In 2012, Arrow premiered on The CW and kicked off a shared universe of DC Comics properties on television. The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman and Black Lightning followed, and for nearly a decade, this franchise delivered interconnected stories that channeled the same appeal that their comic book source material had been doing for decades. Many superheroes were featured in the Arrowverse, but we’re here to talk about 32 that had major roles in the franchise.

Before going further, there are some stipulations to point out. First, these characters need to have been established in the comics as superheroes before they were introduced in the Arrowverse, hence why characters like Nia Nal/Dreamer, Sara Lance/White Canary and John Diggle/Spartan aren’t on here. Second, these characters need to be chiefly known as heroes in the comics, which is why the likes of Captain Cold, Heat Wave and Killer Frost won’t be mentioned. Finally, we’re only covering the six live-action shows that made up the main Arrowverse continuity, both pre and post-“Crisis on Infinite Earths,” so don’t go looking for people from shows like Superman & Lois and Stargirl.

Green Arrow

Arrow starred Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, and while he initially went by The Hood and The Arrow, this version of Oliver finally started going by Green Arrow in Season 4. In addition to his eight seasons leading Arrow, Amell’s Oliver participated in all the biggest Arrowverse crossover events. He died in “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” but fans got to reunite with him in the Arrow series finale and The Flash episode “It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To.”

The Flash

Oliver Queen may have ushered in the Arrowverse, but it wasn’t until Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen got struck by that bolt of lightning that this franchise started getting truly fantastical and fully embracing its superhero roots. Barry protected the citizens of Central City for nine seasons of The Flash, and he was also present for every big Arrowverse crossover event. This Barry also had the unique privilege of being the only Arrowverse hero to cross over with the DCEU, as he met Ezra Miller’s Flash in “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

Supergirl

Although Supergirl originally debuted on CBS, it was established to take part in the wider Arrowverse continuity when Barry Allen traveled to the Earth of Melissa Benoist’s Kara Danvers late in Season 1. Those ties only grew stronger once the show moved to The CW, and from there, Kara rounded out the Arrowverse’s main trinity of superheroes with Barry and Oliver Queen. At the end of “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” Kara’s Earth merged with the franchise’s main Earth, so Supergirl concluded its six-season run in the same world where the majority of her superhero cohorts now live.

Batwoman

Initially Batwoman starred Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, the same character who holds the mantle in the comics. However, following Rose’s exit post-Season 1, Ryan Wilder (seen above) was created to take over as the vigilante, with Javicia Leslie being cast to play her. Batwoman only lasted three seasons, but both Kate (later played by Wallis Day) and Ryan still stood out as important heroes before, during and after that time, with the former appearing in both the “Elseworlds” and “Crisis on Infinite Earths crossovers,” and the latter both reprising her role on The Flash and playing an evil speedster version of Ryan called Red Death early in Season 9.

Black Lightning

When Black Lightning came along, there was absolutely nothing connecting it to the Arrowverse. Jefferson Pierce’s return to superheroing unfolded in its own corner of the multiverse, but then “Crisis on Infinite Earths” came along and merged his Earth with the main Arrowverse Earth and Supergirl’s. Cress Williams would later reprise Jefferson for an episode of The Flash Season 8, but it was across Black Lightning’s four-season run where he shined best, with no one but the allies in his immediate circle on hand to help him out.

Black Canary

Five individuals held the Black Canary mantle in the Arrowverse: Sara Lance, the Laurel Lance from Earth-1, Evelyn Sharp, Dinah Drake (seen above), and the Laurel Lance from Earth-2. Of those five, the two Laurels and Dinah were able to unleash a sonic scream on their enemies, although Earth-1’s Laurel’s came from a device rather than as a metahuman ability like the other two. There had been plans for Katie Cassidy and Juliana Harkavy to continue respectively playing Earth-2 Laurel and Dinah alongside Katherine McNamara’s Mia Smoak in a Green Arrow & The Canaries spinoff, but it was never picked up.

The Atom

Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer debuted at the beginning of Arrow Season 3, where he would unveil his A.T.O.M. exosuit. After initially having been presumed dead by the end of the season, Ray resurfaced in Season 4 having been revealed to be shrunken to the size of an atom, and he was able to incorporate shrinking into his exosuit. From there, he became one of the founding Legends of Tomorrow and stuck around on that show as a series regular until midway through Season 5.

Arsenal

By Arrow Season 3, Colton Haynes’ Roy Harper, who’d already appeared in the first two seasons, had taken up archery and joined Oliver Queen in fighting crime as Arsenal, though he was also called Red Arrow by the media. Although Roy had to leave Team Arrow that same season after he masqueraded as The Arrow and faked his death, he would still pop in and out of the show throughout the rest of Arrow’s run to help out his friends. He also followed in his comic book counterpart’s footsteps by gaining a cybernetic arm.

Speedy

The second Speedy in the comics was Mia Dearden, so it was only appropriate that Willa Holland's Thea Queen, who was a loose adaptation of the character, also received that name. When Roy left Star City, he left his Arsenal costume behind, and she made adjustments to it so she could wear it out in the field and join her brother Oliver as a bow-and-arrow-wielding superhero. Eventually she embarked on a personal crusade to battle the Thanatos Guild.

Vibe

Carlos Valdés’ Cisco Ramon was already a valued member of Team Flash at the beginning as its tech genius, but after he discovered he was a metahuman capable of manipulating dimensional energy, he became Vibe. Cisco took a metahuman cure in Season 5, but he continued to fight crime as Mecha-Vibe using a suit that provided him with some of his former powers until he left in Season 7 to join A.R.G.U.S.

Superman

I know, I said I wouldn’t include anybody from Superman & Lois on this list. However, in this case, I’m talking about the Superman from Earth-38/Earth-Prime. In other words, this is the Clark Kent who appeared on Supergirl and participated in “Elseworlds” and “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” We’d assumed he was also the one leading Superman & Lois until it was revealed that show is set on another Earth.

Martian Manhunter

Originally Supergirl viewers thought David Harewood was playing Hank Henshaw, the man who became Cyborg Superman in the comics. But early in Season 1, it was revealed that his character was actually J’onn J’onzz, a.k.a. Martian Manhunter, who assumed Henshaw’s identity to try and do good as the director of the Department of Extranormal Operations. Harewood would later play the sinister Henshaw for a few episodes, but it was J’onn who stuck around for all of Supergirl as one of Kara’s most important allies.

Elongated Man

Ralph Dibny gained his elastic powers from The Thinker’s machinations in The Flash Season 4, and after being stabilized, he joined Team Flash to help them fight crime as Elongated Man. Hartley Sawyer portrayed the character through to the end of Season 6, but after the actor was fired from the show, a stand-in performer was used for the Season 7 premiere. While healing from some major burns, Ralph decided to leave Team Flash to travel the world with Sue Dearbon and dismantle various criminal organizations.

Vixen

Although Mari McCabe, the Vixen from the comics, was played by Megalyn Echikunwoke in the Vixen and The Ray animated web series, as well as an episode of Arrow, it was the character’s grandmother, Amaya Jiwe (seen above), who got more attention in the Arroverse. An original character created for Legends of Tomorrow, Amaya, played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers, was active as Vixen during World War II as a Justice Society member, and after traveling through time with the Legends for a while, she returned to her original time period at the end of Season 3. Richardson-Sellers then stuck around a few more seasons as a shapeshifter named Charlie.

Firestorm

Just like in the comics, the Arrowverse’s original Firestorm duo consisted of Robbie Amell’s Ronnie Raymond and Victor Garber’s Martin Stein, with the two being recurring characters in The Flash Season 1. However, after Ronnie died in the Season 2 premiere, Stein merged a few episodes later with Franz Drameh’s Jefferson “Jax” Jackson (seen above), and the two went on to join the Legends of Tomorrow. That’s where they stayed until Stein died in the “Crisis on Earth X” crossover, prompting Jax to leave and resume his normal life.

John Constantine

Although NBC’s Constantine series only lasted one season, Matt Ryan was able to keep playing the trenchcoat-wearing sorcerer in multiple other ways, most notably in the Arrowverse. Following a guest appearance in Arrow Season 4, he returned two years later in Legends of Tomorrow, where he eventually became part of the team and hung around until the end of Season 6. Even then, Ryan remained on the series to play Gwyn Davies, the inventor of time travel.

Kid Flash

Depicted as Iris West’s long-lost brother rather than her nephew like in the comics, Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West was introduced midway through The Flash Season 2. After Season 3’s premiere showed him as the Kid Flash of the Flashpoint timeline, the main version of Wally gained super speed when Doctor Alchemy restored his powers from that other reality. Wally exited as a series regular at the beginning of The Flash Season 4, but would later make guest appearances in Seasons 6 and 9, as well as appearing in the latter half of Legends of Tomorrow Season 3.

Jay Garrick

After it was revealed that the Jay Garrick that viewers had been following along with in The Flash Season 2 was really the sinister Zoom, the real Jay was revealed at the end of that season to be a doppelgänger of Henry Allen from Earth-3. With John Wesley Shipp having played Barry Allen in The Flash TV show from 1990 (whom he also reprised in “Elseworlds and “Crisis on Infinite Earths”), it was only fitting that he also play this veteran speedster as well.

Thunder/Blackbird

If you’re making a show about Black Lightning, then it’s only appropriate that you include his superhero daughters too. The first of them was Nafessa Williams’ Anissa Pierce, a.k.a. Thunder, although there were also various instances where she went by the moniker Blackbird. Unlike her father and sister, Anissa didn’t generate and manipulate electricity, but rather was able to manipulate her density with her breathing, giving her super strength and durability.

Lightning

Like her superhero name clearly indicates, not only did Jennifer Pierce inherit the same kind of powers as her father, but she also had the added ability to generate electricity on her own rather than just manipulate it like Jefferson. China Anne McClain played Jennifer for the majority of Black Lightning’s run, but for a good chunk of Season 4, Laura Kariuki took over the role, though this was later revealed to be an ionosphere entity who stole her identity.

Mister Terrific

After being introduced in Arrow Season 4 as a Palmer Technologies employee who worked closely with Felicity Smoak, Echo Kellum’s Curtis Holt (rather than Michael Holt, like in the comics) officially joined Team Arrow at the beginning of Season 5, taking the identity Mr. Terrific, which had previously belonged to his favorite wrestler. Curtis stuck with the team until the end of Season 6, and from there he briefly worked for A.R.G.U.S., then took a job in Washington D.C.

Wild Dog

Instead of using Jack Wheeler from the comics, Arrow gave that superhero identity to the original character Rene Ramirez, played by Rick Gonzalez. Although frequently hotheaded, Rene was nonetheless another valued member of Team Arrow for many seasons, though there was a period where he, Curtis and Dinah formed their own group. Eventually, Rene retired from being Wild Dog and became mayor of Star City by the end of the show.

