10 Reasons Grant Gustin’s The Flash Still Holds Up 10 Years After His Arrowverse Debut

Even a decade after Grant Gustin’s debut as The CW’s Barry Allen in The Flash, the series still remains as popular and impactful as it was when it began in 2014. Set outside the main DC Universe, Gustin debuted as the Flash in Arrow, the first series in the franchise that would become the “Arrowverse”. Gustin’s spinoff, The Flash, explored crime-scene investigator Barry Allen’s story in more detail, showing him becoming a superhero after an explosion at STAR Labs gifts him abilities, including superhuman speed. The Flash ran for nine seasons, premiering in October 2014 and ending in May 2023, but the series still holds up after all this time.

The Flash concluded with its ninth season, and this not only marked the end of The Flash, but also the conclusion of the entire Arrowverse. The CW’s franchise extended over six series and two web-series, developing a rich universe of small-screen superheroes while Warner Bros. developed the DC Extended Universe in theaters. Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen became the cornerstone of the Arrowverse, taking part in every crossover event, and interacting with many other heroes, as well as a variety of villains adapted from the pages of DC Comics. Even after ending earlier in 2023, The Flash is still remembered as one of the most popular DC TV shows in history.

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10 The Flash’s Light-Hearted Tones Lets It Be Comic-Accurate

Iconic DC Comics Stories Fits Perfectly Into The Flash’s Episodic Format

Despite dealing with some emotional and intense storylines, The Flash managed to retain a light-hearted, campy feeling throughout its entire nine season run. The episodic format of The CW’s series played perfectly into The Flash’s case-of-the-week theme, and helped to set up Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen as one of the most likable and accessible characters in the Arrowverse. The Flash is widely regarded as one of the best live-action DC Comics adaptations, due in part to its mirroring of single-issue comics that told short and snappy stories while playing into the overarching storyline, and its carefree textures that held onto the lighter tones of its source material.

9 The Flash Doesn’t Fall Into Recent Superhero Tropes

Many Recent Superhero Stories Have Been Darker & Grittier

Many comic book adaptations in recent years have played into the darker tones of the original comic storylines, both in the DCEU and MCU, as well as other live-action superhero franchises. This does provide a wealth of great material, but The Flash also managed to retain its fun-loving and brighter feeling throughout its run. That’s not to say that Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen didn’t embark on some dark and gritty storylines, but for the most part, The Flash delivered entertaining and vibrant storylines that tapped into elements of comedy, romance and science fiction, enhancing the outlandish storyline of the Flash’s adventures perfectly.

8 The Flash Embraced DC Comics’ Weirder Storylines

The Flash Embraces But Updates Strange DC Comics Narratives

By retaining its light-hearted tones, The Flash was able to tap into DC Comics’ most unorthodox and weird storylines without ever feeling too jarring for audiences. Barry Allen debuted in DC Comics during the 1950s, which is widely considered to be one of the weirder periods of comic book storytelling, and The Flash never shied away from bringing these more absurd elements to the screen. Villains such as the Rainbow Rider, Rag Doll, King Shark and Gorilla Grodd were adapted brilliantly, despite perhaps being some of the hardest characters to bring to life realistically, while the Flash’s own experiences with the strange and enigmatic Speed Force never felt out-of-place.

7 The Flash Paid Attention To Its Supporting Characters

Team Flash Is Fully Fleshed Out Over The Series’ Duration

Although Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen was evidently the focus of The Flash, the series also spent a huge amount of time developing its supporting cast. Characters such as Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, Joe West and Wally West were built up gradually over The Flash’s entire nine season run, with their backstories and character developments being shown in depth. Additionally, Iris West’s evolution from best friend to wife of Barry Allen saw her become one of the most crucial characters in the series. Even the supporting villains saw huge development, with several going on to star in other series’ such as Legends of Tomorrow.

