It's hard to imagine what the landscape of superhero television would look like without The Flash. One of the leaders in the genre's return to the small screen, the light-hearted DC TV show offered a family-friendly alternative to Arrowverse originator Arrow and thrilled audiences with its complex storylines and fan-favorite characters.
Among those favorites was Cisco Ramon. Portrayed by Carlos Valdes, he was a big part of the show's near-decade-long run, offering Barry Allen all the scientific advice he needed to save Central City from STAR Labs while also stepping out into the field with him as the super-powered hero Vibe.
Although The Flash ran for nine seasons, Valdes didn't stick around for all of them, as Cisco departed Central City in season 7. Here's why the character was written off the show and the unfortunate reason The CW series wasn't able to get him back for its final episode.
Carlos Valdes felt Season 7 was the right time to end Cisco's story
There comes a time in everyone's lives when they must ask themselves if it's time for a change. For Carlos Valdes, that happened somewhere between the fourth and seventh seasons of The Flash as he began debating when he would be happy to let the Cisco Ramon character go. It turns out that he was happy with Cisco's story by the time that the show reached season 7, telling TVLine in an interview that he felt "comfortable" with finding a way to end that chapter.
He also acknowledged the commitment that comes from playing a main character on a DC TV show - especially as the Arrowverse shows filmed in Vancouver, where few of the actors actually lived. Valdes opened up about the high level of commitment playing Cisco demanded, suggesting that this might have influenced his decision to bow out:
"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's an irony in the fact that Valdes points out how he had started contemplating Cisco's long-term future as early as season 4, as rumors about the star's potential departure began rearing their heads around that time too. They particularly took center stage in season 5, as Cisco found himself constantly hunted by villain Cicada in an arc that actually featured an episode titled "The Death of Vibe".
Even after he avoided death at the hands of the metahuman-slaying villain, fans were still convinced that a departure was inevitable for Cisco, especially as the show began looking for ways to take away his metahuman abilities and subsequently focusing on his desire to live a normal life without powers. But Valdes remained with the show through the midway point of season 7, when Cisco was written out as he took a job working for ARGUS - a job which allowed him to live a happy life with girlfriend Kamilla.
He left as a series regular in season 7 episode 12, aptly titled "Good-Bye Vibrations", but he did return for a guest appearance in the two-part season 7 finale - "Heart of the Matter" Parts 1 and 2 - to help Team Flash stop Godspeed once and for all. That would ultimately mark Valdes' final appearance on the show.
Needless to say, fans immediately felt the absence of Cisco as The Flash could no longer lean on his bonds with the many versions of Harrison Wells or his friendships with Barry and Caitlin Snow. Yep, the show was never really the same after that. And some of the newer characters introduced to try and fill that void just didn't resonate with audiences.
Why Cisco didn't return for The Flash's final episode
Although Carlos Valdes did return for The Flash's season 7 finale, that would mark the end of his time on the show, meaning that Cisco did not appear in the final season - nor the final episode. The show concluded two years after his departure, wrapping up with its season 9 finale. That particular episode wasn't received well by audiences due to ongoing issues with the final season in general but fans were holding out hope that they might at least get a cameo from Cisco. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
Valdes opened up about this in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, revealing that he was "heartbroken" that he couldn't make it work. He cited scheduling conflicts and life cirmstances he was juggling at the time as the reasons for that, adding that he always intended to come back before the show concluded:
"Honestly, there was no way to make it happen with regards to my schedule and just all the different creative ventures and life circumstances that I was trying to juggle at that time... I couldn’t really make it work, which was really heartbreaking to me because I thought, if I decided to step away from the show, at the very least I have to be there for the finale to round this thing out and to really honor the full circle-ness of it. It was really heartbreaking to not be able to make it work."
When Valdes left The Flash, he went on to star in political thriller Gaslit in 2022 and musical romcom Up Here in 2023, so he remained busy throughout the show's final two seasons. Filming the latter may have prevented him from taking part in the final season, while the quick turnaround that a broadcast TV show on The CW would have required - especially when it comes to concluding for good - likely prevented him finding a workaround.
While season 9 had a lot of imperfections, one of the biggest gripes that fans had with it was the lack of heart, particularly when it came to the core characters. With secondary characters like Chester, Allegra, and Cecile getting too much focus and Danielle Panabaker's legendary Caitlin disregarded in favor of a new character named Khione (also played by Panabaker), it was missing the general warmth and team dynamic that fans loved from the earlier seasons. While an appearance from Cisco may not have been able to fix those issues, it would have been a welcome reminder of the show's glory days - and a nod to the long-standing friendships he had with Barry Allen and Caitlin.
It goes without saying that Cisco is widely considered one of The Flash's best characters and we're super grateful to Carlos Valdes for bringing him to life over the years. It's great to hear that he attempted to make a return work because, even though it didn't happen, he too is aware of how much Cisco meant to so many people.
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