The roster of guest stars appearing in this year’s “Elseworlds” crossover event expands and includes a Flash from the past — 1990 to be precise!
It was the sonic boom heard round the world this week! As fans hungry for more information on the upcoming #DCTV crossover event that will once again bring together the casts of The CW hit series The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl over 3-nights beginning December 9 got more revealing pics from the set. This year’s theme is “Elseworlds” and as early indicators denote, the shows will be taking a page ripped right from the DC Comics imprint that relates alternative narratives depicting the brand’s most iconic characters.
In essence, “Elseworlds” breaks all the rules!
Fans have known for some time that this season’s story arc would finally take our heroes beyond the limits of their comfortable surroundings; with the introduction of Ruby Rose, the actress tapped to bring to life Batwoman, one of Gotham City’s own most popular defenders. Giving rise to much speculation that the Arrowverse would be adding to its canon of characters. With Tyler Hoechlin reprising his role as Superman it certainly appears like the DC TV landscape is quickly expanding its landscape to encompass the comic worlds biggest names.
What Da What?!
Another curveball was dealt to the enthusiast audience when the official “Elseworlds” teaser poster was released which shows our heroes Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have apparently borrowed one another’s secret identities. Stephen Amell who has long worn the mantle of Star City’s Green Arrow has assumed the scarlet suit most familiarly associated with Grant Gustin who stars as The Flash. Gustin was given a new ensemble this season which is the most streamlined version of his outfit, but most significantly, it springs forward from his newly acquired Flash ring!
Though it hasn’t been explained why the heroes have swapped places, one explanation more reside in the presence of another character that has been confirmed to be a part of the “Elseworlds” drama — fans familiar with The Monitor (who will be played by LaMonica Garrett) will recognize the name from the titular Crisis on Infinite Earths event which is perhaps the most defining publishing stunt ever undertaken by a comic book company. Effectively the 12-issue maxi series, released in the 1980s streamlined the then-50 year old DC Comics multiverse.
The addition of The Monitor to the “Elseworlds” storyline has definitely raised the stakes as the “Crisis” storyline has been teased as potential television continuity first glimpsed in The Flash pilot. The “disappearance” of Barry Allen has resurfaced as a major component of the new 5th Season of the series with the mysterious arrival of Barry and Iris’ (Candice Patton) daughter Nora from the future. Whether this is another indicator of The Monitor interfering in the affairs of our heroes has yet to be revealed!
And Then This Happened!
As if the crossover wasn’t already shaping up to feature the most anticipated moments of the season, this week it was revealed that The Flash recurring guest star John Wesley Shipp would be reprising his role, though not the role that fans of the show have come to associate him with. Shipp was spotted on set and first revealed publicly in an Instagram post released by Stephen Amell which showed the actor standing alongside the TV trinity suited up as The Flash from Shipp’s own 1990 where the 2-time Emmy Award winner headlined as the Scarlet Speedster!
The news has stunned social networking which is now eager to learn more about the 1990 hero’s appearance, and more importantly how The Flash (1990) will play into the narrative of “Elseworlds”. Both Amell and Grant Gustin (as well as Shipp himself) have since released more behind-the-scenes photos , including another still from Marc Guggenheim that shows The Flash (1990) appearing inside of ARGUS, suggesting that his presence in more than just a random cameo for fan-service.
A comic-con convention favorite Shipp has often elaborated on stories with his fans of the challenges of shooting the series in the 90s and especially how cumbersome the suit was, especially in comparison to his new uniform as Earth-3’s “Golden Age” Flash, Jay Garrick. The Flash’s team of costumers and wardrobe experts headed by Kate Main are responsible for rebuilding the iconic suit from the 1990s show (that’s right) which had to be reconstructed from scratch since few of the original components of the outfit were up to shoot standards.
For Shipp, who had publicly proclaimed he’d never “get back in a super suit” this will now be the second time he’s had to eat his words, though it’s clear from the reaction on set as well as from fans across social networking, the reemergence of The Flash (1990) has inspired a new wave of nostalgia, as audiences welcome Shipp (1990) back especially just in time as the 30th anniversary of his own series in fast approaching!