XS

While XS is indeed a character from the comics, The Flash’s version of her is a melding of her and Barry Allen’s daughter, who was known as Dawn in the comics. In this show, while it’s implied that’s what Jessica Parker Kennedy’s character used to be named too, changes to the timeline led to her being named Nora, after Barry’s mother. The original version of Kennedy’s Nora was erased from the timeline after Cicada’s dagger was destroyed, but fortunately, a new version of her came into being afterward.

Impulse

Rather than being Barry Allen’s grandson like in the comics, Jordan Fisher’s Bart Allen, a.k.a. Impulse, is depicted as Barry and Iris West’s son, i.e. Nora’s sister. Introduced towards the end of Season 7, and a speedster just like his father and Nora, Impulse shared a special connection with Jay Garrick and had already made an enemy out of Godspeed from his time period.

Guardian

In Supergirl, the Guardian mantle was held by the Olsen siblings rather than Jim Harper or Mal Duncan. James Olsen first started fighting crime as Guardian in Season 2, with Winn Schott making him his suit and shield. Then in Season 6, one season after Mehcad Brooks stopped playing James as a series regular, Azie Tesfai’s Kelly Olsen (seen above) took over as the new Guardian, although James did don his costume one last time in the series finale.

Citizen Steel

Nick Zano’s Nate Heywood joined Legends of Tomorrow at the beginning of Season 2, gaining the ability to transform his body into steel from an experimental serum. This power is more like Colossus’ from the X-Men than the Nate from the comics, but it was a welcome one to have until mustard gas eroded the steel in Season 7, which led to him retiring from the team. This version of Nate also simply went by Steel rather than Citizen Steel, not to be confused with the John Henry Irons Steel.

Mon-El

Hailing from Daxam, a planet populated by Kryptonian offshoots, Mon-El gained the same kind of superpowers as Supergirl when he landed on Earth. However, because he was a spoiled prince from the Daxamite monarchy, it took a while for him to start behaving like a hero. Mon-El and Kara fell in love, but while Chris Wood and Melissa Benoist married in real life, it wasn’t meant to be for the characters. Mon-El ended up traveling to the 31st century and joined the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Batwing

When Batwoman began, Luke Fox initially started out working behind the scenes to help Kate Kane out, having already been keeping Wayne Tower secure on Batman’s behalf. Then in Season 2, Campus Johnson’s character began his own superhero journey, one which culminated in him constructing a supersuit and becoming Batwing, just like in the comics.

Brainiac 5

Brainiac 5 was one of Mon-El’s teammates in the Legion of Super-Heroes, and together with Saturn Girl, they traveled back to the present day in Supergirl Season 3. By the end of that season, Winn Schott decided to travel to the future to stop an AI-killing virus, Jesse Rath’s Brainiac 5, a.k.a. Brainy, stayed in the present and became one of Supergirl’s most valued allies. He also formed a romantic relationship with Nia Nal.

Hawkgirl

Although both Hawkgirl and Harman appeared in Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 following their introductions in the “Heroes Join Forces Crossover,” Ciara Renée’s Kendra Saunders unquestionably had the bigger role. After her version of Carter Hall was killed by Vandal Savage, she joined the Legends to help try to defeat the villain across time. By the end of Season 1, Kendra and a later incarnation of Carter left after Vandal was finally killed for good.

Rip Hunter

Arthur Darvill’s Rip Hunter, one of DC Comics’ greatest time travelers, assembled the Legends of Tomorrow to help him stop Vandal Savage. Season 2 saw him bring brainwashed by the Legion of Doom, but fortunately, their programming was erased, and he then decided to leave the Legends after realizing he had nothing left to teach them. He then spent the next five years of his personal timeline forming the Time Bureau, but by the end of Season 3, Rip sacrificed his stop the demon Mallus.

Jesse Quick

Rather than being Jesse Chambers like in the comics, The Flash’s version of Jesse Quick was Jesse Wells, the daughter of Earth-2’s Harrison Wells. Violett Beane's character gained her super speed after being exposed to dark matter during an attempt to restore Barry Allen’s own speed. By Season 3, she began fighting crime on Earth-2, and occasionally on Earth-1, as Jesse Quick. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as though Jesse was restored to life in the new multiverse created during “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

While the Arrowverse is over, these 32 will be remembered as some of its most prominent superheroes, and there are plenty of others we could spend time talking about. They’re just among the many reasons why this franchise will continue being enjoyed for years to come.

Major spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched The Flash on the big screen, so be warned!

For all that it’s centered on the fastest man alive within the world of DC Comics, The Flash certainly took a while to make its highly anticipated theatrical debut. With Ezra Miller in the starring role, the time-traveling blockbuster is finally here to deliver all the Flashpoint-adjacent emotional trauma that fans have been waiting for, and it broke open the DC multiverse in some pretty massive and unpredictable ways that will no doubt get picked apart by viewers. But as awesome as it was to witness gobsmacking moments such as Nicolas Cage’s live-action Superman (among other things), Andy Muschietti’s film somehow dropped the ball when paying off on the live-action history of its titular hero, and I’m all the more peeved that TV’s Scarlet Speeder Grant Gustin did not make a cameo appearance.

• The Flash Review: Ezra Miller's Speedster Adventure Is DC At Its Lore-Building Finest

Let’s run through why ignoring the Arrowverse’s Barry Allen and that universe seems like such a glaring issue in my mind now after having watched The Flash feature in full.

Ezra Miller And Grant Gustin's Barry Allens Already Met

Thanks to the Arrowverse’ bonkers “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” which served as The CW franchise’s sixth big crossover, TV audiences already had the privilege of watching Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen sharing the screen with Ezra Miller’s Barry, which was a doozy of a moment. (Even for a TV event that also included appearances from ‘60s Batman star Burt Ward, Kevin Conroy’s Bruce Wayne and the Doom Patrol.) So no matter how one slices up the timeline shenanigans that take place within the movie, big-screen Barry should have the memory of meeting a wholly different version of himself. And in a film where he spent much of the runtime quasi-training himself as a teenager, one would think Ezra Miller’s character would have mentioned that previous incident, even if just in a throwaway line. 

Aside from that, it’s also a bit of a face-smack for WB execs to have made the Miller cameo demand late in the game for the show’s creative team, presumably as a way to further bolster the show’s popularity, while apparently not making similar requests to include Gustin in the feature. The actor shared as much back in April when first confirming that he wouldn’t appear in the film, even though some fans were still holding out hope that his Barry Allen would show up in archival footage or something similar, especially since the actor wasn’t made aware that he was shown in Titans’ huge multiverse sequence until after the fact. His take was unfortunately correct in this case, however.

Ignoring Grant Gustin Is Flat-Out Weird Given All The Other Multiverse Connections

One of the biggest selling points for The Flash’s pre-release marketing for literal years now has been Michael Keaton’s return to the role(s) of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Had he been one of very few pieces of canonical connective tissue utilized in the timeline-changing chaos, I might not be so quick to question others’ absences. But this is also a movie that delivered Michael Shannon’s return as General Zod (even if he wasn’t so pumped about it), the perhaps final on-screen appearance from Ben Affleck’s Batman, and a bunch of literal alt-universe worlds colliding. 

But those worlds were almost entirely focused on the various live-action iterations of Superman and Batman from the past 100 years. For example, moviegoers could see TV’s first Man of Steel George Reeves, a poignant shot of CGI Christopher Reeve alongside Helen Slater’s Supergirl, the Batman and Robin from the 1940s movie serials, the aforementioned Super Nick Cage, and way more. There were more than enough moments during that sequence (or elsewhere in the 144-minute movie) where Grant Gustin’s Barry could have been featured prominently, if temporarily, as everything started to converge. Hell, he could have easily lent a helping hand or two in the process, having already saved his Earth’s Central City and beyond from time-traveling no-nos. (Far too many of them, some might say.) 

I personally would have found it to be awesome if Grant Gustin’s Barry was revealed to be the Dark Flash who’d spent years and years trying to perfect the time traveling rescue mission. Especially since that reveal was one of the film’s weaker moments. 

At The Very Least, John Wesley Shipp Should Have Been Honored

Perhaps Andy Muschietti and the film’s producers felt that the Arrowverse’s Flash already featured too many examples of ‘90s Flash actor John Wesley Shipp returning as either Henry Allen or Jay Garrick. Or maybe there was another reason behind it all, but I couldn’t help but also feel a bit judgmental about the movie not paying respect to the first person to ever play The Flash in live-action. Shipp starred as Barry Allen for a single 22-episode season in the 1990s TV series, and went on to appear in even more Arrowverse episodes. 

So even if there were issues over scheduling or timing or whatever when it came to bringing Grant Gustin into The Flash’s storyline fold, it’s possibly a bigger miscue for the movie to also not have paid direct tribute to Shipp ushering DC’s speedsters into live-action for the first time. Granted, he wasn’t the very first to play the part, as Mary Tyler Moore Show vet Ted Knight and voice acting great Jack Angel were two of the actors to voice Flash for the animated SuperFriends series. References to those two would have been cool as well, but nah. 

No doubt various reasons exist for why The Flash so deliberately ignored its main character's own pop culture history, but it was still disappointing to walk out of the theater without witnessing any love being shown to the TV universe. But we can always return to Grant Gustin's version of the Speed Force with a Netflix subscription, assuming Barry didn't accidentally erase Netflix from existence at some point.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Episode 12 of The Flash Season 9, called "A New World, Part Three," and the preview for the finale, "A New World, Part Four." 

The Flash is just one episode away from closing out the series, and The CW show is going all-out. It looks like Grant Gustin's Barry Allen will go head-to-head with some of his worst enemies, as Eddie Thawne's transformation into Cobalt Blue will bring some other notable characters from the past to Central City. Tom Cavanagh will return as Reverse-Flash, and I'm absolutely psyched about who else we'll see in the series finale based on the trailer. 

The trailer for the series finale of The Flash is short but absolutely worth a watch. Check it out below, and read on for a breakdown of who all we see in this stupendously exciting footage: 

Have I mentioned how glad I am to see Tom Cavanagh back in The Flash again? Let's dive into that, as well as the other characters who will be a part of Barry's biggest fight yet in the upcoming series finale. 

Reverse-Flash

After Reverse-Flash was killed off in Season 8, Eobard Thawne has once again found his way back to annoy The Flash. I couldn't be happier because the Harrison Wells iteration of Thawne has always been the definitive big bad of this series for me. It's good to see Tom Cavanagh back in his yellow suit, even if it somewhat diminishes Thawne's ultimate defeat in the previous season. 

