Earlier this month, we reported that Carlos Valdes might be leaving The Flash after season 5, something that was later corroborated by other outlets. Well, unfortunately we’re back with some more bad news for fans of the STAR Labs gang, as another regular cast member who’s been with The CW superhero show since the very beginning could be about to follow Valdes out the door.
This time, our source tells us that Danielle Panabaker might be vacating the series, thereby saying goodbye to her dual role as Dr. Caitlin Snow and her icy alter ego Killer Frost. Though they can’t say for sure when this would be happening other than that it’d be “soon,” the reason for her potential exit is that the actress is hoping to move on to other projects. She’s already appeared in the odd movie or guest spot on a TV show over the past few years, but obviously The Flash is a big commitment that takes up a lot of time.
It should be noted that Panabaker’s exit is much less certain than Valdes’ at this stage, as our source informs us that it’s not a done deal yet and could even be a bargaining tactic for a pay rise. Then again, it’s also possible that Panabaker was inspired to move on after Valdes first made the decision. Hopefully the actor hasn’t started a domino effect of multiple Flash stars bowing out of the show.
Caitlin was introduced into the Arrowverse back in Arrow season 2 alongside Valdes’ Cisco Ramon. She’s had quite the time of it since then, too, losing her husband Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm, developing an alternate metahuman personality and, just this season, encountering her father who suffered from the same condition. She’s in a relatively steady place right now, but who knows where the character will end up if Panabaker really is leaving the show.
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though. For the moment, the gang’s all here and you can catch The Flash season 5 as it continues to unfold Tuesdays on The CW.