With everything we know about multiverses, different dimensions, and alternate timelines, it’s possible for different versions of The Flash to exist at the same time. So, is The Flash movie connected to the TV show?
There’s one version of The Flash in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) played by the controversial actor Ezra Miller, and another version of the Scarlet Speedster in The CW’s Arrowverse, played by Grant Gustin.
So, are these two versions of The Flash connected? Is The Flash movie connected to The Flash TV show?
Is The Flash Movie Connected to The Flash TV Show?
The Arrowverse’s crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, connects the Arrowverse to the DCEU. However, their connection is not like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where the stories of the movies and TV series are all connected to the point where it’s quite difficult to watch one thing without watching the previous Marvel stuff.
The DCEU’s Flash may have appeared in the Arrowverse, but the two are still independent of each other. Zack Snyder did his own thing in the DCEU, while The CW did its own thing in the DC TV shows.
How The Flash movie and the TV series are connected is through the multiverse. The Arrowverse introduced the concept of the multiverse a long time ago when it was revealed in The Flash Season 2 that there are different versions of the hero from different earths, such as Jay Garrick.
Later on, in Crisis on Infinite Earths, specifically in Arrow Season 8 Episode 8, titled “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four”, Grant Gustin’s Flash meets Ezra Miller’s Flash.
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Gustin’s Barry Allen enters the Speed Force and meets Miller's Flash. At first, the two of them get confused with the situation, but they end up admiring each other’s suits.
They both introduce themselves as “Barry Allen” and shake hands. Miller’s Flash asks, “What does that mean?”
Gustin’s Flash responds, “This should be impossible now… You don’t know about the –“. Before Movie Flash fades away he says, “I told Victor this was possible.”
Grant Gustin’s Flash and Ezra Miller’s Flash meeting shows that the Arrowverse is connected to the DCEU, which means that The Flash movie is connected to the TV show. So, both versions of The Flash exist in the same multiverse.
Talking about Ezra Miller’s crossover in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Arrowverse showrunner Marc Guggenheim said in an episode of Fake Nerd Podcast (via Heroic Hollywood):
“There were certain things that we knew were not touchable and the cinematic universe — before that call — fell into that category. The nice thing about doing something for years is you’re there for all the changes. You’re there for the personnel changes, and you’re there for the philosophical changes and the changes in policy, and this just happened to be one of those situations where people changed their minds. I was so glad that they did, even though the change of mind did come after we were wrapped on the whole crossover. So it came very late, but as they say, better late than never.”
However, it must be noted that the two still stand largely apart from each other and have different stories. While The Flash movie is inspired by DC Comics’ Flashpoint, which is something that was similarly done in The Flash Season 3, there are many notable differences between Movie Flash and TV Flash.
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For instance, it appears that The Flash movie does not have Reverse Flash; but in The Flash TV series, Reverse Flash is one of the major villains. Another difference is Barry Allen’s relationship with the West family.
In The Flash TV show, Joe West adopts Barry Allen, and Iris West is his childhood friend. But this isn’t the case in the DCEU as Barry’s first interaction with Iris West in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) is when he bumps into her and saves her later on.
It is also worth noting that the Arrowverse has a different version of the Justice League – one that includes The Flash, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Superman, White Canary, Black Lightning, Batwoman, and Green Arrow (an honorary member).
So, while these two versions of The Flash have their differences, we know that The Flash Movie and TV show are connected after the events that occurred in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
But The Flash movie and TV Show are not connected in a way like the Marvel films and TV series where you have to watch one in order to understand the other.
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Will Grant Gustin Be in The Flash Movie?
Many surprises and cameos are expected in The Flash movie, but actor Grant Gustin said that he is not among them. In an interview with TVLine, Gustin said:
“There’s been a lot of rumors out there for a long time and no one’s come out directly and asked me, ever, on the record. You know, people ask me on the street all the time and yeah, I’m not keeping some big elaborate secret.”
But while Gustin is not in The Flash movie, he did talk about his excitement for the film:
“I was — like everybody probably in the ‘90s — [I] loved Michael Keaton as Batman and [now] he’s back as Batman. And it sounds like they got just about everything else packed into that movie.”
So, while there were reports about the actor appearing in The Flash movie, Gustin said he’s not in it. Additionally, The Flash director Andy Muschietti revealed that Gustin almost made a cameo appearance, but it didn't push through because there was no more room to include him.
But while Grant Gustin may not be in the movie, at least we already got to see Movie Flash and TV Flash meet.
Watch the trailer for The Flash movie below:
The Flash’s official synopsis, as provided by Warner Bros. Pictures:
Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
The Flash movie will be released in theaters on June 16, 2023. The Flash TV series is available to stream on The CW’s website and The CW app.
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