Season 5 of The Flash is only a few weeks away from speeding back onto fans’ television screens, and there are many questions that need answers. What is the “big mistake” that Nora has made? Who is the season’s big bad, and what are his motives? But there’s an even bigger question at the forefront of everyone’s minds: Will Cisco Ramon die this upcoming season?
This hysteria began when Candice Patton, who plays Iris West, posted a since-deleted picture of Hartley Sawyer, who plays Ralph Dibny, on her Instagram story. Keen-eyed fans noticed an article by Iris West in the background. The article’s headline read “VIBE DEA-,” and that was all that fans could make out. To add insult to injury, the third episode of Season 5 is titled “The Death of Vibe.” That was more than enough to make them question if Cisco was going to meet his end this season.
Even with all the evidence that implicates Cisco’s death, it’s hard to believe that he will die this season. He’s too valuable of a character, and if he dies, the dynamic of both Team Flash and the show itself will drastically change, and not in a good way.
‘The Flash’ and Faking Deaths
If Cisco dies this season, it will no doubt be a fake death. The Flash is no stranger to this tactic. Just last season, the show fooled audiences into believing the Thinker had killed Ralph Dibny after taking over his body. Ralph remains “dead” for a handful of episodes but is ultimately brought back in the finale. It turns out that when the Thinker took control of his body, Ralph became trapped in the Thinker’s mind. He wins back his body with Barry’s help.
The Reverse Flash has “died” within the Arrowverse multiple times, yet still comes back like clockwork. In The Flash‘s Season 1 finale, Eddie Thawne shoots himself to erase Eobard from existence, only for a younger version of himself to come back the following season. He also met his death at the hands of the Legends on Legends of Tomorrow in Season 2 but then reappeared in the Crisis on Earth X crossover. He’s a pivotal character in the Flash mythos, which is why he can never stay dead for good.
The same notion applies to Cisco, who the writers actually did kill off back in Episode 15 of Season 1. Well, actually, it’s Reverse Flash who kills him after Cisco discovers he’s really Dr. Harrison Wells. If it wasn’t for Barry accidentally traveling back in time to stop the tidal wave the Weather Wizard created, Cisco’s death would have been permanent. Even back then, the writers knew that Cisco was too valuable a character to kill off, so why would they kill him now?
Where Would We Be Without Cisco?
Audiences fell in love with Cisco the moment he cracked his first pop culture joke. Without him, who would come up with the clever supervillain names? His sense of humor is impossible to replicate and consistently puts a smile on our faces.
He’s also an essential member of Team Flash. The team would likely fall apart without him, as he constantly uses his knowledge and wit to come up with gadgets to help the team overcome various obstacles. We see this in the Season 4 premiere when Cisco, finding Barry trapped in the Speed Force, modifies the Speed Force bazooka to create a skeleton key that allows Barry to escape. If it weren’t for Cisco’s quick thinking, Barry would probably still be in the Speed Force.
As a fan favorite, if Cisco were to die, there would be outrage. His death would undoubtedly cause irreparable damage to the show, and the writers don’t want that to happen. “The Death of Vibe” is most likely a device to throw fans for a loop that won’t see the death of everyone’s favorite breacher.
The 100th Episode of ‘The Flash’
The Flash’s 100th episode is coming up and will air during the eighth episode of Season 5, which is after “The Death of Vibe.” The 100th episode will act as the mid-season finale and be directed by Tom Cavanagh, who plays the many versions of Harrison Wells on the show. According to Todd Helbing, the executive producer for The Flash, “there will be a big twist to carry us over” into the second half of the season.
This episode is shaping up to be a historical event for The Flash. It doesn’t make sense for Cisco to be six feet under when it all goes down. Sure, he could die and be brought back in the 100th episode through a flashback (no pun intended) or some time travel voodoo, but that sort of cheap move would lessen the impact of the episode. If the writers want this episode to work, Cisco needs to be alive and well with the team to take on whatever threat they will face.
No, it isn’t likely that Cisco will die this season. The ramifications of his death are too substantial for the writers to take that risk. If they are smart, they’ll make fans think that Cisco will die in “The Death of Vibe,” only to have him come out of that episode alive. How will they do this exactly? Fans will have to wait and find out.
