Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. the Reverse-Flash, is not done yet with Barry Allen as one of The Flash season 8 stars warn fans to be ready for a massive return. While the Arrowverse has featured a lot of iconic DC villains, the one that has probably been featured the most is the Reverse-Flash. Since The Flash's inception, Eobard has been instrumental in Barry's overall journey. No matter how many times he is erased from the timeline or defeated, the Reverse-Flash still finds a way to come back into The Flash's life.
Reverse-Flash's latest appearance in The Flash came throughout Armageddon as it was revealed that he was the story's true villain this whole time. After the events of The Flash season 7, Eobard found a new way to (almost) defeat the Scarlet Speedster. This time Eobard made himself The Flash by alternating the past to the point where Barry was almost erased due to his younger self having been killed by Eobard. But once again, the Reverse-Flash was taken down and this time the team defeated him by removing his powers.
While Reverse-Flash may be down, for now, don't expect him to stay gone for too long. Jesse L. Martin, who portrays Joe West, was recently on The Talk, where he was asked if the villainous speedster is done wreaking havoc in The Flash season 8. Without giving any spoilers, Martin stressed that those who enjoy Tom Cavanagh's depiction of the Reverse-Flash should be ready for a major return, sharing the following.
"Everybody who is a fan of Tom Cavanagh and his Reverse-Flash... get ready."
Despite Barry getting rid of his nemesis' abilities, it's only a matter of time before he gets them back somehow. Currently, it remains unclear exactly when Reverse-Flash is supposed to show up again. However, it makes sense for season 8 to have him re-emerge sooner rather than later, especially since The Flash season 9 is close to happening. While there have already been a lot of twists and turns in Eobard's character arc in past seasons, the latest development is a new challenge in itself. The Flash season 8 has the opportunity to tell a story with Eobard without his powers and whether or not he is capable of causing chaos without it.
Whenever the show does come to an end, it's hard to imagine Reverse-Flash not having his speed again as he's likely going to be the final villain Barry takes on. One of the reasons why The Flash has to restore Reverse-Flash's powers is because it still has a season 1 promise it needs to fulfill. As seen in The Flash season 1 finale, there's a point in time where Eobard and Barry visit the past on the night Nora Allen is murdered, with 2015-Barry seeing his future self. Therefore, the events of The Flash season 8's Armageddon was always meant to be a temporary setback for the Reverse-Flash, and based on Martin's comments, it'll be exciting to see how he returns.
Source: The Talk/CBS