It’s been less than a year since we saw Barry Allen and Iris West tie the knot during the Flash crossover Crisis on Earth-X, and they are already dealing with a teenage daughter. During the finale for Flash season four, a time traveling speedster showed up at their doorstop, introducing herself as their daughter Nora.

On July 21st, 2018 I attended a press junket for Flash season five at San Diego Comic-Con. I had the pleasure of speaking to Candice Patton, who plays Iris West-Allen, about what motherhood will mean for her character.

When Candice sat down at our press table, the reporters jokingly congratulated her for becoming a mother. “Teenage daughter, no diapers, isn’t that good”, I quipped. “No stretchmarks, no morning sickness. It’s lovely”, Candice responded. “You didn’t have to have psychic pregnancy like Cecile did”, I said, referring to the shows last pregnancy storyline. Another reporter then asked Candice how she’d be dealing with her grown daughter.

“I think next season we’re going to see Iris kind of dealing with the fact that her and Nora don’t have the best relationship. I think we saw a little bit of that at the very end of the last season. And we’ll find out why. I think it’s going to be hard for Iris to see her daughter and Barry get along so well and her daughter just want to spend so much time with her father. Iris didn’t have a mother figure really growing up and I think it’s going to speak to a fear she has in herself that in the future she’s not the best mother”, Candice said.

Candice then told us what Nora’s sudden appearance does to Iris’s future outlook. “I think she’s really excited and eager to have her daughter there from the future because to Iris it means that her and Barry actually get their happy ending that they’ve been fighting for, for so long”, she said. “They both just want to have a somewhat normal life with a family. For Iris it means that in the future they get that. So she’s really excited about that prospect”, Candice continued.

Last season, Iris gained a new sister when her father’s girlfriend Cecil gave birth during the finale. A journalist at our table asked if Iris and Joe would be leaning on eachother for “new parent” advice. “I’m sure. Joe is like the wise sage of the show. There will be a lot of West house conversations on how to be a good parent. What that looks like, the struggles and the joys of that”, Candice said.

A reporter at our table asked about Iris’s return to journalism, and Candice revealed she had a hand in that. “I’ve been pushing for that for years, and I think there’s been writers and producers who have also been pushing for that”, said Candice. “And then of course fans who are very vocal about Iris going back to being a reporter. I mean that’s how we know her in the comic books. That’s where she got a lot of her agency in the comic books. And I think the reporter aspect is a very cool thing in these superhero shows. It’s the Lois Lane kind of character that people love. I was saying to someone earlier, we live in very precarious times where things are difficult and strange and journalism is in its own way a form of being a superhero. What you do with your journalism, how you use your sense of reporting. I think it would be very interesting to see them explore those kind of themes through Iris and through the metahuman world. I hope it’s something we really do right on our show because I think there’s a lot of power behind it”, she continued.

Candice was then asked how Iris’s return to reporting would effect her status as a member of Team Flash. “I don’t know because I don’t know how much they’re going to be dealing with the journalism dynamic. I do know that Iris will still be very much part of the team. She won’t be disappearing from Star Labs. She’ll be around, she’ll still be in the thick of it”, Candice assured us.

One journalist asked Candice what she’s learned working on the show. “I’ve learned a lot as an actor. It’s been quite a journey for Iris”, Candice said. “I’ve had a lot of heavy work over the seasons in terms of emotionally. You know, learning how to do four, five, six take of that. Just having stamina as an actor. I’ve learned improv in just trying new things and when you work with someone like Tom Cavanaugh it’s like you may have your lines but he doesn’t care. We’re going to make new lines. Forget the script, we’re writing a new script”, she continued. “So it’s been really fun to just work with someone and be present and trying new things. It always keeps me on my toes. Every actor on our show has their own strength. And it’s only made me stronger by getting to work with them”, Candice said.

The Flash returns to the CW on Oct. 9th.