James Gunn’s DC Universe Is Officially Fixing Its The Flash Problem After Major Reveal

The new DC Universe has yet to reveal its plans for The Flash, but after a recent reveal, I’m convinced that James Gunn knows exactly how to bring the Scarlet Speedster back into the fold. The most popular live-action version of The Flash does not come from the old DCEU movie franchise, but the Arrowverse’s The Flash series.

Grant Gustin played Barry Allen for nine seasons of The Flash and multiple crossovers. Fans continue to ask Gunn to cast Gustin’s The Flash in the DCU’s Chapter One. The hero’s last cinematic appearance came in 2023’s The Flash movie, starring Ezra Miller, which was a box office bomb. Since then, the DCU paused development on The Flash, but that could change soon.

James Gunn’s DC Universe Is Slowly Setting Up The Flash

Ezra Miller’s Flash looking shocked and standing in a damaged road in The Flash

So far, Gunn has yet to comment on a hard timeline for when a new version of The Flash could appear in the DCU. However, it seems like the franchise is already slowly setting up that eventual reveal through an upcoming project. After the success of Superman, a sequel was quickly commissioned by DC. Alongside the film, a Superman spinoff series is also in development.

The project will focus on Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, one of the highlights of Gunn’s Superman movie. The rest of the Daily Planet crew, except for the biggest names, David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, are expected to appear. The series is said to have a true-crime docuseries feel to it, with season 1 spotlighting Gorilla Grodd.

How The DCU’s Approach Is Perfect For The Flash

Ezra Miller as Barry Allen preparing to leave the speed force in The Flash (2023)

Gorilla Grodd is one of The Flash’s biggest villains in DC Comics. The character had a recurring presence in the Arrowverse, becoming one of the DC TV franchise’s most beloved villains. As such, the fact that Gorilla Grodd, of all characters, is coming to the Jimmy Olsen series can’t simply be a coincidence. This is the perfect start of the buildup to The Flash.

Gunn could slowly reintroduce the character’s world through Central City, The Flash villains, and perhaps even Iris West, appearing in different DCU projects. After 2023’s The Flash movie bombed at the box office and DCEU Barry Allen actor Ezra Miller became controversial, it is for the best that the franchise takes a beat on development for the hero, as Gunn previously said was the case.

All these possible elements, starting with Gorilla Grodd in the Superman spinoff series, could then come together in a new The Flash movie or TV show. As a fan of Gustin’s portrayal of the DC hero, I would be okay with bringing back the actor. That said, Wally West’s Flash could also work, given that John Stewart is replacing Hal Jordan as DC’s main Green Lantern.

Created by

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

Cast

Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena

Movie(s)

Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold

Character(s)

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam