‘The Flash’: Speeding to the End

For Grant Gustin, saying goodbye to The Flash comes with mixed emotions

It’s been 10 years that the iconic DC Comics hero has been in the life of the now-33-year-old actor, from his first audition to the end of filming. And during that time, Gustin has gotten married, become a father and matured as both an actor and a man. 

Debuting its ninth and final season last Wednesday, the B.C.-shot action series will soon follow fellow CW superhero dramas Arrow, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning into cancellation, as the network seemingly winds down its once-dominant Arrow-verse. It is with pride and some sadness that Gustin views the experience coming to an end. 

The CW“I actually had a moment last night where I had to pick wardrobe for… what will end up being the last thing I wear, actually, as Barry Allen,” he reflects. “As I picked the shirt, I had my first moment where it felt really real. And honestly, the strongest emotion I felt was: I felt really proud that we’ve been doing this for this long and we’re almost there, and it’s really special to do something for this long and get to go out on your terms.”  

“I have a, like, 16-year-old rescue dog,” he continues, “and I always say he’s the only thing in my life that hasn’t changed since before Flash started.” 

The CWIn last week’s premiere, this 13-episode swan song picked up one week after the epic battle of the season-eight finale, with peace in the universe and Barry and Iris (Candice Patton) reconnecting. But new threats are on the horizon, which will challenge Barry and the rest of Team Flash—Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Cecile Horton (Danielle Nicolet), Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton), Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight) and Mark Blaine (Jon Cor)—to rise up one last time and save Central City. 

The CWOne adversary may be Thawn, the Reverse-Flash character played by Canadian Tom Cavanagh since episode one, who seemingly had been vanquished for good in last season’s closer. But according to Gustin, we may not have seen the last of him—nor other Flash adversaries. 

The CW“There’s a lot of characters on the show now and there’s a lot of characters that have been on the show in years past. And Eric [Wallace, current showrunner] and the writers have been doing everything they can to honour all those storylines,” Gustin says. “So we’re going to see a lot of familiar faces that have been on the show in seasons gone by, which has been fun for me.”  

The Flash airs Wednesdays on The CW