25 facts about The Flash you may not know
By Cody Schultz
Through The Flash, The CW re-introduced fans to everyone’s favorite Scarlet Speedster and the individuals that comprise Team Flash. With help from Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti, fans have come to know and love a new iteration of the beloved character which has introduced fans to a slew of new characters and plot twists that have and continue to keep fans talking for eight seasons and counting.
Now we’re giving Flash fans something new to talk about with our list of 25 random and lesser-known facts about the hit DC TV series – a list which you can use to impress your fellow Flash fans and test your knowledge of the show.
From character origins to hidden references, you just might be surprised by a few items on this list no matter how much you think you know about The Flash!
1. Grant Gustin, Melissa Benoist and Darren Criss all starred in Glee
From the moment The CW announced its musical crossover episode between The Flash and Supergirl, fans were intrigued to see which stars from the two shows would break out into song and which stars would actually be able to carry a tune. However, fans of Fox’s Glee knew right away that the two leads from both shows would be able to deliver big.
Both Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist starred in the Fox musical comedy in which they showed off their vocal abilities on countless occasions setting up for a mini Glee reunion when they joined forces for the memorable musical episode. However, the Glee connection didn’t end with Benoist and Gustin!
Actor Darren Criss, who was tapped to Music Meister (aka the villain at the heart of the crossover event), co-starred alongside both Benoist and Gustin on Glee where he played Blaine Anderson for five seasons.
2. The Flash’s Robbie Amell is cousins with the Green Arrow
The Arrowverse is one big family affair. From the Wests of The Flash, the Danver sisters of Supergirl, the Lance sisters of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, and the Queen siblings of Arrow, family is one of the biggest themes in all of the Arrowverse shows. However, the family connection goes much deeper than the Arrowverse characters.
Actor Robbie Amell, who starred as Robbie Raymond throughout the early seasons of The Flash, is the younger cousin of Stephen Amell who plays Oliver Queen, aka The Green Arrow, on The CW’s Arrow. While Robbie and Stephen Amell’s relationship is one that most fans are familiar with, Robbie’s family connection goes a bit deeper than many recognize.
In addition to being related to the man responsible for launching the Arrowverse, Robbie is married to actress Italia Ricci who played Siobhan Smythe on Supergirl.
3. The Flash loves honoring history with its guest casting
DC and Warner Bros. have always been big on featuring stars from past DC Comics series in its new era shows with countless stars crossing over into the various DC TV universes over the years and The Flash is no different.
The biggest connection to the past comes in the form of John Wesley Shipp who played Barry Allen in 1990’s one-and-done The Flash series and who returned to the DC TV Universe as Barry’s father, Henry, in The CW’s franchise.
Then there is actor Mark Hamill who brought The Trickster to life in the original ’90s series before bringing James Jesse to life again in the current iteration of the show. (And let’s not forget that Hamill also lent his voice to bring The Trickster to life in 2001’s Justice League animated series as well.) Finally, there is actress Amanda Pays who played MERCURY Labs scientist Amanda Pays in both versions of The Flash as well.
4. Grant Gustin almost played a love interest to Thea Queen
If there is one thing that CW viewers know, it’s that the network is keen on recycling talent with several CW stars appearing in countless shows on the network – often in minor roles which lead to their breakout roles (See Jensen Ackles in Smallville before breaking big with Supernatural.) Not only did Grant Gustin appear on the network’s 90210 revival, but he nearly was cast on the first season of Arrow as a love interest for one of the show’s leading ladies.
During an interview with Buzzfeed, The CW casting director David Rapaport revealed that Gustin has interviewed for the role of Thea’s boyfriend during the first season of the show – a role for which he was passed over.
"“Grant Gustin had read for Thea’s boyfriend in Season 1 of Arrow, and I thought, How screwed would I have been if we cast him then?!?”” Rapaport revealed."
Luckily, Gustin was overlooked for the minor role which allowed The CW team to instead cast him in the title role of The Flash.
5. Matt Barr and James Mackay almost played The Flash
It’s impossible to imagine anyone other than Grant Gustin playing the role of Barry Allen. However, the role could have just as easily gone to actors Matt Barr and James Mackay who were both in contention for the role as The CW looked for the perfect person to bring Barry Allen to life as part of the Arrowverse.
While Barr and Mackay did not win the role, both stars have enjoyed several high-profile roles in the years that followed.
Barr would go on to appear in a range of film and television titles including the TV miniseries Hatfields and McCoys as well as Fox’s Sleepy Hollow series. Meanwhile, Mackay has kept busy in the past years with holes in Hacksaw Ridge, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Battle of the Sexes. Getting passed over for the role of Barry Allen also freed Mackay up to take on the role of Steven Carrington on The CW’s Dynasty reboot.
