The Flash Season 8, Episode 12 Release Date (Why Is It On Hiatus?)
Despite many Internet rumors to the contrary, the latest delay in The Flash season 8 has nothing to do with last minute changes to the season finale.
Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Flash season 8.
Many fans are wondering why The Flash has taken another break and on what date The Flash season 8, episode 12 will release. The longest-running Arrowverse series has experienced an increasingly erratic release schedule, prompting rumors that the delays might have been caused by trouble on the set or a need to rewrite the season finale. However, despite reports that the WB was reconsidering Ezra Miller's future with the studio and delaying The Flash movie to 2023, there is currently no reason to believe this is connected to The Flash series' delays.
The Flash season 8 began in November 2021 with a five-part special event, Armageddon, crossing over with the other Arrowverse series for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The show then went on a three and a half month hiatus, returning on March 9, 2022, with The Flash season 8, episode 6, "Impulsive Excessive Disorder," which centered upon the time-traveling misadventures of XS and Impulse, as they tried to repair a glitch in their own personal continuity. The episodes which followed focused upon Team Flash in January 2022, as they raced to determine the identity of a mysterious metahuman serial-killer, with The Flash season 8, episode 11, "Resurrection" revealing them as a sinister being called Deathstorm.
The story will continue in The Flash season 8, episode 12, "Death Rises," which is scheduled to release on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. A synopsis for the episode says that Joe West will be coming out of retirement to lend the CCPD a hand in dealing with Deathstorm, while Cecile starts using her empathy powers to track him. This has led to speculation that Joe West may be about to make a heroic sacrifice, particularly in light of the facts that The Flash season 8, episode 14, is titled "Funeral for a Friend," and actor Jesse L. Martin (who plays Joe West) has been confirmed to be leaving the series as a regular to produce and star in a new NBC series, The Irrational.
Martin's departure has prompted speculation regarding the cast of The Flash season 9 and what other actors might leave the popular series. Only Grant Gustin (Barry Allen) and Brandon McKnight (Chester P. Runk) have been officially confirmed as returning. It is believed that both Candice Patton (Iris West-Allen) and Danielle Panabaker (Dr. Caitlin Snow and Frost) are currently in negotiations to return for another season, but there has been no word on the rest of the ensemble.
One particularly unlikely rumor suggested that the delays on The Flash season 8 were due to WB ordering the series finale to be rewritten to accommodate Grant Gustin taking over the lead role of the long-delayed DCEU The Flash movie. The idea was floated online in the wake of Miller's facing criminal charges and meetings at the WB regarding how to handle several high-profile projects Miller was involved with. However, while there are many who would like to see Grant Gustin become The Flash in the DCEU, it would take far longer than a few weeks of reshoots to completely redo a feature-length film, even ignoring the time needed for editing and digital effects work. It seems more likely then that the recent hiatus was due to The Flash series' own issues rather than anything to do with the upcoming movie.
The Flash will return on Wednesday, April 27, on the CW.