Andy Muschietti’sThe Flashis a study of how a superhero blockbuster can buckle under several factors: choosing to focus on other heroes rather thanEzra Miller’s titular speedster, plastic-looking CGI that will haunt your nightmares, and Miller’s behavior off-cameracausing immense controversy, to say the least. Most of this isn’t Muschietti’s fault, asThe Flashwent throughseveral writers and directorsbefore landing on its final incarnation. Muschietti was recently a guest onRadio Tu’s “La Baulera del Coso,”where he discussedThe Flashflopping at the box office —and his reasoning is dubious, to say the best.
“I’ve found in private conversations that a lot of people just don’t care about the Flash as a character,“he said. “Particularly the two female quadrants. All of that is just the wind going against the film I’ve learned.” Muschietti’s proclamation is strange, especially consideringthe Flash was the subject of a highly popular TV series. First premiering in 2014,The Flashmanaged to garner a fanbase due toGrant Gustin’sportrayal as Barry Allen — what’s more, it did so on the CW: a network whose audience mostly consisted of female viewers.The Flashalso changed the trajectory of superhero television during its initial run, proving that Muschietti was far off base with his proclamations.
Grant Gustin’s Performance in ‘The Flash’ Made Barry Allen a Well-Rounded Character
The Flashbegins when Barry Allen witnesses the murder of his mother Nora (Michelle Harrison) by a mysterious yellow streak; following his father Henry (John Wesley Shipp) being convicted for the crime, Barry becomes a crime scene investigator to investigate “impossible” events. When S.T.A.R. Labs launches an experimental particle accelerator,its malfunction leads to Barry being struck by lightning and gaining super speed, while also fighting the metahumans created by the particle accelerator’s fallout. In the process, he befriends S.T.A.R. scientists Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) while struggling with his feelings for his childhood friend Iris West (Candice Patton).
The Flashthrives on the strength of Gustin’s abilities as an actor, as he makes Barry’s earnest nature endearing. The emotional moments also hit: in the Season 1 finale “Fast Enough,” Barry is able to time travel back to the night of his mother’s death andsay goodbye to her. Gustin’s performance is utterly heartbreaking, once again making viewers feel like they’re actually witnessing a touching moment between mother and son.
The other times Gustin shines is when he’s acting opposite Patton orTom Cavanaugh, who plays S.T.A.R. founder Harrison Wells… but is secretly Eobard Thawne, aka the Reverse-Flash. Meanwhile,Barry and Iris have one of the better slow-burn romances in superhero television, as they start as childhood friends before acting on their feelings. Seasons 3 and 4 fully lean into this relationship; most of Season 3 has Barry literally racing against time when he witnesses a future where the God of Speed Savitar kills Iris, and Season 4 is about the lead-up to their wedding — followed by how they deal with life as a married couple. On the opposite end, Cavanaugh isequal parts magnetic and sinisterwhenever he plays Thawne — and the sheer fury Gustin brings in their scenes together helps sell one of DC Comics' most iconic rivalries.
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‘Superman & Lois’ may be over, but the Arrowverse lives on.
‘The Flash’ Led to the Birth of the Arrowverse – and Even More Superheroes on The CW
In addition to putting its protagonist’s relationship with friends and family at the forefront,The Flashwas also a successbecause it led to the birth of what became known as “the Arrowverse.” WhileArrowtechnically was the beginning point (and where Gustin first appeared as Barry),The Flashwent all in on the more fantastic elements of the DC Universe. Characters with superpowers became a recurring event, while Season 2 ofThe Flashintroduced the concept of the multiversedue to its Big Bad, Zoom. It provided a great contrast toArrow, which was a grittier, street-level show, and came right on the heels ofGuardians of the Galaxy’s success — a film which also embraced a certain blend of humor, heart, and superheroic elements.
YetThe Flash’s biggest contribution to the Arrowverse, and its era of superhero television,was the crossover event. Beginning with its first season,The Flashwould cross over withArrowand, later, other shows as the CW’s line of superhero programming grew. One crossover led to the birth of the spin-off seriesLegends of Tomorrow, whileThe Flash’s final two seasons featured various characters from the Arrowverse. But the biggest crossovers were Crisis on Earth-X and Crisis on Infinite Earths, which both featured Gustin’s Flash in a major role. Earth-X focused on Barry and Iris' wedding — which was overtaken by an interdimensional invasion from Nazis, while Crisis on Infinite Earths hinted at Barry Allen’s death as a callback to the titular universe-shaking comic series. It also brought back John Wesley Shipp ashisversion of Barry Allen,providing closure to his short-lived 1990 serieswhile paying off a plot thread from the pilot episode ofThe Flash.
‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ Led Fans to Clamor for a Grant Gustin Flash Movie
The Flashwasn’t just the longest-running show in the Arrowverse, but also one of the most successful — the series premierewas the highest ratedin The CW’s history. Gustin also continued to receive praise for his performance as Barry Allen, which made one moment in Crisis on Infinite Earthsall the more shocking — after racing through the Speed Force,Gustin’s Flash meets Miller’s Flash. It was a massive shock for fans, especially as Warner Bros. had tried to keep its DC film and television projects separate for a while. FollowingThe Flash’s final season, the expectation was high for Gustin to cameo in Muschietti’s film, especially since it dealt with alternate worlds. But Gustin would confirm that henever got an invite, and Muschietti rankled Flash fans when he claimed that Miller was the only Flash (a declaration that was soundly refuted).
No matter what Andy Muschietti says,Grant Gustin’s legacy as The Flash helped bring the character into the mainstream. While DC Studios co-headJames Gunnhas said that there currentlyisn’t a Flash project in the works, it’s clear that when the Fastest Man Alive returns to the screen, extra care must be taken to verify it stands out from Gustin’s performance.
The Flashis currently available to stream on Netflix.
After being struck by lightning, Barry Allen wakes up from his coma to discover he’s been given the power of super speed, becoming the Flash, and fighting crime in Central City.
Watch on Netflix
