Why The Flash Movie Benefits From Grant Gustin's Barry Allen Cameo - Screen Rant

DCEU's The Flash movie is reportedly going to feature Grant Gustin's Barry Allen from the Arrowverse in a cameo appearance, which would have a massive impact on the movie. Since 2014, The CW's The Flash has been one of the biggest DC TV shows of all time. After his two-episode arc on Arrow, Gustin went on to star in his own series that has been one of the Arrowverse's flagship shows for close to seven years. The spinoff series not only introduced superpowers into the franchise, but The Flash was crucial in seeding the idea for Crisis on Infinite Earths, which was the last major crossover the Arrowverse did in 2019.

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While The CW has been telling Barry's superhero story for nearly a decade, Warner Bros. has been preparing for the character's cinematic counterpart. After appearing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Zack Snyder's Justice League, Ezra Miller's The Flash solo film is finally happening, following years of development hell. Miller was cast as the DCEU's Flash only a week after Gustin's TV show premiered on The CW in October 2014.

The DCEU movie will see Flash explore the Multiverse — and according to rumors, Gustin's Arrowverse Flash will be involved in some capacity. The theories suggest that Gustin will be making a cameo appearance in The Flash movie, following Miller's big moment in Crisis of Infinite Earths, where the two shared the screen together. So far, Warner Bros. has not officially confirmed nor denied if the report is accurate or not. However, given the Multiverse concept, it is not impossible for this to be happening. Should this rumor be true, it would be massive for the DCEU product on many levels.

Gustin & Miller's Flash Did The "Impossible"

In the early days of the DCEU and the Arrowverse, many wondered whether or not Warner Bros. was planning on connecting the two universes or if they would be separate. It was eventually confirmed that the Arrowverse shows would not connect to the DC movies. As the two separate arms of DC live-action developed into distinct franchises, many assumed it would be impossible to make the Arrowverse and DCEU have anything to do with each other. Whether it was because of "confusing" continuities or different tones, there were sides, both in the industry and fandom, that simply thought this would never be possible. But Crisis on Infinite Earths changed all of that forever.

While it was a last-minute decision, Warner Bros. turned to the Arrowverse team to see if Miller's Flash could be added in a cameo appearance for the Crisis on Infinite Earths event. With the exception of a handful of people in production, the moment when Miller and Gustin's Flashes came together was a massive shock for Arrowverse and DCEU viewers. While it was a short scene, their exchange was historical, as their characters did "the impossible." This marked the first time the Arrowverse ever had any character from the DCEU appear in The CW universe. Out of all the big DC cameos and moments in Crisis of Infinite Earths, Miller's scene with Gustin's Flash is still the most talked-about aspect over a year later. Their moment broke a barrier between the DCEU and DC TV, making Multiverse crossovers forever possible going forward.

Putting A Ridiculous Long-Time Online Feud To Rest

The-Flash-Grant-Gustin-Ezra-Miller-Arrowverse-DCEU

Having Miller's Flash appear in Crisis on Infinite Earths also helped silence a long-time online dispute. When Miller's casting happened a week after The Flash's premiere in 2014, there was a massive negative reception, with fans feeling Warner Bros. was stealing the thunder from the hero's DC TV counterpart. However, throughout the years, there has been a ridiculous online feud between the respective fandoms of Gustin and Miller's respective versions of The Flash. Ever since the film was announced, there have been online arguments that Gustin's Barry should have been cast in the movie instead of Miller. On the other hand, there have also been those arguing that casting Miller fixed the problems with The CW iteration.

Even the suggestion that Miller and Gustin's characters could somehow be together has been criticized online for years. Several fans have felt that Gustin's Flash is either too good to appear in the film or that the Arrowverse iteration is not worthy of being seen on the big screen. Even the rivalry fandoms have tried to pit Miller and Gustin's Flashes against each other in a negative, toxic way, while the two actors have only shown support for one another in interviews. Not only did their Crisis on Infinite Earths moment allow for some of the online feuds to be put to rest, but it also set up the idea that Gustin could show up in The Flash movie or vice versa. That is why, if the rumor is true, it would be more historical if the Arrowverse's Barry got to race into the DCEU, making Gustin's Flash the first DC TV character to appear in a DC movie.

Gustin's Flash Is The Most Logical DC Multiverse Character To Cameo In The Flash Movie

Grant Gustin Flash DCEU Flash concept art

The Flash movie has already lined up a pretty big cast, especially as it pertains to the DC Multiverse. While Ben Affleck's Batman will be back, the film is also re-introducing Michael Keaton's iteration of Batman from Earth-89 as part of the movie's Multiverse storyline. Sasha Calle will also be bringing Supergirl to life, although the context of her character has yet to be clarified. As exciting as that is, Gustin's Flash is truly the most logical DC Multiverse character to actually cameo in The Flash movie. For multiple decades, exploring the Multiverse has been part of The Flash's DNA, whether that is in the comics, other media adaptations, and the ongoing TV show.

One of Flash's most iconic storylines in the comics is Flash of Two Worlds, where Jay Garrick and Barry come together for the very first time. Many might wonder what the point is of Gustin's Flash showing up in the film, even for just a cameo, given they've already done that in the Arrowverse — but big as it is to see DCEU's Supergirl debut and an alternative Batman return after 30 years, it makes way more sense for a Multiverse Flash to show up the the DCEU movie than the Girl of Steel and Dark Knight. That is not to say there is no reason why The Flash movie can't have Kara Zor-El and two Bruce Waynes — just that it would be better if this was in addition to a Barry from another Earth.

If Gustin is indeed making a cameo in The Flash film, what that will actually look like remains to be seen. Is it the Crisis on Infinite Earths moment, but from the perspective of Miller's Barry? Will Gustin's Barry film a new scene with Miller's incarnation? Only time will tell what is going on, but if Gustin is re-uniting with Miller in The Flash movie, it will not only have a huge impact on the DC live-action Multiverse, but it will be fitting for the Scarlet Speedster's cinematic adventure.

NEXT: DCEU's Flash Movie Should Use The Multiverse For A Different Flash Family

Key Release Dates

The Suicide Squad (2021)Release date: Aug 06, 2021
The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: May 20, 2022
Black Adam (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
The Flash (2022)Release date: Nov 04, 2022
Aquaman 2 (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)Release date: Jun 02, 2023

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About The Author

Andy Behbakht (779 Articles Published)

Andy has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, mostly superheroes and comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast, Titans Podcast while running the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015.