Hunter Zolomon (Zoom/Black Flash)

The Flash revealed ahead of this trailer that actor Teddy Sears would return as Hunter Zolomon, also known as the villainous speedster Zoom. The villain appears in his classic speedster suit, although his face is seemingly restored after it was disfigured when he turned into Black Flash. Is this the more classic Zoom we saw ripped from the past, or does Zolomon still have some of his memories as Black Flash? I can't wait to find out!

Savitar

Savitar was a mystery villain throughout most of Season 3 of The Flash, but turned out to be a time remnant of a Barry Allen from a potential future. It's possible that's the case in this return, though the red eyes have me thinking this could be the negative Speed Force manifesting inside the shell of the Savitar suit. This might also be the actual Savitar from Season 3, seeing as we hear the timeline is breaking down. 

Jay Garrick

Jay Garrick (John Wesley Shipp) is back on The Flash, and it looks like he's one of Barry's few returning allies in this series finale. Here's hoping that more friends will join the fray because I'm not sure Barry can take down some of his greatest foes with just the help of Team Flash as it stands. Jay will at least be able to help aid against the various villainous speedsters appearing all at once and maybe save Nora from that attack we see from Savitar. 

The Flash will come to an end on The CW on Wednesday, May 24th, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Now would be a great time to reference the 2023 TV schedule to see what other shows are on the way, seeing as viewers will have a gap in their schedule with this great series ending. 

Spoilers ahead for Season 9, Episode 2 of The Flash, “Hear No Evil.” Read at your own risk!

The Flash’s final season is getting bigger and bigger, and only two episodes have aired so far. Between Danielle Panabaker’s new character and familiar faces popping up in Central City left and right, nothing is predictable. After the latest episodes bid goodbye to an original character, two more veterans are set to return.

Goodbye, Caitlin

Perhaps the most shocking twist to come out of Season 9 of The Flash so far is that when fans were reunited with Caitlin at the end of the premiere, it was revealed that she wasn’t Caitlin, and she wasn’t Frost, either. In this week’s episode, the new character, initially introduced as Snow, revealed that Caitlin was dead. Danielle Panabaker tells TV Insider how it felt having to say goodbye to Caitlin after portraying her for nine seasons while also looking forward to playing yet another variation:

After first dealing with Frost’s death in Season 8 and now Caitlin’s in Season 9, it's no wonder that the actress was surprised! I can’t imagine having to say goodbye to two beloved characters in such a short time. However, since this new character, who officially introduced herself as Khione at the end of the episode, will be sticking around for a while, it sounds like Panabaker is excited to explore more about her, and it will be interesting to see what happens. That said, characters have been known to come back, so you never know if Caitlin is going to stay gone, as well as Frost. Surprises are always happening.

Hello, Old Friend... And Enemy

Speaking of surprises, TVLine has revealed that on top of the impressive list of returning guest stars on The Flash for Season 9, two more have been added, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for the Scarlet Speedster. John Wesley Shipp and Teddy Sears have signed on for the final season, reprising their roles as Jay Garrick and Hunter Zolomon, a.k.a. Zoom.

Sears first appeared as Zoom in the second season and has remained one of Barry’s most formidable foes. While it’s unknown what will bring him back to Central City after all this time, EP Eric Wallace teases that he’s going to have “one last battle against Team Flash,” and it’s definitely something you won’t want to miss.

Shipp, meanwhile, once again reprises his role as Jay Garrick. Since Season 2, Garrick has had a recurring role on the series, with a few different variations, and has become a friend and ally of Team Flash. It was even revealed that he’s basically Nora and Bart’s uncle in the future. Wallace previews that this upcoming storyline for Jay will also shed light on Barry’s past, which continues to show how emotional The Flash Season 9 is.

With only 13 episodes this season, there are storylines on The Flash that were cut, but it still sounds like there is a lot planned. Fans will need to tune in on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW to see how Team Flash’s story comes to an end. Check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming out soon.

Spoilers ahead for the long-awaited Season 2 premiere of Stargirl on The CW.

Stargirl has been missing from primetime for a full year, but the superhero series returned for its second season with an episode that already dropped some big hints about what's on the way. Not only did it get off to a much more horrifying start than Season 1, but it also introduced a Green Lantern (sort of) and proved that Courtney and Co. will have to reenter the fight sooner rather than later. But one moment that may have gone unnoticed compared to everything else was an exchange between Courtney and Pat that set up how Stargirl will connect to the Arrowverse via a Flash.

News broke over the summer that The Flash's John Wesley Shipp will reprise his role as The Flash for Stargirl Season 2, effectively bringing Stargirl into the Arrowverse, even if Grant Gustin's Barry Allen is the main Flash of the Arrowverse. Shipp's Flash is Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash and member of Earth-2's Justice Society of America. He got a fleeting mention in Stargirl's Season 2 premiere, when Courtney asked Pat who the villain Per Degaton is, and Pat answered:

That isn't a whole lot on its own, as Stargirl has been dropping references to big DC Comics names throughout its run so far, but Courtney wasn't done with the subject just because Pat tried to close the book on it and send her to study. In a later conversation with Yolanda in the cafeteria on what was supposed to be the last day of school, Courtney explained that she's been researching time travel, saying:

Yolanda wasn't convinced, and it really did come across as Courtney trying to find an excuse to pick up her staff and get down to some heroics more than anything else, but would Stargirl really have mentioned Per Degaton not once but twice in the Season 2 premiere, along with a mention of The Flash, if the two aren't going to be connected?

John Wesley Shipp isn't slated to appear in Stargirl until Episode 9, but it's never too early to set the stage for something as major as the first connection between Stargirl and the Arrowverse, other than the cameo in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover. Heck, the Arrowverse was arguably foreshadowing "Crisis" all the way back in the series premiere of The Flash, so Stargirl planning ahead would make sense.

Per Degaton is a supervillain from the pages of DC Comics and one of the six original members of the Injustice Society, going back to 1947. In the comics, he favors time travel for his villainy, and in certain storylines is one of few who remember the pre-Crisis multiverse. If Stargirl introduces Per Degaton and includes that element of his comic backstory, then he would really be the ideal bad guy to bridge realities along with Jay Garrick.

Only time will tell if Per Degaton will debut and open the door for John Wesley Shipp to make his Stargirl debut as Jay Garrick, so be sure to keep checking out new episodes of Stargirl on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, ahead of new episodes of Superman & Lois as the fall TV season approaches.

The CW is the place to be on broadcast TV when it comes to DC Comics superhero action, and Stargirl (starring Brec Bassinger as the titular superhero) will return for Season 2 in August. The show will officially get one step closer to the larger Arrowverse with even more heroes at the forefront, with appearances from John Wesley Shipp's speedster Jay Garrick and Joel McHale's Starman on the way. Stargirl creator and showrunner Geoff Johns previewed the "grander universe" of Season 2, with these two stars and heroes in the mix.

News broke back in February that John Wesley Shipp would make an appearance in Stargirl Season 2, which was a big deal right off the bat even before there were many details about what is in store. Although Shipp's time playing a speedster technically started in 1990 as star of CBS' short-lived The Flash series, the version of Jay Garrick he'll bring to Stargirl is one he debuted in the Arrowverse's Flash. Geoff Johns explained what Shipp will bring to Stargirl at a press event via EW, saying:

John Wesley Shipp will reprise his role as Jay Garrick in the ninth episode of Stargirl Season 2 as the Golden Age Flash, part of the previous incarnation of Earth-2 Justice Society of America. Stargirl had previously established that there have been some of the same heroes on Earth-2 as Earth-1 (and later Earth Prime), but with different people wearing the mask. At the same time, Season 2 cast a former Arrow villain actor to play an entirely different Stargirl villain, so Stargirl connecting to the Arrowverse courtesy of Jay Garrick is certainly going to be interesting.

And Geoff Johns is already thinking about what a direct connection between Stargirl and the Arrowverse could mean for Courtney Whitmore and her friends' adventures moving forward. The creator shared the potential impact of John Wesley Shipp's Jay Garrick on Stargirl, saying that it:

None of this is to say that another "Crisis" is on the way to bring Stargirl to Earth Prime to join The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and the rest, even though the upcoming end of Supergirl does mean that a vacancy is on the way when it comes to a superhero show centered on an optimistic young female hero. Still, Stargirl is nine episodes away from getting much closer to the Arrowverse than the likes of Titans, for example, even though characters from both shows cameoed in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event.

But what about the hero who briefly appeared at the end of Stargirl Season 1, who hasn't had an Arrowverse doppelganger turn up already? Joel McHale's appearance as Sylvester Pemberton in the first season finale came as a surprise, but Starman seemingly isn't returning to the action to try and rejoin the JSA, but rather reunite with former sidekick Pat, played by Luke Wilson. Geoff Johns previewed Joel McHale in Season 2, saying:

A promotional photo for Season 2 confirms that Joel McHale will appear as Sylvester Pemberton in the premiere, but only time will tell on subsequent appearances between Episode 1 and Episode 9. It does sound like McHale will share the screen with John Wesley Shipp, since Shipp's appearance is slated to be in Episode 9. Plus, Luke Wilson (whose brother joined a Marvel universe over the summer) will appear as Pat, so fans clearly have a lot to look forward to.

Stargirl returns for Season 2 on Tuesday, August 10 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW, a year after the Season 1 finale in 2020. DC Comics heroes have a strong presence on superhero TV thanks to The CW, and more are returning to the network in the fall.

Stargirl premiered last year and although it seemed like the series would not take place in The CW's ever-expanding Arrowverse, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. A character who has made multiple appearances on The Flash, his last one being in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover, will be coming to Stargirl for the show’s upcoming second season!

Entertainment Weekly reports that John Wesley Shipp, who portrays Jay Garrick in the Arrowverse, will be speeding over to Stargirl in Episode 9 of Season 2, reprising his role as the old-school speedster. Although this marks the first time an Arrowverse character will be making an appearance on Stargirl, Shipp is not the first actor from an Arrowverse series announced to appear on the series. Nick Tarabay, who played Digger Harkness – a.k.a. Captain Boomerang - on Arrow, was announced to have a series regular role in Season 2 as the villain Eclipso.

In the official description, Jay Garrick plays a role “in a pivotal episode” that establishes “the Golden Age Flash as a member of Earth-2’s Justice Society of America.” The mini crossover will “officially bring Stargirl into CW’s post-Crisis CWverse alongside The Flash, Superman & Lois, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” The Arrowverse may have lost Arrow and will soon lose Supergirl, but it's gaining Stargirl thanks to Jay Garrick!

This will be the first time an Arrowverse character has appeared on Stargirl, as "Crisis on Infinite Earths" established that the teen superhero resided on Earth-2. Before the series premiere, characters from the show were featured in the "Crisis" crossover event, establishing that Stargirl does, in fact, exist on a parallel Earth. The rest of the Arrowverse shows have been set on Earth-Prime since "Crisis."

