The Flash season 4 episode 1 spoilers: Who is Caitlin Snow now?

Who is Caitlin Snow going to be when The Flash season 4 episode 1? Given that we know Barry Allen will return from the Speed Force, this is a major premiere mystery. To date, the folks over at The CW have kept much of her new identity somewhat of a secret. It does seem as though Earth-1 Caitlin is coming back, but it’s not the same person who previously was on the show doubling as Killer Frost. The entire Killer Frost crisis has changed her, and she’s trying to figure out who she is now after spending some time away.

Danielle Panabaker expressed to Entertainment Weekly how we’re going to see a different side of the character — at least at the start of the season. It’s possible that this is a jumping-off point to many other things:

“At the top of season 4, Caitlin has been apart from Team Flash for a good six months, she’s taken a different job, and she’s really focusing on other things when Cisco comes to try and recruit her to bring her back to Team Flash … Caitlin is a little bit more reserved, at least at the top of the season. It’s not the Caitlin we’ve seen in past seasons. At this point, obviously she’s been through some traumatic things, particularly the loss of her husband, but this one’s different; this one has affected her in a very specific way, and in a much more internal way.”

Is it a mistake for Cisco to try and recruit her back onto the team given what he knows she is capable of? Possibly so, but if you’re looking for one of Cisco’s biggest blind spots, it’s clearly Caitlin. His friendship with her extends the life of the show and he knows her virtually better than anyone. He can’t accept that the person he cares about is gone. Unfortunately we do know that Killer Frost is not gone from the show forever, so his trust in Caitlin may be slightly misplaced … depending on how Killer Frost comes around. We’re not convinced that Caitlin will ever use her powers for good, just because that’s not this character’s nature. For one reason or another, her powers impact her negatively in a way few others do.

Team Flash has also changed

If Caitlin goes back to STAR Labs, what she will find is a world in which Cisco is out in the field way more as Vibe, just like there is also a prominent speedster in Kid Flash and also Iris leading the team from their home base. This is not the same team she left behind, and that could be an adjustment since she’s used to being one of the key players behind the scenes. We obviously do want Caitlin involved with virtually everything in terms of STAR Labs operations, but this is going to be an adjustment period and you do have to be reasonably prepared for that.

What do you think is coming for Caitlin Snow on The Flash season 4?

Let us know some of your thoughts/theories now in the comments! Meanwhile be sure to head over here to read some more in the way of season 4 scoop; also, like us on Facebook in order to get some additional news on everything we cover at CarterMatt. (Photo: The CW.)