Like any TV show that goes on for long enough, The Flash has had its fair share of actors and characters coming and going. One of the former members of its ensemble of stars, though, Robbie Amell, is certainly open to returning.
Amell appeared throughout the show’s first season as Ronnie Raymond, Caitlyn’s fiancé who was originally thought killed in the particle accelerator explosion that birthed metahumans, but had actually merged with nuclear physicist Dr. Martin Stein into the superhero Firestorm. In the season 2 premiere, it was quickly revealed that the episode title “The Man Who Saved Central City” referred not to Barry as you would naturally presume, but Ronnie, who sacrificed his life to close the black hole singularity created by Team Flash’s meddling with time in a failed attempt to eliminate the threat of Reverse-Flash.
Of returning to The Flash and reprising the role of Ronnie, Amell had this to say:
“I would love to go back, whenever it works, but there are great people and supporting characters on The Flash; I never want to be the guy who comes in for a couple episodes and steals time away from other people who are deserving of it. I’m still very much in touch with the people who are in charge and Danielle and I talk on a regular basis. I would love to go back but who knows when and how. It would have to make sense for everybody.”
Despite Ronnie being unambiguously killed off, Amell has appeared twice more in the series. First was later on in the second season in “Welcome to Earth-2” where he portrays Deathstorm, an alt-universe and villainous incarnation of Ronnie working alongside Killer Frost for malevolent speedster Zoom. Then, we saw him in season 3’s “Into the Speed Force,” where Barry enters the titular realm of extradimensional energy and sees a number manifestations of friends and enemies who had previously sacrificed themselves, Ronnie included.
Although in superhero comics resurrection is so frequent that the pearly gates of heaven might as well be a revolving door, it’s been used sparingly throughout the Arrowverse, with only a few characters such as Sara Lance, Damien Darhk and even Oliver Queen himself being truly brought back to the land of the living after very definitely shuffling off the mortal coil. Alternatively, with time travel frequently playing a prominent role in the events of The Flash, some past version of Ronnie could feature, such as has occurred with the likes of Martin Stein, Reverse-Flash and Malcolm Merlyn.
If Ronnie were brought back, it would need to be for a significant reason, as someone who was so important to the other characters and has been dead for so long can’t have his return treated as an afterthought. With the quality of The Flash now beginning to rise after a noticeable dip for several years, though, it’s something that would hopefully be considered.