‘The Flash’ Series Finale Ending, Explained: Did Barry Run His Final Run?

It’s the end of the Arrow-verse on The CW (sort of) with the series finale of The Flash, which aired last night (May 24). The episode, which concluded nine seasons of the superhero hit also brings to a close one chapter in a franchise that has spanned multiple series, animated and live-action, and hundreds of episodes of television. The “sort of” part is that Superman & Lois exists, which is technically in another universe but includes several actors playing slightly different versions of the roles they played in the Arrow-verse.

But did The Flash finish its run (get it?) by closing up the Arrow-verse forever? Did Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) die in a blaze of glory, bringing the story of the fastest man alive to a close? Read on for The Flash series finale ending, explained.

The Flash Series Finale Ending, Explained:

After a heated battle with resurrected versions of some of his greatest enemies, Barry made a choice: instead of letting Cobalt Blue, aka Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett) burn himself out as the avatar of the Negative Speed Force and die, Barry would appeal to his good nature. See, Eddie had previously sacrificed his own life to save the universe, so wouldn’t he do better with a second chance?

For a little bit, it seems like Eddie is not going to do that, and he — forgive the language — beats the shit out of Barry. Blood dripping from his mouth, Barry tries one last time to explain that he understands he can’t destroy the Negative Speed Force, but what if they worked together? Against each other (since Barry is the avatar of the Speed Force, positive style), but together-against each other. You get it, right? No? Doesn’t matter, because Eddie smashes the blue crystal that was making the Negative Speed Force tempt him, and agrees. It’s a new day for the forces, and time to wrap up the action part of the episode.

On the dramatic side, which made a lot more sense let’s be honest, Iris (Candice Patton) finally gives birth to a happy, healthy baby girl named Nora, named after Barry’s mother. This isn’t a huge surprise to anyone because the older version of Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) from the future has been hanging around the show for years. She’s even outside the hospital room, waiting for herself to be born — and later cradles herself in a direct violation of Time Cop rules.

While Iris and Baby Nora recuperate, the gang says goodbye to one of the other forces, Khione, who was inhabiting the body of Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). When Khione leaves, as a surprise she returns Caitlin to life, who is now powerless but happy to see her friends. She also later buries the hatchet with Barry (they had a fight the last time they had seen each other pre-Khione) and brings about some resolution with Mark Blaine (Jon Cor), who had been in love with Caitlin’s anti-hero double Killer Frost (who also died).

Then it’s time for a baby-welcome party, but Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) steals the spotlight by using the opportunity to propose to his baby mama Cecile (Danielle Nicolet). She says yes! Everyone cheers.

…But that’s not the end, because there’s still time for one final The Flash post-title sequence. In it, Barry tells Baby Nora to stop crying and that he’ll tell her a story. He talks about how the battle is never-ending, but maybe they can try something different to stop the violence if they try sharing their gifts. So Barry shoots some lightning into the sky and gifts his power to three other individuals. They are Avery Ho (Piper Curda), Max Mercury (Trevor Carroll), and Jess Chambers (Hana Destiny Huggins). While Avery previously appeared on The Flash, the other two are first introduced in these final minutes of the episode. So who are they?

Who Are Avery Ho, Max Mercury, And Jess Chambers? The New Flashes, Explained:

In reverse order, in the comics, Jess Chambers is the Flash of Earth-11. Perhaps of note, Jess is the first non-binary speedster introduced on The Flash.

Max Mercury, meanwhile, is a classic comic book character who is sort of the sage of speedsters, providing folksy wisdom instead of pure science. He goes by the clever code name “Max Mercury.”

And Avery, as mentioned, has appeared previously on The Flash. In her prior appearances, she was just referred to as “Avery” and was a romantic interest for Bart (Jordan Fisher) — Barry and Iris’ other kid — in the future. This episode pretty much confirms that she is, in fact, Avery Ho, who also called herself The Flash in the comics and later became a member of the Justice League of China.

Is Barry Allen No Longer The Flash? Are There Three Other Flashes Instead?

No, Barry Allen is still The Flash when the series ends. He doesn’t die, and he doesn’t give up his powers. In fact, as Older Nora teases there are still plenty of adventures to come: she mentions that if they thought her birth was insane, wait until they get to Bart’s. Instead, what happened is Barry gifted a little bit of his power to other people; passing on the mantle of heroism just like how Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) helped him own his own mantle of heroism back when the character was first introduced on Arrow.

Essentially, though The Flash is done, and the Arrow-verse is either done or on its last legs (depending on who you talk to), heroes will live on.