Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Flash season 8, episode 5.
The ending of The Flash’s Armageddon crossover event teased how Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett) and potentially Ronnie Raymond’s Firestorm (Robbie Amell) will return to the series. Both characters died in previous seasons but are confirmed to appear in The Flash season 8. Neither character has made an appearance in the Arrowverse since season 3’s “Into the Speed Force”.
Eddie and Ronnie have long been absent from the lives of the main characters. Eddie erased himself from existence to beat Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) in the season 1 finale, whereas Ronnie gave his life to save Central City in the immediate aftermath of the villain’s defeat. However, time travel, alternate realities, and other plot devices have created opportunities for both actors to reprise their respective roles on the show. It’s been years since the series has made use of either character, but the door hasn’t been closed on them completely. Somehow, they’ll both have a presence in The Flash season 8, which will air its remaining episodes in 2022.
Following the conclusion of Barry’s conflict with Reverse-Flash and Despero (Tony Curran) in The Flash’s “Armageddon, Part 5”, the series teased its next story and the return of Eddie. A picture taken in 2014 of the Central City police force curiously included Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) and Bart Allen (Jordan Fisher), which means that these characters will travel back in time to the timeframe of season 1 -- when Eddie and Ronnie were still alive. The promo for The Flash season 8, episode 6 showed Eddie interacting with Bart and Nora in the past, which makes it abundantly clear that his role is indeed associated with a trip to 2014. As for Ronnie, he too could be connected with the direction season 8 is taking.
Based on what’s been said about Firestorm’s return, he shouldn’t appear until episode 11, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t involved in Bart and Nora’s time travel shenanigans. If Barry’s speedster children are in 2014 on a long-term basis, it would make sense if they had a run-in with Firestorm. Ronnie had already merged with Stein to become Firestorm at that point, but he didn’t die until 2015. Ronnie was presumed dead and living on the streets of Central City for months in 2014. It may be that Bart and Nora will have to seek out his help during this specific period in his life.
For the time being, it’s hard to say just how vital Bart and Nora’s stay in 2014 will be to The Flash season 8’s story, or why they’re even there in the first place. The promo revealed that the timeline is in “flux”, which suggests that some sort of change or problem with the timeline draws them to their father’s past and the events that launched Barry’s superhero career. There’s a chance that their actions in 2014 could cause significant alternations to the timestream. Even so, Eddie’s death is likely to remain unchanged, especially since show moved on from his relationship with Iris (Candace Patton) years ago. A different fate for Ronnie, on the other hand, could factor heavily into the show’s plans for Caitlin’s future.