with the two of them having a young daughter named Jenna. Through her time with Team Flash, Cecile also learned that she had telekinetic powers, which prove to be useful in both legal and superhero situations. During Season 8, Cecile balanced both her roles as a DA and a member of Team Flash. Though very chaotic, she was able to help the team fight back against Eobard, Deathstorm, and other dangerous metahumans in Central City.

Danielle Nicolet has appeared in TV shows such as 3rd Rock from the Sun and Born Again Virgin. She starred in the 2016 film Central Intelligence and has lent her voice to video games such as Saints Row IV and Lego Marvel Superheroes.

Kayla Compton as Allegra Garcia

the-flash-kayla-compton
Image via The CW

Once a criminal working with a gang of metahuman teens, Allegra redeemed herself with the help of Team Flash. Now using her electromagnetic powers for good, she has embraced the hero lifestyle, while also working her dream job as a rookie reporter at Iris’s media company. Season 8 sees Allegra take on greater responsibilities, both with Team Flash and at Central Citizen Media as she learns to properly balance these two worlds in her life. She also forms a stronger, possibly romantic, relationship with Chester.

Portraying Allegra is Kayla Compton’s first major on-screen role. However, she has also appeared in web series such as Chase Champion and Making Moves.

Brandon McKnight as Chester P. Runk

the-flash-brandon-mcknight
Image via The CW

Speaking of Chester, he is the resident tech specialist at S.T.A.R. Labs, taking over the role from Cisco (Carlos Valdes) after the latter moved away from Central City. Chester is beyond excited to be working with superheroes, dedicating his time and efforts to creating new devices for Team Flash as they come up against new metahumans. Like Allegra, Season 8 saw Chester become more involved with Team Flash’s missions, as well as lending his expertise to the CCPD. He also grew closer to Allegra as the two spent more time together, both at work and in their free time.

Portraying Chester is Brandon McKnight’s first major on-screen role. However, he has appeared in the Lifetime channel film The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel and had guest roles on shows such as Most Dangerous Game.

Jon Cor as Mark Blaine / Chillblaine

Jon Cor as Mark Blaine AKA Chillblaine in the flash (1)
Image via The CW

Mark was a scientist at Ivo Labs before he was fired for using their resources to enhance his own cryogenic tech. He becomes a criminal, leading him to bump into Frost many times. They have an on-again-off-again romantic relationship until Frost decides to become a hero and work for Team Flash. This change inspires Mark to follow suit and become a hero too as the two begin properly dating. In Season 8, Mark begins learning the Team Flash dynamic as he starts working with them to defeat Deathstorm. When Frost sacrifices herself, he finds it difficult to move on and decides to help Caitlin to try to resurrect her.

Jon Cor has had recurring roles on many TV shows such as Being Human, Dark Matter, and Shadowhunters. More recently, he also starred in films such as Goliath and The Way to the Heart.

Related:'The Flash' Season 9 Set Image Welcomes Back Green Arrow, Kid Flash and SpartanWith the CW’s Arrowverse looking to be wrapping up, whether through other series ending or some unfortunate cancellations, Season 9 of The Flash has been placed in an interesting position. As it stands, it will be the concluding chapter of the wider Arrowverse saga, which began back in 2012 with Arrow. Though characters from these shows have crossed over before, Season 9 is looking to embrace fan favorites from all corners of the Arrowverse as The Flash draws to an end. Some of these important announced characters are listed below:

Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder / Batwoman

batwoman-javicia-leslie-cowl-social
Image via The CW

Ryan Wilder took on the mantle of Batwoman in her respective series’ second season. Being the defender of Gotham, like Barry, she too has her own team of allies that helped her hero work, which also became her family. We last saw Ryan on a mission to recover stolen weapons from the Batcave, bringing her up against iconic villains like Dr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and even the newest incarnation of the Joker.

Javicia Leslie has recently starred in TV shows such as God Friended Me and The Family Business. She also appeared in the films Roped and Something from Tiffany’s.

Nicole Maines as Nia Nal / Dreamer

Nia Nal is a young superhero, who despite her human-like appearance, is actually an alien from the planet Naltor. She has the ability to foresee the future and to tap into people’s dreams, as well as project astral energy in combat. Nia made her mark in National City by joining Supergirl’s team, learning the ropes of hero work as we last saw her help take down enemies such as Lex Luthor.

Portraying Nia Nal was Nicole Maines’s first major on-screen role. Maines has since become quite popular and has a recurring role as Lisa in the hit thriller series Yellowjackets.

Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West / Kid Flash

the-flash-keiynan-lonsdale
Image via The CW

Wally is Joe’s son and Iris’s younger brother. Though he originally didn’t have powers, Wally developed speedster abilities like Barry due to a run-in with a villain named Doctor Alchemy. This allowed him to help Team Flash fight other villains and metahumans in the city. He also briefly joined the Legends of Tomorrow, before going off on his own path to learn more about himself and the Speed Force.

Keiynan Lonsdale has recently appeared in TV shows such as Eden and Step Up: High Water. He also starred in the films Work It and My Fake Boyfriend.

David Ramsey as John Diggle / Spartan

david-ramsey-arrow
Image via The CW

We first met John all the way back in the pilot episode of Arrow when he was hired to be Oliver Queen’s bodyguard. Since then, it’s safe to say life has changed drastically for him. John became a vigilante alongside the Green Arrow, which not only gave him a new group of people he’d call his family but life-changing experiences that would take him across time and space. He became a father too, can’t forget that! John is also no stranger to crossover appearances, having recently made his way around the Arrowverse shows. We last saw him gathering information about a mysterious box that he recovered from a crashed spaceship, one that can give its possessors untold power. However, John declined it so he could remain with his family.

David Ramsey has had recurring roles in TV shows such as Dexter and Blue Bloods. He also recently starred in the film Illicit.

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow

The-Flash-Arrow-Oliver-Queen-Stephen-Amell

A great interconnected universe starts with one key character, and for the Arrowverse, this was Oliver Queen. Once a playboy millionaire without a care in the world, an unexpected tragedy made him rethink his life and how he wanted to be remembered. Oliver became a masked vigilante known first as the Hood, seeking justice for his city before becoming a true hero, the Green Arrow. Oliver slowly assembled a team of heroes to fight by his side, and mentored others like Barry Allen, as hero work continued to grow more complicated and other-worldly. In the end, Oliver ultimately sacrificed himself to save the entire multiverse during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, leaving behind an undeniably impressive legacy. It’s unclear how he’ll appear in Season 9 of The Flash, but given his role in the Arrowverse, it will hopefully be an impactful event to remember.

Stephen Amell is currently starring in the TV series Heels. He has also appeared in films such as Code 8 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Apart from these stars, The Flash Season 9 will also feature Sendhil Ramamurthy as Dr. Ramsey Rosso, Richard Harmon as Captain Boomerang, Daimon Poitier as Keith/Goldface, and Max Adler as Jaco Birch, along with Jessica Parker Kennedy, Rick Cosnett, and Matt Letscher.