6. Michael Ironside and Peyton List Smallville connection
As we’ve already discussed and will discuss again in future facts, family connections in the Arrowverse are aplenty. One of the most notable family connections in the franchise comes in the casting of actors Michael Ironside and Peyton List.
On The Flash, List stars as Lisa Snart, the sister of Leonard Snart (aka Captain Cold) who takes on the mantra of Golden Glider and who is the daughter of Lewis Snart, played by Ironside. However, this wasn’t the first time the duo played a father and daughter within the DC Comics universe. Before appearing on The Flash, List guest-starred on Smallville as Lucy Lane while Ironside starred as General Sam Lane – aka the father of Lucy and Lois Lane.
By our research, Ironside and List are the only two DC TV stars to play off of one another as father and daughter in two unique DC Comics shows.
7. The Flash used a body double to hide Reverse Flash’s identity
In the first season of the show, the identity of Reverse Flash was by far the show’s biggest mystery so keeping the identity of the man behind the mask a secret until the show was ready to reveal his identity was a top priority for the show.
While the character’s face was blurred out in the final stages of production to keep his identity hidden from viewers, the show wanted to make sure that the cat was not let out of the bag thanks to on-set leaks. To keep the identity of Reverse Flash a secret, the crew hired a body double for Tom Cavanagh who was tasked with filming Reverse Flash’s scenes until the big reveal was finally made.
Looking back, it was a genius move that likely helped prevent any set visitors from snapping photos of Cavanagh in costume and leaking them on social media – which has become the source for several casting leaks in recent years.
8. The Flash considered making Grant Gustin dye his hair blonde
From the moment Barry Allen was first introduced way back in Showcase No. 4 back in 1956, the Scarlet Speedster has been known for his luscious blonde hair – a hairstyle almost as iconic as Aquaman’s blonde locks.
When the plans to bring The Flash back to the small screens were announced it was assumed that the actor cast in the role would be blonde or be asked to dye his hair blonde to capture the character’s iconic comic book look.
When Grant Gustin secured the role of Barry Allen, the producers considered asking the actor to bleach his hair to capture Barry’s blonde comic book look. However, for an undisclosed reason, the writers ultimately decided not to force Gustin to dye his hair blonde and instead decided to alter Barry’s look on the show to make him a brunette – which we all can likely agree was the smart decision to make.
9. Ronnie Raymond gets an I.Q. boost
When we meet Ronnie Raymond on The Flash, he’s one of the most brilliant minds at S.T.A.R. Labs and plays a large role in creating the Particle Accelerator. His genius is equal to that of Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon making him a true asset to the team. However, in the comics, Ronnie Raymond is not nearly as intelligent as the one introduced in The CW drama.
As comic book readers know, Ronnie Raymond is typically portrayed as a star athlete who cares more about his spots career than his academics. It’s that academically challenged jock characteristic that helps make Ronnie the perfect Yin to his Firestorm counterpart Professor Martin Stein’s Yang.
The CW team would eventually get to that dynamic through the introduction of Jefferson “Jax” Jackson, who shared more similarities with Ronnie’s comic book alter ego than the show’s take on the character.
10. The Flash shakes up Captain Cold’s backstory
As fans of The CW’s superhero drama know, Captain Cold acquires his iconic cold gun from a black market dealer who somehow acquired the gun from S.T.A.R. Labs and we also know that the cold gun was built by Cisco. However, the comic book story of how Captain Cold’s origin began and the way in which he acquired his iconic weapon is much different.
Rather than making Leonard a genius with the ability to build the gun on his own like in the comics, The Flash team dumbed the iconic Rogue down.
In the comics, Leonard Snart is responsible for building his cold gun using a technology similar to that used by fellow DC Comics villain, Mr. Freeze. Not only does Leonard build the cold gun himself in the comics, but he’s known to brag about his weaponry being superior to that of Gotham’s chilly villain and who is much more than just a master tactician.
11. The Flash mural holds a secret message
If you pay close attention to the show, you’ll notice that within the Central City police department is an oversized mural of Hermes and Apollo of Greek Mythology.
To the naked eye, the mural seems like nothing more than an artistic piece to give the department some style and an eye-popping piece of art to set it aside from the regular run-of-the-mill police station. However, the mural’s art is actually a nod to the two heroes at the heart of the Arrowverse: The Green Arrow and The Flash.
As fans know, Hermes is always depicted as waking a winged helmet which is a look that was incorporated into the Golden Age iteration of the Flash which fans have seen via Jay Garrick’s character on the show. Meanwhile, Apollo is known as a gifted archer a skill he shares with Star City’s masked vigilante.