6 The Flash Uses Plenty Of Villains From DC Comics

The Flash’s Villains Are Used In Clever Ways

Some superhero TV shows can fall into the trap of focusing too prominently on only one villain for an entire season, but The Flash never suffered from this problem. The show’s case-of-the-week format allowed many exciting villains from DC Comics to be brought into live-action, including many members of the Flash’s rogues gallery such as Captain Cold, Heat Wave, the Pied Piper and Mirror Master. Even though these smaller villains were used extensively, each season also featured a primary antagonist, bringing iconic foes such as the Anti-Monitor, Savitar, Godspeed and the Reverse-Flash to life in terrifying detail, something that many other superhero franchises have fallen flat on.

5 The CW Handled The Multiverse Perfectly

The Multiverse Is Key To The Flash’s DC Comics Storylines

The concept of the multiverse has become a popular vehicle for storytelling in recent superhero media, with the DCEU’s The Flash dealing with Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen messing with the multiverse, and Marvel Studios now deep within the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. However, The Flash on The CW began dabbling with the multiverse long before either of these major cinematic franchises, and arguably handled the concept stronger. The Arrowverse’s major crossover events, many of which put the Flash front-and-center, used the multiverse to bring heroes such as Supergirl and Superman into the narrative. The Flash’s multiverse was explained fully and clearly, leaving very few gaps for confusion.

4 The Flash Has Clear Character Development

Major Events Have Long-Lasting Effects On The Flash’s Characters

Over the duration of its nine seasons, The Flash’s characters grew and changed drastically, with each major event having a domino-effect on the future narratives of the series. Between 2014 and 2023, audiences watched Barry Allen and Iris West’s love blossom, saw Barry uncover the mystery of his mother’s death, and watched as allies transformed into enemies. The Flash based every decision it made on the chemistry between actors and the huge steps storylines made in the series’ early days, showing a natural progression that makes The Flash one of the easiest superhero TV shows to become fully invested in.

3 The Flash’s Visual Effects Are Crisp & Clean

The Flash Had Surprisingly Strong VFX For A TV Series

The CW’s Arrowverse shows obviously weren’t made with a budget big enough to rival the theatrical releases of the DCEU, but they still put their money where it mattered. In The Flash’s case, a series focusing on a speeding hero who produces lightning when he moves could have looked goofy and lackluster. Despite this possibility, The Flash’s visual effects were always crisp and clean, delivering some of the strongest VFX that were even more consistent than the dodgy visual effects used in DC Studios’ The Flash as part of the DCEU. Fantastic slo-mo sequences, strong choreographed fights and realistic CGI characters immersed audiences fully in the world of The Flash.

2 The Flash’s Main Villain Is Truly Terrifying

The Reverse-Flash Persists As A Villain Through The Entire Series

While The Flash featured a huge array of DC Comics villains, one prevailed over any other throughout the entire run of the series: Eobard Thawne’s Reverse-Flash. Initially depicted as Harrison Wells, a member of Team Flash, Tom Cavanagh’s Eobard Thawne revealed himself to be the Flash’s archenemy from the future, and their vendetta unfolded during every single season of The Flash. This allowed Cavanagh to perfect his portrayal of the Reverse-Flash, finding nuances in his character that made him truly terrifying, and gave Grant Gustin a brilliant villain to bounce off of from beginning to end.

1 Grant Gustin Is The Perfect Barry Allen

Grant Gustin Has Portrayed The Flash Since 2013

Several actors have portrayed Barry Allen in live-action over the years, yet Grant Gustin is widely regarded as the most comic-accurate depiction, and the most committed to the role. Gustin devoted an entire decade to portraying Barry Allen, bringing a huge number of DC Comics storylines to life in vivid detail, even when some narratives may have been silly and outlandish, he was fully invested. While Ezra Miller portrayed Barry Allen in the DCEU, controversies surrounding the actor tainted the character and the performance of 2023’s The Flash, but Grant Gustin’s portrayal of the Scarlet Speedster delivered a charismatic, charming and loveable version of the character in The Flash.