John Wesley Shipp originally portrayed the Scarlet Speedster in the 1990 TV series The Flash. He joined the Arrowverse when he played Henry Allen, Barry Allen’s father, but has since played several different versions of The Flash. His last appearance in the Arrowverse was in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event when he sacrificed himself to save the universe. The actor has also appeared in shows such as Blindspot, Teen Wolf, One Life to Live and Dawson’s Creek.

Premiering last year, Stargirl was originally a DC Universe series that aired on The CW the following day, but when the network renewed the show for a second season, it resulted in Stargirl moving to the network as a CW original series. While there isn’t a premiere yet, Season 2 is expected to air sometime in 2021. The series stars Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Meg DeLacy, Amy Smart, Luke Wilson, Hunter Sansone and Nick Tarabay.

“Crisis on Infinite Earths” was the biggest Arrowverse crossover to date. It not only included the superhero shows on The CW, but a plethora of characters from across DCTV shows like Smallville and Lucifer made cameos. It was an event that shook the multiverse and birthed a new one. Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-3, was notably absent from the crossover despite being the one to inform Barry about the multiversal collapse in The Flash Season 6. However, Jay will reportedly be back in The Flash Season 7, but how he’ll return is the real mystery.

In the second episode of The Flash Season 6, Barry headed to Earth-3 to learn more about “Crisis on Infinite Earths” from Jay Garrick. Following the episode, however, Jay was never seen again. I presumed that he and wife Joan were dead following Earth-3’s destruction during the crossover. According to John Wesley Shipp, Jay will return somehow. Here’s what the actor told Den of Geek:

It’s unclear, but it sounds like Jay was actually supposed to come back at the end of The Flash Season 6. Considering that the series had to shut down production in March due to COVID-19, the season ended three episodes shy of its intended conclusion. Season 7 will pick up where last season left off, and I’d wager that Jay will return after the show wraps up the mirror Iris storyline.

All that said, the big question is how will Jay return? His absence during “Crisis on Infinite Earths” may have been due to John Wesley Shipp playing The Flash of Earth-90, but that was never confirmed. When the multiverse was reborn, Supergirl and Black Lightning’s earths were folded into Earth Prime, joining The Flash, Arrow, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow in one place. Did Earth-3 merge with Earth Prime, too? It’s possible, and Shipp at least confirms Jay’s new location. In his words:

Jay and Joan being on Earth Prime isn’t really surprising in my opinion. They already knew about the multiverse’s collapse and so they may have already had a contingency plan should shit hit the fan (and it did). Over on Batwoman, Alice’s doppelganger landed on Earth Prime after “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” but the different vibrational frequencies left her with massive headaches that would have killed her.

My guess is that Jay and Joan figured out a way to stop the headaches, which is possible considering they are scientists. Conversely, I think they may have simply lived their entire lives on Earth Prime after the multiverse was reborn. Either way, I’m sure all the details will be explained when Jay and Barry meet again at some point in Season 7.

The Flash Season 7 is currently facing some production delays due to a hold up with testing results. However, the series is still expected to return to The CW in January 2021. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide for more viewing options.

As the theme song famously noted, the characters in Dawson's Creek didn't want to wait for their lives to be over. They wanted to know, right now, what would it be. Now that it's been nearly 18 years since The WB drama series left the air in 2003, it can feel like a lifetime has passed since these characters were regularly seen on TVs. When the show finished its run, several of the actors involved moved on to many different, often exciting, new projects. Notably, one star in particular has found incredible critical and commercial success throughout her prestigious, award-winning acting career.

Still, it's hard to know where Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams, and Busy Phillips (to name a few) would be today if it weren't for this beloved high school drama. But, what have they done with their lives since? Well, let's find out!

James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery)

As the titular Dawson Leery, James Van Der Beek found his star-making role in this WB drama series. During his time on the show, the actor would also star in Varsity Blues, Texas Rangers, The Rules of Attraction, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. After Dawson's Creek came to an end, Van Der Beek gained acclaim for playing a fictionalized version of himself on Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23. He was also in the main cast for CSI: Cyber, and he voices a role on Vampirina. He was in Pose, and starred in Labor Day, Downsizing, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and the short film, Power/Rangers, which he co-wrote. Most recently, Van Der Beek appeared on Season 28 of Dancing with the Stars. He'll be seen in Bad Hair next month, and also starred in Quibi's Princess Bride remake.

Katie Holmes (Joey Potter)

Playing the part of Joey Potter, Katie Holmes had one of the lead roles in Dawson's Creek. Previously best known for The Ice Storm, her screen debut, this WB series paved the way for Holmes' career as an actress. Through the show's success, Holmes played prominent roles in Go, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Wonder Boys, The Gift, Phone Booth, and Pieces of April, all during her time on the series. When the show wrapped, Holmes was most notably seen in Batman Begins, Thank You For Smoking, Mad Money, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Jack and Jill, The Giver, Miss Meadows, Woman in Gold, and Logan Lucky. Plus, in 2016, Holmes made her directorial debut with the indie drama All We Had, which the first-time filmmaker also produced and starred in. Earlier this year, Holmes starred in Brahms: The Boy II and The Secret: Dare to Dream.

Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley)

As Jen Lindley, a New York City transplant in the town of Capeside, MA, Michelle Williams found fame through her main role on Dawson's Creek. Since then, Williams has received a great deal of acclaim and accolades for her dramatic film performances, notably in Wendy And Lucy, My Week With Marilyn (for which she won a Golden Globe), Blue Valentine, Manchester by the Sea, Brokeback Mountain, Take This Waltz, Meek's Cutoff, and more. Williams currently has four Oscar nominations, and she also won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her lead performance in the miniseries, Fosse/Verdon. Additionally, Williams also earned a Tony nomination for her 2016 performance in Blackbird. She was also seen in Venom, Shutter Island, The Greatest Showman, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Most recently, Williams starred in After the Wedding. Next, she'll be seen in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter)

In the role of Pacey Witter, a longtime friend of Dawson and Joey's (with strong romantic feelings for the latter), Joshua Jackson stole many hearts during his time on Dawson's Creek. His character was a constant presence throughout the show's entire run, and he fueled a burning love triangle between the three lead characters. Prior to his role in this series, Jackson was best known for The Mighty Ducks movies and Scream 2. During his time at the Creek, Jackson was also seen in Cruel Intentions, Muppets From Space, and The Skulls. When the show wrapped, Jackson became the star of Fringe and The Affair. He also starred in Cursed, Bobby, Shutter, One Week, Lay the Favorite, and Bobby, to name a few films. Last year, the actor starred in Netflix's acclaimed mini-series, When They See Us. He was last seen in Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere.

Mary Beth Peil (Evelyn Ryan)

As Evelyn Ryan, Jen's grandmother, Mary Beth Peil was seen throughout all six seasons of Dawson's Creek. Once primarily a stage and opera actress, Peil didn't make her screen debut until 1992's Jersey Girl. Therefore, Dawson's Creek became one of the actress's first prominent screen roles. Following her time on this popular series, Peil starred in 2004's The Stepford Wives, Shortbus, Flags of Our Fathers, Mirrors, and Collateral Beauty. She also appeared in nearly fifty episodes of The Good Wife, as well as episodes of Fringe and Law & Order: SVU. In this time, Peil still acted on stage, notably in productions of Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Follies, and Anastasia, for which she received a Tony nomination. Most recently, she starred in the short-lived series Katy Keene earlier this year.

Mary-Margaret Humes (Gail Leery)

In the role of Gail Leery, Dawson's mom, Mary-Margaret Humes played a primary role in the first four seasons of Dawson's Creek, followed by recurring appearances in Seasons 5 and 6. The former Miss Florida USA winner has appeared in more than 50 shows over the course of her acting career, including The Dukes of Hazzard, The Love Boat, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Matlock, Blossom, Murphy Brown, and more. Dawson's Creek, however, remains her most well-known role. Since the series concluded, Humes continued to appear on various TV shows, including Grey's Anatomy, CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, Luck, and Saving Grace. She also starred in several TV movies. The more recent ones include 2018's Home By Spring and Christmas in Love, and 2019's A Feeling of Home and Winter Love Story. In February, Humes starred in A Valentine's Match.

Nina Repeta (Bessie Potter)

Playing the part of Bessie Potter, Joey's sister, Nina Repeta was seen throughout all six seasons of Dawson's Creek. Prior to her role in this WB series, Repeta appeared in episodes of Matlock and starred in Radioland Murders. Additionally, during her time on Dawson's Creek, the actress was also seen in 2002's Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Since the show's finale, however, Repeta hasn't appeared on screen quite as consistently as some of her former Dawson's Creek co-stars. She's appeared in episodes of Palmetto Pointe, The Originals, and Good Behavior, also starring in Southern Gothic, The Remaining, and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Most recently, Repeta starred in the 2018 short film, Long Drive To Yadkin. She had a child in 2008, which might explain why she hasn't appeared in as many movies and shows since Creek wrapped up in 2003.

John Wesley Shipp (Mitch Leery)

As Dawson's dad, Mitch Leery, John Wesley Shipp was seen prevalently throughout the first four seasons of Dawson's Creek. Before he joined this WB series, Shipp was best known for playing the lead character on The Flash in the early '90s. The actor also appeared on soap operas like As the World Turns and Guiding Light throughout the '80s. Following his time in Dawson's Creek, Shipp appeared in One Life To Live, and he was also seen in episodes of Teen Wolf, Drop Dead Diva, JAG, CSI: NY, and The Closer before he reprised his role as Barry Allen in The CW's The Flash, also playing this part in episodes of Supergirl and Arrow. Most recently, Shipp was in an episode of Blindspot, and starred in the TV movie Ruby Herring Mysteries: Prediction Murder. Next, he'll be seen in Climbing Life.

Kerr Smith (Jack McPhee)

Playing Jack McPhee, Kerr Smith was a primary cast member on Dawson's Creek from his Season 2 introduction through the show's sixth season. His role gained considerable attention, particularly for sharing what was considered "TV's first passionate kiss between two men" with Adam Kaufman. Prior to playing Jack, Smith was notably seen in The Broken Hearts Club and As the World Turns, but while the show was on the air, he starred in Final Destination. After the Creek ran dry, he played a main role in E-Ring, Justice, and Life Unexpected. He also had recurring roles on CSI: NY, Eli Stone, NCIS, The Fosters, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and, most recently, Riverdale. Kerr also starred in Cruel Intentions 3, My Bloody Valentine 3D, and When Hope Grows. Additionally, last year, Smith starred in episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and Into the Dark.