12. IMDb nearly ruined Zoom’s identity
For years, fans have turned to IMDb to keep up with their favorite actors upcoming projects while also using the site as the go-to destination to figure out the identity of the actor who you know you’ve seen before but can’t quite place. It’s also a site that nearly spoiled the identity of Zoom!
After actor Teddy Sears was cast on the show, IMDb credited the actor as playing both Jay Garrick and Zoom on the show long before the big reveal was made that The Jay Garrick first introduced on the show was actually Earth-2’s evil speedster Zoom.
Had it not been for the quick action of executive producer and writer Andrew Kreisberg – who learned of the crediting from Sears – Season 2’s biggest mystery would have been spoiled long before the big reveal was made. Luckily, the error was remedied within a number of days and the big reveal was just as shocking as the writers hoped it would be.
13. Don’t bother looking for Eddie, Harrison or Tess in the DC Comics
With every comic book series, the writers have a wealth of characters to pull from in deciding who to bring into the fold. However, sometimes the best thing a superhero show can do is introduce its own original characters – which is precisely what The Flash team did with the likes of Eddie Thawne, Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan.
The trio of characters never appeared in the DC Comics and were created specifically for the show. While the roles of Tess and Eddie were minor in comparison, it’s impossible to imagine the show without Harrison Wells who has been a crucial part of the show since Season 1.
Bonus Fun Fact: While Joe West does indeed appear in the comics, it’s Darryl Frye – not Joe – who takes Barry in after the death of his mother. However, the writers of the show decided to instead have Joe fill the role of Darryl to give the character a much larger and more significant role in the series.
14. The secret behind Joe West’s beanie obsession
The beanie is one of Detective Joe West’s go-to accessories and no outfit would be complete without one of his many beanies. Ironically, Joe’s love for beanies was a creative decision made by actor Jesse L. Martin, who has played Joe on the show since Season 1.
Before joining The Flash, Martin was best known for playing detective Ed Green in nearly 200 episodes of NBC’s Law & Order. After playing such an iconic television detective for so many years, Martin decided that he would need to figure out some way to separate the two characters stylistically.
To do so, Martin decided that Joe would regularly incorporate beanies into his everyday outfit thus creating a subtle, yet effective, uniqueness to the character’s look.
15. Grant Gustin was born to play the Flash
There is no denying that Grant Gustin has made the perfect Flash and perhaps that is because he was born to play the Scarlet Speedster!
Gustin was born in 1990, which was the same year that Warner Bros. and DC Comics worked to bring the iconic speedster to the small screen for the very first time. In 1990, John Wesley Shipp signed onto and filmed the pilot for the original Flash series which debuted that fall. However, Gustin’s connection to the original Flash series goes even deeper than that!
In addition to being born the same year the original Flash series was filmed and premiered, Gustin and Shipp were both born in Norfolk, Virginia. (The two stars were also born in the month of January just over one week apart, with Gustin’s birthday falling on Jan. 14 and Shipp’s birthday falling on Jan. 22.) So there must be something to that cliche about it being a small world after all.
16. Oregon doubles for Central City
Like most comic book cities, the exact location of Central City is never specifically addressed. However, a close look at details reveals that the city is set somewhere within the state of Oregon.
Throughout the show, The CW has used footage of Portland, Oregon to bring Central City to life through the show’s cut-away sequences but the connection to Portland goes even deeper than the use of city shots. During the second episode of the show, a map of Portland is featured on the show with one major adjustment made to the map. While the map featured on the show is indeed of Portland, all of the real-world cities on the map were altered for the show with fictional cities subbed in.
Ironically, in the comics, Central City has been located in a number of states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Florida and Missouri.
17. The Flash has hinted at Hal Jordan several times
Given the number of references to Hal Jordan over the years, it’s a bit ironic that the Green Lantern has yet to make his debut within the Arrowverse.
Throughout the early seasons of the show, Team Flash made numerous references to Ferris Air which is the company where Hal Jordan works when he’s not out fighting crime and defending the universe as the Green Lantern. In addition to being referenced, the fictional company has also been directly referenced through abandoned facilities and a billboard featuring the brand.
The writers even included a direct reference to Hal himself back in Season 1’s “Rogue Air,” in having Barry discuss a test pilot who mysterious disappeared – a throwaway line that many fans took as a foreshadowing of his appearance on the show. We’ve yet to see Hal on-screen, but given the Green Lantern’s connection to the Flash in the comics, we’ll continue to hold out hope!
18. It takes two to bring Grodd to life
Bringing Gorilla Grodd to life on the small screen is a major feat that involves countless hours of work and help from two actors: one who is tasked with recording the physical movements of the oversized gorilla and a second whose job it is to breathe life into Grodd as his voice.
