The Flash’s first season offered quite a whirlwind introduction to the world of Central City, and fans quickly fell in love with its host of characters.

One of those characters is Iris West, a smart and audacious journalist for Central City News. The daughter of police detective Joe West, Iris is also the foster sister, best friend and — as we briefly saw — the future wife — of Barry Allen, better known as The Flash.  

The series first season saw Iris’ journalistic senses and relationship with Barry grow in interesting and emotional ways. Her loyalty was tested and her heart was broken. It also saw her gradually move out of the darkness about the identity of the city’s masked speedster, and by the end, she had finally (and permanently) uncovered Barry’s other “job” as a hero to and protector of Central City.

Season two’s Tuesday, October 6 premiere is coming up fast. As such, we took the opportunity to talk with Patton at this year’s DragonCon about what’s ahead for Iris and the rest of the Star Lab crew. Here are eight things we learned about The Flash’s highly anticipated sophomore season and one of its leading ladies.

Iris Might Not Lead Team Flash, But She’ll Help Save It

Fans got a taste of what Iris would bring to team Flash last season, and from that many anticipated she would to take on a serious leadership role within the team. Some even went so far as to say she’d be the new team parent, filling Wells’ old shoes. Patton confirmed that fans will see Iris in a much different role.

“[Iris] is one of the few people who can really, really talk to Barry and rally him when he needs to be rallied,” Patton said. “There’s a point very early on in season two that she needs to do that with Barry and gets Star Labs back together, and back on its footing. They’re all shaken up and I think a lot of them are at the point of walking away. Iris is the one who comes in and tells them “We’re a team and we have to fight to save this city.” So that’s kind of her role in terms of being a leader in that sense.”

Iris Will Prove (Again) That You Don’t Need A Mask to Be A Hero

Iris isn’t just a great reporter, she’s got a decent survival instinct. During season one, Iris proved she could handle herself in some tough situations and even take down some bad guys. She’ll continue to prove she’s more than just a pretty face and a curious mind in season two, according to Patton.

“In season one we saw [Iris] as tough and a badass. She took out the Clock King, she knocked out Peekaboo with a wrench. And there’s more of that happening in season two,” Patton confirmed. “There’s one scene where she ends up jumping out of an attic window. So there’s gonna be a lot of cool, fun, kickass stuff for her.”

Iris West’s Love Life Is Still Complicated

All of season one saw Iris struggling with her feelings for the masked speedster and her boyfriend Eddie Thawne. Now one is out of the picture and the other is out in the open, but things aren’t going to be smooth sailing for Iris’s heart just yet. While the show won’t pick up right after Eddie’s death, it will still see her dealing with the loss.

“Obviously she’s devastated that she lost Eddie,” Patton said. “She loved him and she loved him to the last moment. And I think that we saw that when she was holding on to his body. We pick up season two six months later, so she’s had time to grieve. You obviously don’t get over someone you loved in six months, but it’s not something we see Iris dealing with everyday. So she’s at a place when we pick up that she’s sort of putting her life back together and trying to move forward.”

While she won’t be in the darkest part of her grieving process, don’t expect to see Iris West Allen anytime soon. In fact, Patton says fans should probably get comfortable with waiting for that plot point to fully bloom. 

“In terms of her relationship with Barry and how that will evolve, I think we all know that Patti Spivit is coming on so there’s a relationship going on there. As far as Iris goes, I don’t know if she’ll have a new love interest this season. I’m assuming that would happen. I would love for that to happen because that’s always fun. Barry and Iris are one of those things like “will they, won’t they” and we hope to have six or seven seasons so it might be a while for them,” Patton teased. 

The full interview first appeared at ScreenSpy on Sept. 6, 2015.