Meredith Monroe (Andie McPhee)

Playing the part of Andie McPhee, an academic, ambitious fellow classmate at Capeside High School, Meredith Monroe joined Dawson's Creek in Season 2 and became a main cast member in Seasons 3 and 4. During her time on the show, Monroe was also seen in Minority Report, New Best Friend, and Manhood. Since Dawson's Creek came to a close, the actress has bounced between film and television, notably with her recurring role in Criminal Minds, Hart of Dixie, and 13 Reasons Why, as well as roles in NCIS, Bones, CSI, Psych, Hawaii FIve-0, CSI: NY, House, Cold Case, Wake, Castle, Drop Dead Diva, Private Practice, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, S.W.A.T., and The Edge of Seventeen.

Busy Phillips (Audrey Liddell)

As Audrey Liddell, Busy Phillips joined Dawson's Creek in Season 5 and became a main cast member for the show's sixth and final season. Prior to her role in this WB drama, Phillips was best known for her work in the beloved short-lived sitcom, Freaks & Geeks. Following the show's conclusion, Phillips became better known for her standout role in Cougar Town. She also played roles in ER, Love, Inc., Undeclared, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Vice Principals, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She also starred in White Chicks, He's Just Not That Into You, Made of Honor, The Gift, and I Feel Pretty. From 2018-2019, Phillips hosted her own talk show, Busy Tonight. Additionally, in 2018, Phillips published her memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little, which became a New York Times bestseller. She also recently appeared in an episode of Camping.

Chad Michael Murray (Charlie Todd)

Just a couple years before he played the lead role in One Tree Hill, Chad Michael Murray played Charlie Todd, Jen's college boyfriend, in Dawson's Creek's fifth season. In what is certainly his most noteworthy "before he was famous" role, this appearance helped to solidify Murray as a mainstay on The WB/CW. This tradition continues as the TV actor is currently playing a role in Riverdale. In addition, he's also known for his roles in Freaky Friday, A Cinderella Story, 2005's House of Wax, and Fruitvale Station. He also played a supporting role in Agent Carter, and appeared in Left Behind, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts Of Georgia, and A Madea Christmas. Murray was recently seen in Survive the Night, and a pair of holiday-themed movies, Write Before Christmas and Love in Winterland.

Who is your favorite Dawson's Creek star? Let us know in the comments!

The Flash recently brought back '90s era Barry Allen for the "Elseworlds" crossover. While that was an exciting development for fans, many wanted to see him more. In response to one fan voicing their frustration, John Wesley Shipp hinted at some encouraging news on that front. See his tweet below:

Maybe fans have not seen the last of Earth-90 Flash, after all? That is the hopeful sign this tweet seems to be suggesting. A return would not be entirely unexpected, especially because Arrow-verse producer Marc Guggenheim praised John Wesley Shipp's involvement in "Elseworlds" as one of his favorite aspects. So, why not bring him back?

The Arrow-verse crossover event affirmed a crucial aspect that would open the door for John Wesley Shipp to return. "Elseworlds" acknowledged Shipp's '90s TV show as canon to the current Flash, thus, connecting the two seemingly disparate worlds as part of The Flash's ongoing introduction of various Earths.

John Wesley Shipp's Earth-90 Flash played an integral role in the crossover, which seemed to hint at the opportunity for more to come from him. Few other shows besides The Flash could have the actor from the original series reprise his role without disrupting the new show's canon.

John Wesley Shipp is obviously a fan favorite, so any opportunity to see him on-screen is welcomed. The show cannot go wrong in continuing to utilize him. Considering that Shipp is clearly willing to keep playing around in The Flash universe, they have a fortunate gift in their midst. There is no reason not to use him.

Since The CW's version of The Flash premiered, John Wesley Shipp has played Barry Allen's dad, Henry, and he has also played Earth-3's Flash -- Jay Garrick. The early seasons of The Flash did not always leverage the asset it has in Shipp. For instance, right after his release from prison, Barry's dad inexplicably decided to leave Central City.

Whether John Wesley Shipp has been properly utilized is an issue for fans of The Flash to continue contemplating. The new question is when exactly fans could expect to see Earth-90 Flash again. Hopefully, they will not have to wait until the next Arrow-verse crossover.

Whenever Earth-90 Flash returns, one would hope fans get to see more of him than they did in the "Elseworlds" crossover. If there is one character that merits an entire episode dedicated to them, it would be him.

The Flash will be back next year, so fans will have a little time to sit with John Wesley Shipp's tease. A lot of questions remain for the second half of Season 5. While the future status of Earth-90 Flash is not entirely confirmed, fans do know that The Flash plans to explain Nora's alliance with Eobard Thawne, so there's already a lot to look forward to.

The Flash returns Tuesday, January 15 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. The series was among many shows airing new episodes this fall and will return alongside many others in the new year.

The Arrow-verse's annual crossover in 2018 managed to combine Barry and Oliver switching bodies, the introduction of Batwoman and Gotham City, the debut of Monitor and lead-in to a huge event in the fall, and of course the arrival of John Wesley Shipp's version of Barry Allen. DC TV fans could get a kick out of seeing Shipp back in the suit from his stint as the superhero in his 90s series, and as it turns out, Arrow-verse producer Marc Guggenheim counts Shipp's involvement and impact as his favorite aspect of "Elseworlds."

In this exclusive clip from a feature soon to be available with the Flash Season 5, Supergirl Season 4, and Arrow Season 7 season passes, Marc Guggenheim talks John Wesley Shipp. Take a look!

Marc Guggenheim is former showrunner and current consulting producer of Arrow, and his comments indicate that John Wesley Shipp's involvement in the "Elseworlds" crossover was a very big deal to him, which is something plenty of Arrow-verse fans can undoubtedly relate to. It was already fun to see Shipp on The Flash as Earth-1 Henry Allen (R.I.P.) and Earth-3 Jay Garrick, but there was something special about seeing him play Earth-90 Barry Allen for those who remember him from his time as Barry Allen on his own Flash series.

As if that's not enough, "Elseworlds" effectively confirms that the events of the 90's Flash series are canon in the Arrow-verse, and just happened on an Earth than none of the Earth-1 or Earth-38 heroes had reason to visit!

To see more about the "Elseworlds" crossover, you can find the full extra content piece with any digital season pass purchase for The Flash Season 5, Supergirl Season 4, and Arrow Season 7 beginning on Friday, December 14. For more all about the "Elseworlds" crossover and how John Wesley Shipp was pivotal to the plot, read on! Warning: spoilers ahead for all three legs of the "Elseworlds" crossover.

John Wesley Shipp's Flash breached his way over to Earth-1 from the devastated Earth-90 with a warning for our heroes. He told them that a "crisis" is coming thanks to The Monitor, who has been using "elseworlds" created by the dangerous Book of Destiny, testing various universes to see if there's one capable of withstanding an upcoming attack. That attack will almost certainly come from the legendary DC Comics villain known as The Anti-Monitor.

The good guys get the idea that they can use the Book of Destiny to re-rewrite reality and fix what Dr. Deegan changed after being given the Book by The Monitor. Unfortunately, The Monitor shows up to snag the book and make John Wesley Shipp's Flash disappear, effectively taking him out of the fight where he could have been a massive help to Oliver, Barry, and Kara.

The good news is that Earth-90 Flash's warning was enough to get the heroes in motion to come up with a plan to stop Deegan from permanently altering their reality beyond repair, although they wouldn't pull it off without Oliver turning to The Monitor to make a deal with potentially devastating consequences, and Superman (and Lois Lane) dropping by Earth-1 to lend a hand. Without Earth-90 Flash, who knows what would have happened?

For now, we have to hope that the Arrow-verse finds another reason to bring John Wesley Shipp back as Earth-90 Flash. None of the good guys of Arrow, The Flash, or Supergirl are likely eager to repeat any of what happened in "Elseworlds," but they may not have a choice once Fall 2019 rolls around. The big crossover cliffhanger revealed that "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is on the way.

Be sure to check out Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl's current seasons on digital via season pass to keep up with the superhero series as well as access extra content. All of the Arrow-verse shows are currently on their midseason breaks, so what better time to rewatch and re-experience the action of the 2018-2019 TV season so far?

"Whoa!" is a completely acceptable response after watching the first actual episodic moment introducing Arrow-verse fans to this year's giant "Elseworlds" crossover. Airing as Supergirl's last-minute tag, the crossover moment makes a big leap for John Wesley Shipp's return to this superhero universe. He's not reprising the role of Earth-3's speedster or merely nodding to his former TV glory, but is instead literally playing Earth-90's Barry Allen from the 1990 TV series. Check him out!

That 84-second clip gives us way more than 84 seconds worth of information to talk about, and it's arguable that the central Flash bit isn't even the most bonkers element. But we'll get to the other stuff in a few. For now, the focus is on this retro iteration of the Scarlet Speedster.

This will be the third different role that John Wesley Shipp will portray for The CW's The Flash, after first playing Henry Allen (in different timelines) and Earth-3 hero Jay Garrick. Now, the actor is back in the role that first put him on the DC Comics map, and the Earth-90 reveal represents a shift in the Arrow-verse's broad already broad Multiverse strokes. The crossover will presumably clarify how things work a little more in that respect, or maybe it won't.

Unfortunately, fans don't get to see how The Flash makes the jaunt from Earth-90 to Earth-1 to join the crossover proper. This version of the hero may have some kind of Vibe-esque device or ability that makes interdimensional transport available, though that wouldn't explain why The Monitor makes nary a move to kill him before his quick getaway. Maybe The Monitor's mission needs for Earth-90's Barry Allen to contact Team Flash on Earth-1 for whatever reason.

It appears that The Flash will be Earth-90's only contribution to the current "crisis" affecting the other familiar heroes' worlds. As seen before John Wesley Shipp's face is revealed, whatever cosmic forces destroyed this planet also took out a bunch of Earth-90's superheroes, both those with meta abilities and those without. (It feels like this should be related to The Flash's newspaper from the future, but probably isn't.)

We see quite a few different bodies strewn about that already have established Earth-1 counterparts, such as Stargirl, Captain Cold, The Ray and more. And that's a much brighter and comic-friendly Green Arrow costume on Earth-90's late Emerald Archer. Maybe Shipp's Barry will give Earth-1's Oliver-as-Barry some fashion tips about his green-hued colleague.

It's obviously also worth noting that this teaser tag is also the first time viewers get to see LaMonica Garrett's The Monitor in this universe. (Check out what we learned from the actor.) Though he doesn't even move around as much as Barry does while crawling along the ground, The Monitor still commands attention, standing tall and confident and healthy among a ton of corpses and a beaten-up lone survivor.

