The Flash Side-by-Side Video Of Grant Gustin & Ezra Miller Proves A Superhero Costume Trend Needs To End

The Flash TV show and The Flash movie’s respective costumes for Grant Gustin and Ezra Miller get a major flaw highlighted in a new DC side-by-side video. 2023 became the biggest year for The Flash’s entire live-action history, due to both the DCEU and the Arrowverse. As The Flash series finished its run in May, the DCEU movie arrived in theaters only a month after, bringing the DCEU Barry Allen to his first solo film closely after the Arrowverse Flash finished his nearly 9-year-long show.

Even after their run as the Scarlet Speedster has come to a conclusion, Gustin and Miller’s respective versions of The Flash continue to be compared to one another. While they have a lot of differences, Heroes Unbound shared a side-by-side video that shows that their suits have a shared flaw: the usage of CGI cowls.

Despite the fact that both Gustin and Miller wore physical cowls as the iconic DC speedster, there were numerous times in the TV show and the movie where CGI was applied to remove or put on their respective disguises. In Gustin’s case, the CGI cowl came into play at the start of The Flash season 7, but his upgrade was never explained to the audience, leaving it one of The Flash season 7’s many unanswered questions.

Why So Many Superhero Costumes Are Altered With CGI

The Flash is only an example of how Hollywood has started to increase their usage of CGI when it comes to superhero costumes. When it comes to The Flash, the reason studios likely go between VFX and the practical cowl is to make it easier for the actor. It is no secret that superhero suits aren’t always the most comfortable things to put on, but in various instances, masks and cowls can be the hardest part, especially for a role that requires extensive emoting.

Even during The Flash season 1, Grant Gustin talked about how the team had to re-tool the cowl in the middle of the season as the original version, which had to be glued to his face, would cause him major migraines. For both Gustin and Miller’s respective heroes, applying CGI for their cowls is also likely meant to be a cool way to demonstrate the evolution of superhero costumes and display how the heroes, over time, are getting better upgrades. But in the end, if the CGI doesn’t look good when they remove or put on their cowls, the story reason is redundant, as the suit will appear jarring instead of iconic or symbolic.

It will definitely be interesting to see how the new DC Universe handles The Flash and speedsters’ costumes in general, especially after the Arrowverse series and DCEU film. Whether the DC Universe casts a new Barry or has someone like Wally West take up his mantle, the role will likely not be gone from the world of live-action for too long. Until the next Scarlet Speedster is cast, the world can relive The Flash TV show and The Flash movie through Blu-Ray/DVD and on Netflix and Max, respectively.