Why is Cisco Ramon leaving The Flash?

It’s the end of an era for The Flash as Cisco Ramon bows out in the show’s seventh season.

Cisco Ramon is part of the very fabric of The Flash. He’s been there for every major Big Bad and helped solve any problem that Barry Allen and Team Flash has faced. As Barry himself so eloquently put it: “There wouldn’t be a Flash without Cisco Ramon”.

All of that just highlights how hard it is to imagine The Flash without him. But that’s exactly what we’re going to have to get used to as the twelfth episode of the show’s seventh season, an episode aptly titled “Good-Bye Vibrations”, sees the character leave Central City behind with girlfriend Kamilla Hwang.

Actor Carlos Valdes announced his departure from the show after seven seasons a number of months back and it becomes a reality in the latest episode. But why has the young performer left the show and have we seen the last of Cisco?

Why is Carlos Valdes leaving The Flash?

Carlos Valdes is one of the Arrowverse‘s longest-serving actors. He made his debut in an episode of Arrow‘s second season and has since remained with The Flash for all seven of its seasons. So while the news of his departure left us all feeling a little sad, it didn’t come as much of a shock to everyone as rumors have suggested that he would be leaving the show as early as season 5.

Those rumors were clearly untrue as he publicly denied them and remained on the show for three more seasons. However, in a recent interview in TVLine, he did reveal that he started thinking about the end of Cisco’s full-time journey during season 4.

"“Doing this kind of show with the sort of commitment that comes with it, it happened very fast, and I think that at the time I was in a place where I was still figuring out my life. And right around Season 4, I started debating what the end for this character might look like. So, that seed was always there, but it didn’t really start becoming a reality until much later on — like, the end of Season 5, Season 6, where I started to become more comfortable with the idea of, “Oh, I think there’s a good way to put an end to this chapter.””"

There is no denying that Valdes was committed to ensuring Cisco’s exit storyline is worthy of the character, but it goes without saying that we’ll miss seeing him on the show.

Will Cisco return to The Flash season 7?

We haven’t seen the last of Cisco on The Flash. Though Valdes has left, he will still be billed as a series regular for the remainder of the season. The main reason for that is, of course, he was a regular for the whole season before his exit. However, it is also down to the fact that he will be returning for the show’s 150th episode and the subsequent season finale.

We don’t yet know why Cisco will be back but he will be assisting the team in taking down a major foe, reminding us all just what an integral part of Team Flash he has always been.

Are you looking forward to Cisco’s return in The Flash season 7’s final two episodes. Will you miss the character as a regular on the show? Let us know in the comments below!