It's also the first that bulky crossover-centric book is seen, though from the trailers, we already know that The Monitor will be granting the mysterious tome to Gotham City's John Deegan, as played by Jeremy Davies. The book glows, but knowing all of its true powers is still just out of reach for viewers. Was it responsible for destroying that world and others, or is it only used after the destruction is already done? Does it tell the future, or make a desired future happen?

Perhaps the biggest question we should all have after watching that scene is, "Where is Earth-90's Flash going to live now, and will he have to initially borrow whatever clothes of Henry's that Barry held onto?" Also, "Does one ever get used to meeting fellow speedsters that look like one's father who wasn't a speedster?"

Those questions might not get answers during the "Elseworlds" crossover, but many more will. Find out what's happening when it kicks off on The CW with The Flash on Sunday, December 9, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Arrow and Supergirl's installments will air on Monday and Tuesday night, respectively. The dread of waiting for crossover heaven can be abated by taking note of all the other great fall TV shows and midseason TV projects that are on the say.

The annual Arrow-verse crossover is always a big deal, and the 2018 event promises to be the wildest yet. Sure, last year featured Nazis from another Earth invading to steal Supergirl's heart, but the "Elseworlds" extravaganza could be even crazier. A new photo from the crossover has hit the web, and it reveals a second Flash will be in the mix. Take a look!

Yes, John Wesley Shipp will be back in the friction-proof suit for the "Elseworlds" crossover in December. Given that all signs point to this year's event as an altogether mixed-up affair, it might be hasty to say that Shipp is playing the same Earth-3 Jay Garrick he usually plays when suited up as a speedster. If Oliver Queen is The Flash, Barry Allen is Green Arrow, and Batwoman is on the way, who's to say this isn't a Jay Garrick we haven't seen before?

The image (courtesy of Arrow star Stephen Amell on Twitter) shows Supergirl, Oliver Queen as Flash, Jay Garrick as another Flash, and Barry Allen as Green Arrow. As exciting as it is to see John Wesley Shipp on set for the crossover, it would be easy to overlook the others in the photo. It's definitely going to be strange to see Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin wearing each other's outfits, and not just because they have different body types. Oliver Queen really isn't the bright red bodysuit kind of guy.

John Wesley Shipp has been wearing one Flash suit or another off and on since the 90s, when he played Barry Allen in a different live-action series. Shipp already told CinemaBlend that big improvements have been made in the realm of TV superhero suits since the 90s, so we can bet that this suit is much more comfortable than the one during his first turn as the Scarlet Speedster.

Jay Garrick won't be the only non-regular Arrow-verse superhero to turn up for the "Elseworlds" crossover, although he'll still be wearing his iconic suit. The other returning hero will be wearing all black rather than his usual red and blue. Then again, Barry and Oliver will be wearing matching leather at some point, so it's difficult to say anything for certain about the crossover based on outfits.

In case that distant photo of the four heroes wasn't enough to whet your appetite, Stephen Amell shared a closer photo of the double dose of Flashes in the crossover:

Those are two happy speedsters! It should be interesting to see whether Stephen Amell gets to bring any of his personal joy to his performance or if Flash Oliver will be as serious as Green Arrow Oliver, just under a red cowl rather than a green hood. Whatever happens, we can count on John Wesley Shipp in the mix, and that can only be fun. Besides, whatever happens in Gotham City, an extra speedster couldn't hurt.

With Arkham inmates potentially running amok, all the heroes available should be on the scene to help. The Dark Knight won't be around, but Batwoman will, and she should be deliver plenty of batty action without Bruce Wayne in the mix. Kate Kane's costume as Batwoman is already one of my favorites of any of the female Arrow-verse superhero suits, if not my absolute favorite.

The only bad news is that we still have more than a month until the Arrow-verse crossover kicks off in December. The good news is that all four shows in the Arrow-verse -- including Legends of Tomorrow, which won't actually be part of the "Elseworlds" event -- are officially back in swing with their new seasons this fall.

Spoilers below for The Flash's latest episode, "Enter Flashtime."

Because The Flash swapped out its traditional speedster villain in Season 4, there hasn't been the same impetus to keep as many speedster heroes around. But a nuclear bomb changed all that in "Enter Flashtime," which welcomed back Violett Beane's Earth-2 Jessie Quick and John Wesley Shipp's Earth-3 Jay Garrick. Shipp spoke with CinemaBlend's own Laura Hurley ahead of the episode, and during their chat, he talked at length about two ways in which The CW's Flash is a big improvement over his own Flash series from the 1990s: the superspeed scenes and the super-suit costumes. His words on the effects:

I always feel bad when I see super-speed scenes in older movies and TV shows, since it almost necessarily means things played out much as John Wesley Shipp described. In order to show a 20-second scene of Shipp's Flash cleaning a room, he had to spend a legitimately lengthy span of time cleaning the room, with the footage sped up after the fact to make it look impossibly quick. Whereas now, Shipp isn't even needed to film the entire stunt, since part of it is created using solely digital forms. Of course, that basically just transports Shipp's former efforts over to the computer effects team, but they likely don't need to strain their muscles all that much.

And it's not just the CGI that has been improved in the nearly three decades that have passed between John Wesley Shipp's Flash series and Grant Gustin's version. The visual essence of the superhero himself, the snazzy super-suit, has also seen major advancements that don't make things quite as grueling for those inside. Part of it has to do with audiences no longer being obsessed with giant muscles.

I've often wondered why The Flash would need to have bulked up pecs and biceps, since his speed is generally what gives him advantages in battles, and not specifically natural strength or brawn. Granted, doing all the things that Barry Allen (or Jay Garrick) does would probably promote muscle growth in big ways, but not in the same way that lifting weights for four hours a day will. But forget about the looks; one of my least favorite things in the world is putting on wet clothes, so I cannot imagine how miserable I would have been squeezing into and out of a sweat-and-Lysol-matted Flash suit on a daily basis.

John Wesley Shipp also talked about how the face cowl situation is easier these days. Especially for him, since Jay Garrick only dons his bolt helmet.

For all that ice water on his torso, though, John Wesley Shipp is obviously proud to have taken on the Scarlet Speedster role for his first TV series, and he's always happy to return to The CW'sFlash to bring some Earth-3 guidance to Barry's chaotic existence.

We'll hopefully get to see John Wesley Shipp returning to The Flash in the near future to help uproot the Thinker's plans, but for now, we're pumped to see Iris get in on the speedster action in next week's episode, airing on The CW on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Until then, head over to our midseason premiere trailer to see all the new and returning shows that are on the way.

Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 15 of The Flash Season 4, called "Enter Flashtime."

The Flash forced Barry (Grant Gustin) to face one of his most dangerous threats to date in the latest episode when a nuclear explosion threatened to destroy Central City and everybody in the vicinity. Barry's superspeed allowed him to desperately work on a plan to stop the explosion from going off, and he recruited the help of Jay Garrick (John Wesley Shipp) and Jesse Quick (Violett Beane). The good news was that Jay had the experience and expertise to be a major asset in this mission; the bad news is that he no longer had the stamina to keep up with the younger speedsters. Luckily, Jay Garrick wasn't taken out of the fight until The Flash did something new and fun with the character. Actor John Wesley Shipp spoke with CinemaBlend about "Enter Flashtime," and he said this about what he got to do as Jay:

"Enter Flashtime" delivered a side of Jay Garrick that The Flash hasn't fully explored in the past when he was given the chance to use his scientific knowledge to help work on a plan to save the day. His knowledge of nuclear fusion and fission (among other subjects) helped set the speedsters on a path to try and stop the explosion. Although the initial plan failed and Barry didn't seem inclined to heed Jay's warning not to send the explosion into the Speed Force (as it would destroy the Speed Force and deprive all speedsters everywhere of their speed), he was instrumental in helping rule out options that wouldn't work. Even though Iris was ultimately the one to figure out how to stop the explosion from destroying everybody and everything, Jay (and Jesse) helped him stay alive long enough to do it.

The episode also revealed a new dynamic between Jay and Barry. Although the two were allies prior to "Enter Flashtime," Jay understandably had his doubts about Barry after his use of time travel for personal reasons, which ultimately created the Flashpoint timeline that caused a lot of problems for just about everybody. Jay evidently felt comfortable enough with Barry in "Enter Flashtime" to work with him as equal partners, which was essential in making any progress in stopping the explosion. Throw in Jesse, and Jay had another generation of speedster to interact with during his trip to Earth-1. John Wesley Shipp's comments about the speedster episode already indicated that some very important things would happen, and we now know how The Flash intended to explore some new stories with Jay. Shipp went on to say this about certain key story elements of the "Enter Flashtime" hour:

All things considered, we can only hope that The Flash will bring Jay Garrick back at some point in the not-too-distant future. He ended the episode determined to train Jesse to become an even better speedster, which could open the door for both to come back. Besides, Jay may not have the stamina of a younger speedster anymore, but he's still an asset in some key ways. Besides, John Wesley Shipp is always a fun addition to the show, whether he's on board as Jay or the late lamented Henry Allen.

We'll have to wait and see. New episodes of The Flash air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. The next speedster other than Barry Allen to appear will be none other than Iris West-Allen due to some truly bizarre circumstances, so be sure to tune in. For your other viewing options, don't forget to take a look at our midseason TV guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere schedule.

The Flash may be the story of Barry Allen as Central City's scarlet savior, but it has also introduced a number of other speedsters who turn up to help Team Flash every once in a while. One of the most notable speedsters is none other than Jay Garrick, played by John Wesley Shipp. Jay will be back in the mix in the Season 4 episode that brings him to Earth-1 when Barry is in need of help from other speedsters. Jay and Barry will team up with Jesse Quick to assist in slowing down time to stop a nuclear bomb from destroying Central City. John Wesley Shipp recently spoke with CinemaBlend about why the speedster episode is so important to The Flash, saying this:

Legacy is an important element on The Flash, and the big speedster episode will honor the Flash legacy in some significant ways. Although Wally West presumably won't turn up due to his connection to Legends of Tomorrow, the episode will feature Jesse Quick as a speedster of the generation following Barry. Even though Jesse technically isn't a whole lot younger than Barry, he did have a great deal of experience as a speedster by the time she showed up with powers, and Jay Garrick was already a veteran speedster by the time he met Barry. This episode will be the first time we see these three speedsters of DC Comics fame working together on one mission, and it should be pretty fun for viewers and comic fans alike.

John Wesley Shipp definitely has a point about Flash being the most prominent superhero in DC fame to have a legacy spanning multiple generations. Unlike instances when big-name heroes like Batman were temporarily replaced by other heroes in the comics, each of the characters to wear the Flash cowl held onto the title for a long time. Judging by Shipp's comments and the reactions of fans he's seen on social media, DC Comics writer Sterling Gates has been a major asset to The Flash since joining the team.

