Rick Cosnett has confirmed he is returning for The Flash season 8 as Eddie Thawne, Barry's former rival turned heroic martyr. The Flash follows forensic scientist turned super-speed hero Barry Allen and his team of allies as they battle unnatural threats in Central City. Part of DC's Arrowverse continuity along with shows Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Superman & Lois, and Batwoman, The Flash is currently the longest-running series in the shared universe (following the end of its parent show Arrow in 2020).
Cosnett, who went on to star in Quantico, was a major player in The Flash season 1, but his character Eddie Thawne was one of the series' first big casualties. Eddie was introduced as a rival to Barry, the boyfriend of Iris West, and a favored colleague of Joe at the Central City Police Department. After butting heads several times in the early days of the show, Eddie was eventually revealed to be the ancestor of Flash's arch-nemesis Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash. In a heroic move in season 1, episode 23, “Fast Enough,” Eddie sacrificed himself in order to wipe Thawne's existence from the timeline. Since then, Cosnett has only appeared on three separate occasions as a guest star, mostly via flashbacks or visions.
Seven seasons later, Rick Cosnett has announced he is returning to the show. Posting a smiley selfie to his Instagram, Cosnett also revealed a badge for season 8 featuring his name. The caption reads “If you hadn’t guessed… I’m in the new season of The Flash,” officially confirming his return to the superhero series. TVLine reports Cosnett is returning for a flashback episode that's not part of the Armageddon crossover set to kick off the season. Check out Cosnett's post below:
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Cosnett is one of numerous returning Arrowverse actors in The Flash season 8, with most coming back for the Armageddon event. It will see the Flash battle the alien villain Despero, played by Ray Donovan's Tony Curran. Returning stars include Arrow's Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk, Legends of Tomorrow's Brandon Routh as The Atom, and Javicia Leslie as Batwoman. Cress Williams' Black Lightning is also set to appear along with Osric Chau as Ryan Choi, both of whom featured in the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover.
While not an official character from the comics, many DC fans believed Eddie to be an adaptation of the character Malcolm Thawne thanks to his connection to Reverse-Flash. Malcom Thawne in the comics would go on to become the supervillain Cobalt Blue and was also the long-lost twin brother of The Flash. Ever since Eddie's last appearance, viewers have been eagerly hoping he would return to play Cobalt Blue. However, it sounds like that won't be the case. Still, it will be interesting to see how Cosnett's flashback appearance impacts The Flash season 8.
Source: Rick Cosnett, TVLine