The Flash Season 7 Teased The Departure Of Another Major Character

The Flash Season 7 Updates: One of the most powerful and surprising moments in The Flash’s “Family Matters, Part 1” hinted that another member of Team Flash might be leaving. At least four cast members have already left or announced their departure this season, including two original members in Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanaugh.

Joe West’s decision to hand in his badge and leave the force could be interpreted as a strong indication that Jesse L. Martin will follow his fellow original cast members out the door.

Martin’s departure from the show and his roles as Barry Allen’s father figure, mentor, and father-in-law, as well as Iris West’s father, would not be the first time. Joe West was written out of The Flash for the majority of season 5 due to a back injury he sustained during the hiatus.

Joe West was placed in witness protection for the final three episodes of season 6, and since his return in season 7, he hasn’t been as involved in major The Flash plotlines.

The new internal threat, the governor’s SCPD task force appointee Kristen Kramer, has occupied the majority of Joe West’s purpose in season 7. She and Joe have been at odds over her metahuman agenda since she arrived.

Despite knowing that a metahuman had betrayed her, his hopes that she would change were dashed when she brought in an arms shipment to inject metas with the cure against their will in “Family Matters, Part 1.”

Since failing to have Killer Frost’s powers taken away, he’d seen her become angrier and more reckless. He finally gave up his badge and walked away from the department where he had spent the majority of his life.

The Flash Season 7: Who is Leaving

The cast of The Flash is dwindling, and the story is becoming increasingly repetitive. Joe’s ties to Iris and Barry have been weakened, indicating the show’s disinterest in the character, so his departure would not be surprising. Some might even see it as the logical next step.

With the impending return of Nora and the introduction of Bart, The Flash appears to be cleaning house, trimming down the cast so it can either afford to do a soft reboot with mostly new characters or bring the show to a close with a focus on Barry and Iris and their many timeline children.

Joe West is being pushed aside in favour of Bart and Nora. There’s nothing left for him now that Iris appears to be taking over all police investigations, as she did in “Family Matters, Part 1.”

There are no openings at Star Labs, so unless his departure from SCPD is a precursor to a surprise career change, Joe’s days on The Flash will sadly continue to dwindle. Joe West has gotten the best new lease on life of all the Arrowverse fathers.

Despite the fact that The Flash never kept most of his kids around long enough for them to form a meaningful bond with him, he has grown as a character in ways that The Flash has not allowed Barry to.

Despite the lack of an official announcement, all signs point to Joe West and actor Jesse L. Martin leaving The Flash in the near future. The showrunner promised last fall that an exciting story for Joe was in the works.

Nothing has materialised, whether due to Covid complications or something else. Even if Jesse L. Martin isn’t leaving, the show has effectively written Joe West into a corner, and a character as important and vital as Joe, one of the few remaining original cast members, deserves to be let go if he’s not going to be used properly.