As it turns out, the legacy of the Flash as a superhero isn't the only reason why the big speedster episode is important. John Wesley Shipp went on in our chat to explain how the dynamic between the various speedsters will change in the episode:

The three speedsters will impact each other in ways that we can only hope will last beyond their episode. The clock will be ticking as the trio tries to stop a nuclear bomb from going off, which means they'll be working together under a lot of pressure. Barry and Jay haven't worked together on this type of mission in the past, and Jesse is a new variable in the mix. Three speedsters will surely be better than two, and we can be confident that they'll succeed in stopping the bomb. After all, The Flash probably won't go so dark as to blow up Central City. We'll have to wait and see how they join forces to stop the catastrophe before it strikes and how their bonds will all change in the aftermath.

You can catch new episodes of The Flash on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. For more of John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick, you can find the first three seasons of The Flash streaming on Netflix. If you're still in the market for other shows, be sure to swing by our midseason TV premiere guide, and don't forget to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more from John Wesley Shipp.

Dawson's Creek is a show that changed the game for teen television during its run on The WB from 1998-2003, and it kickstarted the careers of some young actors who would go on to become stars in their own right. The series was anchored by some adult characters, however. Gail and Mitch Leery were major presences in the series as Dawson's parents, and Gail's second wedding is what brought everybody back together in the series finale. Actress Mary-Margaret Humes, who played Gail throughout all six seasons, has revealed that she would be on board for a Dawson's Creek revival, saying this:

Mary-Margaret Humes was pretty clear in her comments to Digital Spy that she's not suggesting a full-on revival, a la Will and Grace or even The X-Files. Four episodes would be enough to check back in with the characters, get a look at their lives 15 years after the finale, and say goodbye to them once more, perhaps with more closure than the first time around. The series finale was initially going through very significant changes in the writing process, even going so far as to switch Joey from ending up with Dawson to ending up with Pacey. Perhaps a revival would enable the show to settle things a bit more.

As it happens, Mary-Margaret Humes has the support of another Dawson's Creek star when it comes to a revival, although his participation might not actually work. John Wesley Shipp played Mitch Leery until early in Season 5, when the character was killed in a car accident. Nevertheless, Shipp--who gained new fame in recent years thanks to roles on The Flash--would be on board for a revival as well:

John Wesley Shipp certainly does know how successful series can be when brought back to the airwaves, although The CW's The Flash isn't a revival of his original Flash series. Still, it's hard to imagine how he would fit into a revival when his character was killed and his wife remarried on the show. Flashbacks would be a possibility if fewer years had passed. Then again, Roseanne is bringing John Goodman back for the revival despite his character's death. Maybe a Dawson's Creek revival could pull something similar.

All of this said, a revival isn't likely in the cards. The actors who played Dawson's parents may be on board, but a revival almost certainly couldn't happen without at least James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Joshua Jackson on board. Katie Holmes has come right out and said that she doesn't think Dawson's Creek could work as a revival nowadays. For his part, James Van Der Beek was super uncomfortable talking about the show back in March, and he more recently said that the show went off the rails back in Season 2. Something tells me he won't be dying to reprise his role as Dawson.

If you're now in the mood for a Dawson's Creek rewatch, you can catch the full series streaming on Hulu. For the shows that are soon to leave the airwaves, take a look at our rundown of all the TV cancellations in 2017. Our midseason TV guide can let you know when your shows will be back in 2018.

We certainly aren't going to be lacking in Flash's in our entertainment anytime soon. In addition to Grant Gustin and his fellow speedsters on the CW's The Flash, Ezra Miller's version of the character will soon be making his big debut in Justice League. That's a lot of speedsters running around, but John Wesley Shipp has been running the longest. He originated the live-action Flash in the 90's TV show, so it's interesting to hear his opinion about how the role has exploded since then. Here's what Shipp thinks about Ezra Miller bringing Barry Allen to the movies.

John Wesely Shipp was present at Dragon Con 2017, where he was asked what he felt about Ezra Miller taking over the role in the DCEU. Shipp answered perfectly that the Speed Force (the extradimensional source of all speedster's powers) was big enough for everyone, indicating that he's perfectly fine sharing the character with a new actor. Shipp played the Flash on the original 90s live-action and he was cast to play Barry Allen's father in the more recent CW version. Shipp now gets to play his own version of the Flash on the show as Jay Garrick, who in the comics is the very first person to carry the mantle. It's very fitting.

John Wesely Shipp gave a great answer, but it's hard to judge someone's performance when we haven't even seen it yet. Ezra Miller appeared for two seconds in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and he'll make his true debut in this November's Justice League. Based on what we've seen of Miller thus far in trailers, he seems to be a lighter and more comedic portrayal of the classic superhero, but we'll have to wait until the film comes out before we can fully judge him. Let's hope that we like him because we still have that Flashpoint movie coming up.

We don't know a ton about the specifics of the Flash's role in Justice League, but he'll be one of the youngest and most inexperienced members of the teams. He's recruited by Batman early on in the film to help them battle an invasion from another planet and to protect three Mother Boxes. After that, the Flash will be starring in Flashpoint, which is presumably based on the DC comic of the same name which saw the Flash inadvertently alter the timeline.

You can likely see John Wesely Shipp on the latest season of The Flash, which premieres on Tuesday, October 10 on the CW. Before that, you can see Ezra Miller as the speedster in Justice League on November 17, 2017. Keep it right here at CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

While the effectiveness of the Man in the Iron Mask's reveal was one of the more debatable topics of The Flash Season 2, nobody was badmouthing John Wesley Shipp looking statuesque wearing Earth-3 Jay Garrick's Flash costume. His time in the finale was far too limited, but he'll thankfully be back in the early days of Season 3, and while we don't know just how Jay and Barry will meet up, Shipp makes it clear their time together is not a reflection of Harry and Henry's relationship.

Others out there also pictured Barry's face looking oh-so-smooshed after hypothetically hearing all that, right?. I don't know what it would be like to hang out with someone who looks exactly like my father (who died many years ago), but I don't doubt there would be some inexhaustible instinct to try and force that connection. But Barry better not look for any advice from Jay unless it involves busting skulls and keeping a helmet looking snazzy.

I'm not quite sure why Barry would want to seek solace from Jay's attention when time has already been flopped around specifically so that Barry could have his parents alive again. Perhaps Jay's arrival on Earth-1, or Barry's arrival on Earth-3, comes after the Flashpoint arc has been reversed Henry is gone again. It won't be long after this that Harrison Wells and his daughter Jesse return with some big news - more on that here - so it's clear that Flashpoint won't be used to shut down any inter-dimensional portals before the super-crossover sends everything back into madness again.

But back to Jay and Barry. John Wesley Shipp offered up another really interesting angle in his talk with Comicbook.com, putting out there the possibility that this version of Jay Garrick may also not be the golden child of the comics.

Lots of people got angry with The Flash in Season 2 when it seemed as if Greg Berlanti and the creative team were turning Jay Garrick into the evil Zoom, unaware that 17 more twists were coming. (I have at least $5 on Tom Felton eventually becoming the real Jay Garrick.) So it's a little less than delightful hearing John Wesley Shipp talking about his current iteration on the character possibly being a moody and put-upon hero who is way past the point of things seeming glamorous. But maybe Shipp is just throwing us off and he really doesn't know anything. They seem to be happy together up there.

John Wesley Shipp is one of many cast members coming back to The Flash, which will return us to our daily speedster-filled lives again when Season 3 hits The CW on Tuesday, October 4, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see when you can rebuild your relationship with your other favorite shows that aren't from another Earth, check out our fall premiere schedule.

When The Flash returns for its highly anticipated Season 3, the status quo will be a thing of the past. (Or future, or alternate present, etc.) Flashpoint is changing up everything about Barry Allen's world, at least temporarily, and it looks like his Earth won't be the only one set up for some alterations, as The Flash will be welcoming back Earth-3's version of The Flash, Jay Garrick. But how in the worlds is this going to happen?

The Flash released new images for Season 3, mostly from the second episode, titled "Paradox" - this is also where the first looks at Harry Potter's Tom Felton came up - and while we knew actor John Wesley Shipp was going to be around in various capacities this year, I didn't think we'd get to reconnect with Jay Garrick so soon. But I certainly hoped we would, considering the character spent most of last season with an iron mask on his head. Shipp is great as a dad, but it's fantastic to see him back inside a superhero costume.

So, again, how is this going to happen? The Flash's dense story structure allows for several different scenarios that would allow Barry and Jay Garrick to team up during Flashpoint. One way could have Barry facing a huge problem that could only be helped out by another speedster - a third one, I guess, considering Kid Flash is also around - and the Scarlet Speedster has to zip over to Earth-3 to talk Jay into assisting. That opens up its own fork in the road concerning whether or not Flashpoint affected Earth-3, and whether or not Jay even knows who Barry is. (And that starts up talks about whether Harry and Jesse would remember their Earth-1 adventures, and so on.)

In another scenario, perhaps Jay came to Earth-1 to get Barry's help on a completely different problem that was caused by the effects of Flashpoint. The episode's description does say that the ramifications are greater than Barry had originally thought, so it's possible other worlds got flipped around in some way. Maybe the image is on Earth-3 and not Barry's home planet.

Hell, last season gave us Cisco and Caitlin posing as Reverb and Killer Frost, so there's no ruling out the possibility that this could just be Earth-1 Henry Allen inside of Jay Garrick's Flash costume, posing as the speedster hero. So long as we don't have to watch Henry die again, I'm happy with whatever the writers came up with.

I also want to know if this Jay Garrick is the one that will hook up with the Legends of Tomorrow squad at some point, but I guess I can wait to find out. The Flash will return to Earth-1's version of The CW on Tuesday, October 4, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see when everything else is speeding back to primetime, check out our fall premiere schedule.

Warning: spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of The Flash.

Season 2 of The Flash has finally come to an end on The CW, and the final episode answered a whole bunch of big questions. One of the major mysteries of Season 2 had been of the identity of the man in the iron mask held captive in Zoom’s Earth 2 lair. Now, we know who it is: speedster Jay Garrick of Earth 3, who just so happens to be another version of Barry’s dad Henry. It was an unexpected twist for actor John Wesley Shipp, and he got the news in a very unexpected way.

John Wesley Shipp’s story to THR is actually pretty surprising. The mystery of the man in the iron mask is one that had fans wondering and theorizing for months, and the show certainly didn’t downplay the intrigue. But, letting the actor hear through the grapevine that he’d be playing a new role seems like a significant oversight.