First, actor Simon Burnett (whose roles include the likes of X-Men, Deadpool and Smallville to name a few) steps into the studio to serve as the physical actor for Grodd – tasked with laying down the groundwork and movements of the super-sized foe. Then comes actor David Sobolov enters the recording studio to lay down the voiceover work of Grodd and who is often credited for the role on The CW hit.
Bonus: Not only does Burnett help bring Grodd to life, but the actor also served as the stunt double to Arrow‘s Stephen Amell.
19. Patrick Sabongui played an Arrow lowlife before booking The Flash
To Flash fans actor Patrick Sabongui is known as the Central City Police Department’s captain, Captain David Singh. However, before he joined the cast of The CW’s second DC Comics superhero drama, Sabongui made his Arrowverse debut playing a smaller profile role which was the complete opposite of the one he would go on to play on The Flash.
Prior to his casting as Captain Signh, Sabongui played a low-life street dealer on Arrow appearing in Episode 12 of Season 1, “Vertigo,” in which Oliver sought out the seller of Star City’s deadly new drug.
Luckily for Sabongui, The CW casting agents must have seen something in him and decided to make him a more permanent fixture in the Arrowverse as the CCPD captain!
21. The Flash has honored Sheldon Cooper several times
As anyone who regularly watches CBS’ hit comedy The Big Bang Theory knows, head brainiac Sheldon Cooper has an affinity for superhero t-shirts and has been seen showing his pride for The Flash on countless occasions. We’ve seen Sheldon wear a variety of The Flash shirts over the years and even dressed up as his favorite speedster during one of the show’s Halloween episodes.
For this reason, Warner Bros. decided to subtly show Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory gang some love throughout the years on The Flash via Cisco Ramon. Over the years, Cisco has ripped several The Big Bang Theory-inspired shirts including his “That’s my spot” and “Rock/Paper/Scissors/Lizard/Spock” tees.
The most notable cross-promotion came when Cisco wore a “Bazinga” shirt – with Bazinga of course being Sheldon’s most iconic catchphrase from the CBS comedy.
22. The Flash changed Iris West’s relationship to Wally West
To fans of The CW hit series, Iris and Wally West are sister and brother but their comic book origins are far different from that which has been introduced through the show. While Wally and Iris are indeed related in the comics, Wally is considerably younger than Iris and is her nephew not her younger brother.
The move by The Flash writers to make Wally closer in age to Iris and Barry, and to make Iris and Wally siblings rather than aunt and nephew opened the door for the show to explore several new dynamics with the West family and Wally’s origin story.
Looking at the bond formed between Iris and Wally, it’s clear that while the relationship of the two characters and age difference has been altered, the writers have stayed true to the characters’ strong connection.
23. Emily Bett Rickard is responsible for Grant Gustin’s casting
We have discussed several times already on this list, The CW team could not have found a better person to play Barry Allen than Grant Gustin. However, his casting was the direct result of the chemistry he shared with Arrow actress Emily Bett Rickards, who plays Felicity Smoak on Arrow.
As revealed in a bonus feature for one of the show’s season sets, the casting director felt that it was crucial for Barry to have good chemistry with Felicity as she would play an integral role in introducing the character to viewers.
Because Felicity was so loved by the viewers, it was believed that if she loved Barry viewers would too – and let’s just say that the casting team hit the nail on the head perfectly. Gustin quickly won over viewers after making his Arrow debut and the rest is history.
24. Prison Break fans have The Flash to thank for the show’s revival
Years after Prison Break wrapped its four-season run on Fox, co-stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell reunited on The Flash in the roles of Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold and Mick Rory aka Heat Wave. It was the Prison Break reunion fans had been hoping for and working together on The Flash is what ultimately led to conversations about bringing the show back.
"“We hadn’t seen each other in about five years,” Miller confessed to the members of media in attendance at Fox’s 2017 Television Critics Association winter press tour. “Suddenly we were back on set, discussing old times. And out of that conversation came the possibility of revisiting Prison Break.”"
Had Miller and Purcell not teamed up on The Flash, Fox’s Prison Break revival may not have ever occurred!
25. The Flash was nearly a part of Team Arrow
From the get-go, the plan was for Barry Allen’s appearance on Arrow to serve as the launching pad for The Flash series; however, the producers had planned for the worst in case the character didn’t manage to resonate well with viewers enough to keep a standalone series afloat.
Had The Flash spinoff failed to take off, the producers’ plan was to bring Barry into the fold on Arrow as a recurring character and member of Team Arrow. Had Barry joined the team, Arrow could have become a completely different show and there is no telling what sort of long-term side effects Barry’s addition to the cast would have caused.
Luckily, The Flash was a breakout hit and the show has proven itself more than capable of being able to stand on its own two feet.