Hartley Sawyer's sudden Arrowverse exit is a bad loss for The Flash, partly because it means that the CW series wasted its season 6 story. Sawyer's Arrowverse character, Ralph Dibny aka Elongated Man, played an integral role in the show's sixth season; he was a major asset to Team Flash in their battles with the Black Hole, Eva McCulloch aka Mirror Mistress (Efrat Dor), and Ramsey aka Bloodwork (Sendhil Ramamurthy).
Despite his importance to the show, Sawyer will not be returning as the Elongated Man in season 7. It was recently reported that Grant Gustin has also expressed for the decision.
Sawyer's character has been an important part of The Flash (and the Arrowverse) since he ed the series in season 4 as a private detective with bitter feelings toward Barry Allen. After becoming a metahuman, Ralph was recruited into Team Flash. Though billed as a recurring character, Ralph appeared all through season 4, and was upped to series regular for season 5. Ralph also played roles in the last two Arrowverse crossover events, Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Flash gave Ralph a key arc in season 6, and set up more stories for season 7, but those won't be happening now. Unfortunately, The Flash's season 6 story has been a waste, and that's not good for season 7, or for the series in general.
The Flash Season 6 Completed Ralph's Transformation Into A Hero
Elongated Man has come a long way from the irresponsible private detective depicted in The Flash season 4. Over the past three seasons, The Flash has invested a great deal in Ralph by spending a considerable amount of time in developing his character, with multiple storylines having contributed to Ralph's evolution as a hero. The first half of season 6 completed this arc when Barry Allen picked Ralph to succeed him as the protector of Central City. When Barry was forced to accept that he was going to die during the Crisis, he decided that he wanted Ralph to take his place. And so, The Flash acknowledged his transformation into a full-fledged superhero by honoring him with his own Elongated Man emblem. This was a big moment for the show and the characters, as it symbolized Ralph's evolution as a character, especially considering that Barry had little to no faith in Ralph when he was first introduced. Now, Ralph was someone Barry had complete trust in.
Also, Barry wasn't the only character who has formed an important friendship with Ralph. Much of season 6 saw Ralph deepen his relationships with the other main characters, including Cecile (Danielle Nicolet), Cisco (Carlos Valdes), and particularly Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker); in fact, Ralph arguably became Killer Frost's best friend in the Arrowverse. The Flash season 6 made it increasingly clear that Team Flash was a family for Ralph, just as it had done for other characters in past seasons. With everything that season 6 did for Ralph's story, season 7 was in a position to explore Ralph's place in the Flash family even further.
The Flash Was Building To Ralph's Biggest Comic Story
In DC Comics, Ralph was married to a woman named Sue Dearbon, who was his partner through many of his adventures. The two were a long-running husband-and-wife team, and viewers had been wondering when she would come into the story ever since he first ed the show in 2017. Understanding the significance of their relationship in the comics, The Flash didn't immediately introduce her, allowing for a chance to properly prepare Ralph for such a story. Ralph had a lot of character development to go through before Sue could be used, so the time had to be right; after being teased in season 5, she served as a major plot point in season 6. Ralph spent most of his time looking for her, and finally found her in the second half of the season. Played by Natalie Dreyfuss, Sue Dearbon was well-received by viewers, as her personality made her a unique (and fun) addition to the show.
She also had a interesting dynamic with Ralph, who soon discovered that Sue was much more complicated than he originally thought. The Flash certainly took its time getting to Sue, but the payoff seemed to be worth it. That being said, The Flash was careful not to proceed too fast. Much still has to happen, as The Flash has yet to delve into a romantic relationship between the two. In the season 6 finale, The Flash planted a flag for Sue to remain on the show by ed Team Flash as a full-time member, giving her a chance to have even more interactions with Ralph in season 7.
What Ralph Leaving The Flash Means For Season 7
A lot of what The Flash did with Ralph and Sue in season 6 wouldn't have happened at all if the writers and producers knew he wouldn't be around for season 7. His Sue Dearbon arc was clearly not meant to be a one-season story and now it won't ever get a proper conclusion. Unless The Flash opts to recast Ralph rather than write him out, the show will be moving forward without him, and that amounts to a big blow for the series and the characters, as Ralph is now closely intertwined in their lives.
His absence from season 7 raises important questions about what The Flash will do now. Team Flash will be down one hero, so who will replace him (if anyone)? How will the series write out Ralph, and is Sue's story even worth finishing without him? The Flash could get rid of both characters by saying that Ralph had to leave Central City with Sue to protect her, kill him off-screen, or reveal that Ralph relocated to another city in need of a hero. Of course, none of these possibilities are "good" solutions. That's because there may not be a "good" answer to any of these questions, which means that however The Flash plans to resolve its Ralph problem, it won't be a neat fix. Sawyer's firing has undoubtedly created a messy situation for season 7.