‘The Flash’: How Did Candice Patton Learn About Iris’ Season 3 Fate?

“The Flash” star Candice Patton knew very early on that her character, Iris West, wouldn’t be killed off in Season 3 of the CW series.

During last month’s San Diego Comic-Con, Patton revealed that it was actually her co-star Grant Gustin who told her the news that Iris wouldn’t be murdered by Savitar at the end of last season.

“I knew very early on [that Iris would survive Season 3] — no thanks to any of the producers, let me tell you that,” Patton said (via Comic Book Resources). “I think Grant one day was like, ‘Hey, by the way, they’re going to kill you, but you’re not really dead. Don’t worry. Don’t worry! You’re not going anywhere.’ I was like, ‘Thank you for giving me a heads up, because that’s a terrible thing! Like, no actor wants to die on the show.’ So I knew very, very early on, maybe episode three or four. So it was fun watching the fans like, ‘Iris is dead! She’s leaving the show!’ I’m like, ‘No, I ain’t going nowhere.’”

While Iris’ life was on the line for most part of the last season, Iris thinks that Season 3 actually showed how essential Iris is not only to Barry (Gustin) but to the whole show.

“I think this season; finally, we are seeing her come into her own, seeing her really be a part of the narrative,” Patton told Vulkan magazine of Iris last season. “We are seeing how important she is to Flash and his story as a superhero. Before, I think we’d lost that or hadn’t quite discovered it yet. We’re just starting to see her purpose and honestly, I feel like there’s so much more to uncover.”

In the upcoming Season 4 of the series, Iris will temporarily take Barry’s place as the leader of Team Flash. “We do get to see a different version of Iris,” Patton told With An Accent TV of what fans can expect from her character when the show returns this fall. “She’s a little harder. She’s without the love of her life. [And] she’s kind of had to step into this role as the leader of the Flash team.”

“The Flash” Season 4 premiere airs on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.