The Flash Season 5: New Cast & Character Guide

The Flash is entering season 5, bringing in some new faces along with the core cast. Since The CW show's inception in 2014, the cast has remained relatively the same - just sometimes with characters visiting from different Earths... or the future... or alternate timelines. It's part of what has made the show a success after all these years: Grant Gustin effortlessly embodies both Barry Allen's exuberance and hardheadedness as he strives to be the hero Central City needs. Gustin, alongside the rest of Team Flash, provides the core of the superhero show.

This season, The Flash will be shaken up not just by a new Big Bad to face, but by a new member of the Flash family-literally. The appearance of Jessica Parker Kennedy as Barry and Iris' daughter from the future shocked the team. Her presence is sure to change the characters' dynamics and provide plenty of questions about the future. As if that's not enough, there are always plenty of guest stars and smaller villains showing up throughout the season to keep everyone busy.

With 22 episodes, there can be a lot of faces to keep track of. Here are all the characters set to appear in season 5 of The Flash.

Team Flash In The Flash Season 5

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash - No season of The Flash would be complete without its titular hero. Gustin is returning to play Barry Allen, who finally got to wed the love of his life, Iris, during the big Arrowverse crossover event last season. The couple is just settling into married life when they will be forced to deal with becoming parents for the first time to a very grown-up daughter. Nora seems very attached to her father for reasons still unknown, but it's certain that Barry will do everything in his power to help his child.

Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen - Iris too will be feeling the surprise over becoming a parent overnight. However, her relationship with Nora will be much different than her husband's. Nora bonds quickly with Barry, but is a little more distant with Iris, which makes her worry about the future. This season will also see Iris return to her journalism roots, with the re-emergence of her blog. With her role as the leader of Team Flash, Iris is going to have her hands full.

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Nora West-Allen/XS - Like father, like daughter. Nora has disregarded the rules of time travel to come from the future to ask her parents for help because she's made a "big, big mistake". The events of the season seem to revolve around her presence and this potentially timeline altering mistake. After appearing in a few episodes in season 4, Kennedy will be a series regular in The Flash season 5. Expect to see a lot of Nora and hints of what the future may hold and hopefully a father/daughter speedster race.

Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon/Vibe - Cisco had a rough season 4. After their alternate Earth long distance relationship became too much, he and Cynthia (Jessica Camacho) parted ways, leaving him devastated. And things don't seem to be looking up for the character either. The 3rd episode of the new season of The Flash is called, "The Death of Vibe". While it probably doesn't have to do with Cisco's death, it may mean some bad things in the character's future.

Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost - This season of The Flash will see Caitlin focusing on herself. Her character will not be involved in any romantic relationships, giving her a much-needed break and more agency. Instead, she will be using her time to work on to bring back her other half, Killer Frost. Last season hinted at the mystery surrounding the villain's true origins which will be explored more in the upcoming season. Caitlin will also be dealing with the return of her absent father who of course is hiding a big secret.

Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man - Ralph Dibny struggled to find his way in The Flash season 4 as a private investigator who had a history with Barry Allen. Barry's discovery that he tampered with evidence lead to Ralph being kicked off the Central City police force. He then ended up on the bus that Clifford Devoe attacked, which gave him the power to stretch and elongate his body. After almost dying at the hands of Devoe, Ralph will return as a member of Team Flash and a series regular for The Flash season 5. Now that Ralph has finally learned how to be a hero, it's time to see what's next in his story- perhaps love with a certain Sue Dearborn?

Tom Cavanagh as Harrison "Sherloque" Wells - Over the previous four seasons of The Flash, Tom Cavanagh has played a number of different versions of the character Harrison Wells, from his Earth-2 counterpart Harry to the Earth-19 science fiction writer H.R. Wells. Now, The Flash season 5 will see him in yet another role. Nothing has been revealed of this new Wells yet other than the fact that he will be, "filled with intrigue and deceit, fun, humor (and) intensity". Cavanagh will also be heading back behind the camera to direct the show's 100th episode.

Jesse L. Martin as Joe West - Joe is going to have a lot to deal with this season with the arrival of new daughter and granddaughter to deal with. Knowing Joe, he's going to want to offer Barry and Iris some fatherly advice, but whether or not they'll want to hear it is another story. Joe is at his best when he's in father mode so it will be interesting to see how overprotective he is with Nora this season as well as with his own children.

Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton - District Attorney Cecile Horton was a delightful part of season 4 when her pregnancy granted her telepathic powers. While the character has appeared on The Flash since season 1, she now looks to be an even more permanent part of Team Flash as actress Danielle Nicolet has been promoted to a series regular. It will be great to see more of her and Joe as parents, to both their new daughter Jenna, and the rest of the Team.

The Flash Season 5 Villains

Cicada leads a death cult that worships the Flash

Chris Klein as Cicada - The Big Bad on The Flash in season 5 will be another non-speedster character, Cicada, played by Kevin Klein. He is semi-immortal metahuman with the ability to disable other meta's powers. His mission throughout the season will be to rid Central City of its metahumans- and he blames superheroes like The Flash for his problems. In the comics, Cicada is the leader of a cult who wants to kill everyone The Flash has ever saved. The one thing that remains to be seen is if Cicada will have any connect to Nora and her "big mistake".

Troy James as Peter Merkel/Rag Doll - Contortionist and America's Got Talent contestant Troy James will appear in episode 5 of The Flash season 5, "All Doll'd Up", as the villain Rag Doll. The triple-jointed comic book character turned to crime after his circus career didn't take off. He would disguise himself as a rag doll and rob toy stores- which will be hilarious to watch if the show follows the character's comic book roots. He was also the leader of a murderous cult- something that could connect him to Cicada.

The Flash Season 5's New Supporting Cast

Kyle Secor as Thomas Snow - This season The Flash will introduce Thomas Snow, Caitlin's previously presumed dead father. He wants to make up for lost time with his daughter, but at the same time is hiding a big secret. Susan Walters will also be reprising her role as Caitlin's mother, Dr. Carla Tannhauser, who was last seen in season 3. Caitlin turns to her mother for help about her past. Both Snow parents are expected to help Caitlin uncover the true origins of Killer Frost.

Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash - Keiynan Lonsdale may be leaving the Arrowverse, but he will come back for three episodes of season 5. Hopefully, this means the character will return to celebrate 100th episode of The Flash. Wally will make his first appearance in the premiere episode, "Nora"- after all, he does have a new half-sister and niece to meet. Lonsdale starred on both The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow as the kid speedster before deciding it was time for change.

Kiana Madeira as Spencer Young/Spin - Kiana Madeira will appear in episode 4 of The Flash, "News Flash", as a gender swapped version of the character Spin. In the casting announcement by Deadline, Spencer is described as, "a young aspiring social media influencer who seizes the opportunity to make herself famous when she discovers there is a new hero in Central City." In the comics, Spin is a journalist who used metahuman Edwar Martinez, who had the power to make people's fears into reality, to control people's thoughts about The Flash. It will be interesting to see if Spencer follows her comic counterpart's more villainous roots or if she's just in it for the likes.

The Flash season 5 premieres Tuesday, October 9th at 8 PM on the CW.