Not just a cameo! Original 'Flash' star Rick Cosnett bringing Eddie Thawne back for extended S8 arc

Remember when we reported that Rick Cosnett would be reprising the role of Central City police officer Eddie Thawne in Season 8 of The Flash? Well, it turns out the character's exciting Arrowverse return is a lot meatier than we originally suspected.

Per Deadline, Eddie — who gave up his own life back in Season 1 to prevent the rise of Eoboard Thawne/Reverse-Flash — is set to appear in the final three episodes where Cosnett reportedly "embodies different characters." Despite his demise all those years ago, Eddie has come back for singular episodes in Seasons 2 and 3. This is a comic book show, after all.

“Rick’s been such a fantastic part of our Flash family since Season 1. And we have been looking for ways to bring him back to the show ever since,” executive producer and showrunner Eric Wallace said in a statement to Deadline. “Fortunately, we’ve been able to do so now in Season 8. And Rick has been fantastic in bringing an exciting new side to his portrayal of Eddie Thawne that honors the character’s past but also takes it somewhere unexpected."

"This wide and wonderful universe," added Cosnett on Instagram.

Speaking with the DC Comics website around the premiere of the first batch of episodes back in 2014, the actor described his character as "irritatingly awesome," going on to add: "He’s one of those guys where you hate him, but you can’t help falling in love with him at the same time. He’s just so flawless. He’s good at everything, he always gets what he wants, everything he touches turns to gold, he always sweeps in and saves the day… Everything just seems to end up turning out for Eddie, much to poor Barry’s dismay."

Deadline also purports that Eddie could be tapped for more episodes in the ninth season, which was recently said be a done deal between the network and Barry Allen actor Grant Gustin for 15 episodes. If true, The Flash will become the longest-running Arrowverse series on The CW.

Bringing an original series regular from Year 1 back into the fold this late in the game feels like an interesting twist, especially considering the cast turnover of the past season, where original stars Carlos Valdes (Cisco) and Tom Cavanagh (Wells) exited to make room for new Team Flash members like  Brandon McKnight (Chester). However Eddie fits back into the fold, it'll be a nice dose of OG Arrowerse as the series rocks deeper into its near-decade run.

Season 8 of The Flash returns to The CW Wednesday, March 9 at 8 p.m. EST. Click here to watch the first trailer.