The Flash: Danielle Panabaker talks Killer Frost’s upcoming arc, that awesome new costume and directing in Season 6

Culturess sat down with The Flash star Danielle Panabaker at a SDCC press round-table to discuss her new costume, her directing experience and what’s ahead for Killer Frost in season 6.

The Flash season 5 featured a lot of changes for Team Flash’s resident scientist Caitlin Snow and her icy alter ego Killer Frost. The two learned how to live with one another, became something like family and helped Barry and company take down the villainous Cicada.

Caitlin also learned her presumed-dead father was not only still alive, but basically a supervillain, and took some tentative steps toward reconciling with her previously estranged mother. It was pretty much a banner year for the character, who had more to do than ever before. (This is a very good thing, by the way.)

Now, it sounds like The Flash season 6 might be Killer Frost’s time to shine in her own right.

Culturess got the chance to catch up with actress Danielle Panabaker, who plays Caitlin and Killer Frost, during a San Diego Comic-Con press roundtable, and get a sneak peek at what’s in store for both characters in the upcoming season of the show.

One of the highlights of The Flash season 5 was definitely the ways in which the show finally managed to strike a balance between both Caitlin and Killer Frost’s stories, giving both characters important roles to play and forging what feels like a lasting relationship between them.

Panabaker, apparently, agrees.

“I was really glad to finally sort of explore and to tell that story last year,” she explained. “How Caitlin and Killer Frost feel about each other and the way they protect each other. I was really grateful for that storyline.”

But now that both Caitlin and her alter ego seem to have formed a genuine bond, it seems as if it might be time for Frost to step out of the proverbial shadows in her own right.

“I think this year is going to be a little bit more about Killer Frost,” Panabaker said. “She’s going to get to be in charge a bit more. And we’re going to see her develop relationships with the various members of Team Flash and I think they’ll be pretty different than Caitlin’s relationships with them.”

Killer Frost’s brief scenes with Hartley Sawyer’s Ralph were a personal highlight for me during season 5, so here’s hoping we maybe get to see the two of them off on a detective mission together or something like that. (But, to be fair, the idea of Frost and Iris hanging out is…also intriguing? Particularly given the grief that Iris will be wrestling with this season.)

According to Panabaker, we won’t just see Frost building new dynamics with team members. We’ll see her in entirely new locations and situations, too.

“Killer Frost is a little childlike in a lot of senses. You know, she only pops out when it’s time to fight and then gets put back away. Hopefully, we’re going to see that change. Now it’s Caitlin we see in STAR Labs. What’s it like with Killer Frost in STAR Labs? Is she as doctor-ish as Caitlin is? And is she as willing to be a caretaker as Caitlin is?”

Besides increased opportunities for character growth, Killer Frost will also be getting something else this season: A brand new costume.

Panabaker shared a first look at her new superhero duds a week before Comic-Con, but apparently the outfit has been in the works for quite some time.

“I love that costume,” Panabaker enthused. We’ve actually been working on it for the better part of a year. We started working on that costume for season 5. And then every time I thought they were going to write it into an episode, they never did.”

“Which, you know, I yelled at them a lot about,” she laughs. “With love.”

“I was excited to finally wear it this year,” she continued. “I really pushed – they wanted to reveal the suit on a mannequin at the end of season 5. I was like, guys. That’s not fair! You have to [show] it on Killer Frost. It’s not as much fun on a mannequin!”

While we don’t yet know precisely where Killer Frost’s new suit comes from, Panabaker has a pretty solid idea.

“I think Cisco with his incredible sewing machine did Caitlin and Killer Frost a solid, and built her a suit that she could go out and fight bad guys in,” she said.

Caitlin and Killer Frost’s stories weren’t the only parts of Panabaker’s The Flash life undergoing some changes in season 5. The actress directed her first episode of the series earlier this year, becoming the first actress in the CW’s Arrowverse to do so. (Though certainly not the last!) She helmed the eighteenth installment of the season, entitled “Godspeed,” which focused largely on an origin story for Barry and Iris’ daughter from the future.

“I had a lot of fun with the episode,” Panabaker said. “I was super grateful. It was a great script.”

Apparently, the experience was indeed a lot of fun, since the actress will be back in the director’s chair this season again.

“I’m directing Episode Six, which I’m very excited about, and which is kind of coming up quickly!” she explained. “I had a fantastic time [directing last season]. I’m excited to do it again.”

The Flash will return to the CW on Tuesday, October 8.