Well, a significant and funny oversight. A mystery fitting for a new costume on The Flash unlike anything post-prison Henry would wear coupled with whispers about an iron mask had to drive John Wesley Shipp at least a little bit crazy. Luckily, Greg Berlanti didn’t keep him in the dark too long. He responded to Shipp’s email within a few minutes to explain that he assumed that somebody had already told him. Shipp reports that his mind was blown by the revelation.

Henry Allen has always felt like one of the most likely candidates for the man in Zoom’s lair, so not all Flash fans would have been entirely shocked to see John Wesley Shipp’s face emerge from behind the mask. The twist came from the fact that John Wesley Shipp was not playing Earth 2 Henry Allen. Instead, he was playing Earth 3 Jay Garrick, who never seems to have had a son.

The twist is the best kind of “Gotcha!” on a superhero series. The real Jay Garrick – also known as the Earth 3 Flash – was a surprise during the episode, but it also explained a lot about Season 2 once the surprise wore off. We already knew that Henry Allen was related to a Garrick via his grandmother; we just might not have guessed that the answer would come via Earth 3.

Luckily for fans of John Wesley Shipp on The Flash, Season 2 ended in a way that keeps him wide open for returns in future seasons. Jay Garrick is still alive and as speedy as ever on a parallel Earth, and Barry going back to save his mom will likely mean that his dad will be back in the flesh early on. Unfortunately, The Flash is now on hiatus until fall. To tide you over, check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Season 3 of The Flash and take a look at our summer TV premiere schedule.

Spoilers below for The Flash.

After getting released from prison at the beginning of Season 2, Barry’s dad Henry Allen skipped town, offered wisdom and worry, and then seemingly saw his time on the show tragically end when Zoom killed him. But then the season finale revealed that the Man in the Iron Mask was actually Earth-3’s Jay Garrick, who happened to be Henry’s doppelgänger, and then Barry went back in time and possibly retconned everything. So does that mean that Henry Allen might be back for Season 3? Maybe so.

Actor John Wesley Shipp, who looked magnificent suited up again in a nod to his time on the original Flash series, didn’t get specific about how he’d fit into the story moving forward, but we can definitely expect to see him.

Hells to the yeah! While schlocky at times, Henry Allen is a solid TV dad whose death was a hard toll to take for viewers, though obviously more so for Barry. It drove him to tempt the Speed Force by majorly screwing with the timeline in saving Nora’s life from Reverse-Flash, which could result in any number of different outcomes when the show returns in the fall. And only slightly fewer characters for John Wesley Shipp to portray.

If Barry’s do-over from his childhood plays out, then a different version of Henry Allen will come from that event, one that never went to jail and never had to see a son that was raised by a different family. That’s a guy that we really have no idea about, and it would indeed be interesting to experience a whole Allen family in the year 2016 (possibly with the fast-as-shit pitter patter of baby siblings’ feet), although that obviously couldn’t become the norm for the series.

Maybe Barry will figure out a way to use the timeline to revert Zoom’s evildoings, with Henry’s murder at the top of his list. Barry would probably then tell Henry to get the hell back out of Central City forever, and that he’d run over to see him for weekly visits. I can’t imagine a living and breathing Henry Allen would remain untargeted in Season 3 regardless. Plus, Shipp also told EW that Henry would indeed be pissed off to know that Barry went back and changed the past, since he’d already advised him not to do just that.

But if not a Henry Allen of any timeline, Shipp can (and definitely needs to) return as Jay Garrick of Earth-3 in the future. We wondered for so long who was under that mask, and seeing the answer mash up several theories was surprising and awesome. But it was a big old bummer to watch Jay head back to his Earth so early into the reveal. I wanted to hear him tell stories and show off his talents. Maybe talk about his son on Earth-3. Maybe pretend I’m his son and put me on his shoulders and zip around so it feels like I’m flying.

It’ll presumably be a while before we hear anything concrete about who John Wesley Shipp will reprise when The Flash returns for Season 3 in the fall, but you can bet we’ll have our best time remnant looking for it.

Throughout Season 1 of The Flash, Barry had two big missions in mind: to save his mother’s life in the past and to get his dad out of jail. He realized in the finale that the former goal was a no go, but Season 2 kicked off with Harrison Wells confessing to Nora’s murder, which allowed Henry to become a free man, and he reacted by immediately skipping town. Thankfully, we know that he’ll be back in Barry’s life for next week’s episode.

John Wesley Shipp is returning, and it’s happening not a moment too soon. Last week’s huge fight with Zoom left Barry beaten, bruised and seemingly paralyzed. (DC comics characters are always getting their backs broken.) And being in the hospital is always made better when there’s a loved one that comes by to visit, although none of the new photos from the episode actually show Henry inside the hospital room. Maybe Barry speed-unparalyzes himself before Henry gets back to town.

Now, the episode better have a damned good explanation for why Henry left in the first place. It seemed like such a strange and awkward turn of events for both him and Barry, and possibly had something to do with Shipp behind the scenes. But regardless of real-world reasoning, the show needs to offer up an understandable reason for his spontaneous absence. And if that reason is “had to go and have sex with as many people as possible,” I’d understand. Prison is rough.

I like to think he’s just looking at a list of potential dates in the picture below.

Henry isn’t the only familiar face returning for next week’s episode. It’s called “Gorilla Warfare,” and it’ll obviously center on Gorilla Grodd and his ape-tastic form of villainy. He’ll kidnap Caitlin and give the others a hard time as they try to save her. We’ll also see the return of Kendra “Hawkgirl” Saunders, as well as Wells wearing a familiar suit from Season 1. Can't wait to see what that's about.

The Flash airs Tuesday nights on The CW. If you guys wanted to sing “Father Figure” by George Michael during the episode, feel free.

Fans of comic book properties spend a lot of time obsessing over the designs of the suits their favorite superhero characters are given to wear. There’s a lot of money and time put in to each piece of clothing, but for the actors that actually have to wear the tight leather or spandex pieces, it’s not always fun and games. Here’s what former The Flash actor John Wesley Shipp had to say about his costume from the nineties when compared to the one Grant Gustin has been able to wear when filming The CW’s brand new Flash series.

Shipp is undeniably a good person to talk to when it comes to The Flash’s suit. He starred in the original series as Barry Allen/ The Flash, and actually has been around the set of The CW’s The Flash, joining the cast as Barry’s father. Den of Geek recently spoke with Shipp about which show has the better costumes, and Shipp without a doubt believes The CW’s costume is better than the stuff they made him wear in the nineties.

Not only did the poor guy have to be around acetone in order to get that sucker off, he says the network only produced four suits for him to wear during the filming of the first season.

That’s seriously the most disgusting description of a costume I’ve ever read in my entire life. Still, it makes sense. All those suckers that volunteer to be mascots for their high school team or even at Disneyland don’t usually describe the costumes as comfortable. Plus, it’s not like The Flash is the only TV show to force its characters into uncomfortable clothing. Sleepy Hollow’s Tom Mison, for instance, has to wear a long overcoat when shooting in the summer. Despite knowing other actors are uncomfortable, having to wear a cooling unit and getting sweaty even with that unit on sounds truly terrible.

The good news is that today’s costumes are sleeker, more fitted and less puffed up than the costumes of yesteryear. Just check out this look at Gustin as The Flash and compare it to Shipp’s look up top.

Still, the next time you see Grant Gustin fitted out as The Flash, just remember how committed he is to the role, and that brand new, extremely expensive suit.

Catch both Shipp and Gustin on The Flash when it premieres on Tuesday, October 7 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Back in February it was revealed that the upcoming Flash television series had done a bit of fan-friendly casting. The show officially announced that John Wesley Shipp - the actor who played Barry Allen in the Flash television series that ran in the 90s - had joined on the Arrow spin-off series in a mystery role. We've spent months speculating about the identity of the character Shipp would play, and today it's finally been announced: he will be playing Barry Allen's father.

In an official statement about the character reveal - printed by The Hollywood Reporter - executive producer Greg Berlanti said,

Those of you who paid close attention to Barry Allen's backstory when it was revealed in an episode of Arrow last season already know that the character's father plays a very significant role in the young hero's life and motivation. While Barry's mother was killed by what a child-aged Barry perceived to be a red and yellow blur of light, it was his father who ended up being arrested and convicted for the crime. Knowing that his father is innocent, Barry has spent his entire life looking into cases of the supernatural hoping to find the answers that could one day free his dad. It doesn't seem like Shipp will actually be playing a huge role in the series due to the fact that he will be behind bars for most of it, but it sounds like there are plans to have him pop up multiple times during the first season.

While the casting of John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen's father makes a ton of sense, I must admit that I am kind of disappointed that he didn't end up playing another rumored character. Following the original casting announcement it was suggested by some that the veteran actor would be playing Jay Garrick, also known as The Flash from an alternate timeline. This would have not only been a fun nod to the fact that Shipp previously played Flash, but would also have potentially opened up the door to a whole bunch of awesome science-fiction opportunities. It probably would have been very difficult to include this kind of element to the storytelling, but that didn't stop me from having my finger's crossed.

Aswe learned earlier this month, Flash is scheduled to debut on Tuesday nights at 8:00pm on The CW this fall (no exact date has been nailed down). Are you excited yet?

Fans of the DC Comics character Flash probably know that the upcoming pilot/Arrow spin-off is not the first time that the character has been the star of a live-action television series. From September 1990 to May 1991, CBS aired 21 episodes of The Flash, a show based around the various adventures of the Scarlet Speedster. The show starred John Wesley Shipp as the titular hero, and now the upcoming Flash pilot is doing a bit of fan service and bringing him back.

Warner Bros. has announced that Shipp will be making a very special appearance as a mystery character in the new show. What's more, it's been confirmed that he would be a recurring character should the pilot get picked up as a series. He joins a cast that already includes Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, Candice Patton as Iris West, Rick Cosnett as Detective Eddie Thawne, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon, Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells and Jesse L. Martin as Detective West. Production is expected to start soon with The CW and Warner Bros. Television hoping to have a series premiere ready for the fall lineup. Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns are writing the screenplay while David Nutter is attached to direct.

While obviously nothing is confirmed at this point, one has to wonder if there's a possibility that Shipp could wind up playing Jay Garrick, the original Flash. Garrick, created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, was first introduced in 1940 and was the first superhero to be called Flash, but he was replaced by Barry Allen in 1956. What could make the pilot interesting is including a special moment from the comics when it was revealed that Garrick actually existed in a parallel universe to Barry Allen's (this idea has continued in DC's New 52 line, where the character appears in issues of Earth 2). It's just a theory, but one that would be very cool to see.

For those of you who haven't had the chance to see the original Flash series starring Shipp, it's now available on DVD and on YouTube for $1.99 each. Obviously the new prospective Flash show will be quite different than that show was thanks to advances in visual effects and changes in storytelling approach when it comes to comic book characters, but you can get a sense of the old show in the clips below: