When they do get the casting just right, it’s even rarer that they get a proper sendoff. Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier has been killed off on three separate occasions, and they’re still bringing him back in Avengers: Doomsday. Jackman got the perfect ending in Logan, but then came back in Deadpool & Wolverine. Chris Evans’ Captain America got the perfect ending in Avengers: Endgame, but they’re bringing him back, too.
Grant Gustin was about as perfect a casting choice for the Flash as you could hope for. The CW’s The Flash show didn’t have a smooth run — there were definitely a few ups and downs — but Gustin was always the ideal Barry Allen. Gustin is to Barry what Downey is to Tony, or Evans is to Cap, or Maguire is to Spidey, and the CW squandered the perfect ending.
The Arrowverse Should've Ended With Crisis On Infinite Earths
In 2019, after Endgame had broken all kinds of box office records, we saw a bunch of other franchises attempt their own crossover events. The Rise of Skywalker stole its climactic action from Endgame, and just rewrote the portals scene and Tony’s final interaction with Thanos to suit Rey, the Emperor, and the Rebel forces arriving on Exegol. The CW’s Arrowverse did its own Endgame with the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover, pulling together The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow for some meta multiversal mayhem.
The Flash’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” storyline involved Gustin’s Barry meeting Ezra Miller’s Barry from the DCEU. This storyline was way ahead of the curve on this kind of interdimensional crossover; this was before Tom Holland had shared the screen with the other two Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Crisis on Infinite Earths” as a whole was meant to be a new beginning for the franchise, but due to a number of factors out of the creators’ hands — including the CW deprioritizing original scripted content — it was actually the beginning of the end. In hindsight, ending with “Crisis” and all those fun crossovers would’ve been perfect. It was a great way for Gustin to pass on the torch to the next actor in a wonderfully self-aware way.
Will Grant Gustin Return As The Flash In James Gunn's DCU?
While it has a Superman, a Supergirl, and a handful of Green Lanterns, James Gunn’s DC Universe has yet to introduce the Flash. He’s a flagship DC hero, so he’ll undoubtedly be a part of the DCU’s Justice League lineup when it finally comes together. But it probably won’t be Gustin or Miller or any of the other actors who have played the role in the past, either in live-action or animation. Gunn’s DCU is a fresh start, so it’ll probably look for a fresh Flash.
But I’ll never say never, because Gunn has made some really radical choices with this reboot, and bringing back Gustin to play an older, more mature Barry is the kind of big swing he’s been taking. Gunn is bringing back Xolo Maridueña to play Blue Beetle in Man of Tomorrow, so it’s not too far-fetched to picture him bringing back Gustin to play Barry. But don’t get your hopes up.
Release Date
2014 - 2023-00-00
Showrunner
Eric Wallace
Directors
Stefan Pleszczynski, David McWhirter, Dermott Downs, Alexandra La Roche, Ralph Hemecker, Phil Chipera, Rachel Talalay, Marcus Stokes, Chris Peppe, Danielle Panabaker, Menhaj Huda, Jesse Warn, Glen Winter, Gregory Smith, Chad Lowe, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Rob Hardy, Tom Cavanagh, Kevin Tancharoen, Millicent Shelton, Vanessa Parise, Kevin Smith, Brent Crowell, Eric Dean Seaton
English (US) ·