Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Flash’s Season 8 episode “Death Falls.” Read at your own risk!
The Flash concluded its Deathstorm arc in its latest episode, and while his run didn’t last as long as other notable villains in the series, he might go down as one of the most memorable because of his legacy. Defeating Deathstorm wasn’t impossible, but it came at the cost of the life of Killer Frost, Caitlin’s meta sister. While Arrowverse fans may know from experience that deaths don't always stick in the superhero world, actress Danielle Panabaker has already put that idea to rest.
Danielle Panabaker spoke to TVLine regarding the dramatic death of Killer Frost, after it seemed like Team Flash successfully saved her following her collapse shortly after defeating Deathstorm. Panabaker recalled when the idea to kill off Killer Frost was first pitched to her, and said she only had one question for showrunner Eric Wallace:
My only question was, ‘Are we really going to kill her?’ Because it didn’t feel right to do a fake-out. This needed to be her real death, in order to feel truthful and honest.
With a response like that, it’s hard to believe that The Flash is setting up another fake-out for fans. Killer Frost is evidently dead for good, and Team Flash lost a core member to a villain. That doesn't often happen on this show, which might be why it’s almost hard to believe that’s what actually happened.
Next week’s episode is titled “Funeral For A Friend,” and the description states that Team Flash takes on a bank-robbing Meta in order to distract them from losing someone they loved. Given that, it seems like fans will have to use their Netflix subscriptions to revisit Killer Frost. The next few episodes could be a grieving period for the characters.
Ultimately, though, it's hard to ever fully rule out a character coming back from the dead when the actor is still around. Unlike Tom Cavanagh’s departure, or when Carlos Valdez left, Danielle Panabaker is still with The CW series (and still directing episodes). Bringing Killer Frost back would seemingly be as easy as writing it back in the script, though Panabaker’s quote about doing the death would seem to hint she’s not for doing that.
At the same time, The Flash is a series where it’s rare that anyone major actually stays dead. It’s difficult for the fan in me to believe that the series will be able to resist bringing back Killer Frost for more episodes down the line. Then again, with rumors already circulating that the Arrowverse series might come to an end following Jesse L. Martin’s reduced presence in the upcoming Season 9, who knows if the series has enough episodes left to even prepare for something like that? I guess we’ll wait and see, and trust Danielle Panabaker at her word.
The Flash airs on The CW on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Frost’s death is a big loss to Team Flash, and one can’t help but wonder how the team will fare without her. Hopefully, there aren’t more flame-based foes on the horizon!
