credit: The CW
The Flash has been one of the most noteworthy and memorable characters from the DC Comics plethora of characters, even just the most popular ones after Batman, Superman, and to some, Wonder Woman, but as a member of the Justice League, The Flash has always been among the fan-favorites. Over the years, there have been a few series directly tied to the various actor portrayals of The Flash, as well as episodes of shows, such as Smallville, that feature the character. Below we’ve detailed every The Flash actor across the various forms of media that the character has appeared in live-action projects, from the original The Flash series from 1990, as well as The CW Arrowverse shows, such as The Flash and other appearances.
credit: The CW
The Flash
The Flash has been a notable character in DC Comics history, often used to rewrite events in the comics for the sake of a changing storyline to make the impossible possible and vice versa, and live-action portrayals of The Flash from different actors have been no different. Events such as Flashpoint and the various Crisis events portrayed initially in the comics and in the Arrowverse series of shows have depicted the events differently. While the John Wesley Shipp version of The Flash used slight multiverse theories, the Arrowverse crossover events have used multiverse concepts. The upcoming Ezra Miller The Flash film will heavily utilize these aspects. It has been confirmed that Michael Keaton will reprise his role in Batman as the caped crusader and Ben Affleck’s final appearance as Batman. It has also been worth noting that Michael Keaton as Batman will ignore the events of the films after it, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, as Keaton didn’t reprise those films’ roles.
credit: The CW
1990 The Flash Series Actor John Wesley Shipp
While The Flash started as a comic book character in 1940 with a speedster named Jay Garrick, Barry Allen was created in 1956 as the second version of The Flash. Regardless of generation or project, each actor of The Flash has brought something special to the character that will likely live on. However, as the first The Flash series hadn’t started until 1990, the team behind the show ultimately went with the current incarnation of the Scarlet Speedster versus the original, Jay Garrick. However, with the heavy multiverse concepts and Crisis events that have plagued The Flash from across the comics and Arrowverse shows, John Wesley Shipp has also played the Jay Garrick version of The Flash and some other doppelganger-style roles in the Arrowverse. The character of The Flash has also been tied to shows like Smallville, although played by other actors, but the character and his importance in DC continuity were still noted. Although Reverse-Flash has become a notable villain thanks to The Flash on The CW, we could see the villain portrayed in the upcoming The Flash movie.
credit: The CW
2014 The Flash Series Actor Grant Gustin
The most popular and longest-lasting version of The Flash portrayed by an actor is Grant Gustin, as he has portrayed the character since 2014. Still, before he was given his own show, the character appeared in Arrow with his origin story being told. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that The Flash was among several shows, which included other DC Comics shows, that were canceled and would not progress any further, with The Flash Season 9 being the last season. Although The Flash on The CW has been canceled and will hopefully tell a perfectly ended story, it’s unknown precisely what the final season could entail. Still, hopefully, it will also help close the book properly on other Arrowverse shows like Legends of Tomorrow, as it was canceled after its seventh season premiered but was not intended as the end of the series by the creators. John Wesley Shipp has also portrayed Barry Allen of another Earth, as well as Jay Garrick in The Flash on The CW, as he played the original variation of The Flash on the 1990 CBS series, there couldn’t have been a better actor for The Flash doppelganger.
credit: Warner Bros.
DCEU The Flash Movie Actor Ezra Miller
Now possibly the most interesting of the prominent live-action portrayals of The Flash by various actors came from Ezra Miller. This actor took the role of Barry Allen exceptionally seriously, even with his slight comedic portrayal of The Flash in Justice League. Ezra Miller not only portrayed the character of The Flash for Justice League, with appearances in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, but also appeared in The Flash on The CW when that Barry Allen was traveling through different timelines. With the seriousness that Ezra Miller took with the role of The Flash portrayal, he also decided to write a screenplay for the upcoming solo film for The Flash, but since then, much has separated the actor from such duties. With delays and jumps in writers and other behind-the-scenes roles, The Flash solo movie has a projected release date of June 2023, but fans expect a change announced before a trailer is released.