Over the years, The Flash has become one of the most popular superheroes in the comic book industry. Whether its Barry Allen or Wally West, The Flash has run into the hearts of millions of fans throughout the decades.
The speedster has made many appearances outside of the pages of a comic book, appearing in movies, live-action TV shows, cartoons, and even games. Here are the coolest versions of The Flash listed just for you.
10 The Flash (The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure)
An obscure blip in the history of the Scarlet Speedster, Flash often made appearances in The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. The hour would provide different shorts featuring heroes across the DCU. Flash and Kid Flash appeared in a handful of these shorts, and it's strange to see how much the duo evolved since the show.
Kid Flash had black hair, and his costume hadn't been changed to the now-iconic yellow suit. Old-age animation fans will have a fun time revisiting this blast from the past.
9 LEGO The Flash (LEGO Games & Movies)
LEGO does a phenomenal job of reawakening the kid inside of us no matter how old we are. Barry has made comical appearances in The Lego Movie(s), The Lego Batman Movie, and even starred in his own animated movie. However, the true spirit of The Flash is apparent when playing the Lego DC video games.
Debuting in Lego Batman 2: DC SuperHeroes, he was the first-ever Lego speedster and it was incredibly fun to zip around Gotham City much faster than any of the other characters. In Lego DC Super-Villains, Barry is joined by Wally, Wallace, and villainous speedsters like Zoom and Reverse-Flash.
8 John Wesley Shipp (The Flash 1990 TV Series)
While many Flash fans recognize John Wesley Shipp as Henry Allen or Jay Garrick on the ongoing The Flash television show, he actually played Barry himself in the original series. The animated lightning flashing across the screen, the cheesy blurring effects as Barry ran, and the solemn delivery of all of Shipp’s lines while wearing a goofy costume make this series a corny albeit charming watch.
It was like an updated and speedster version of the '60s Batman show. Fans of Shipp’s portrayal were delighted to see him return in the recent Elseworlds crossover on the CW, and we hope to see more of him soon.
7 Ezra Miller (Justice League)
Ezra Miller’s Flash stands out as the only scarlet speedster to ever make it to the big screen. After two epic cameos in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, we saw Flash fight alongside the other members of the League in the first major live-action debut of the Justice League.
Director Zack Snyder (and friends) took many creative liberties with his version of Barry, including using blue lightning as opposed to his classic red and tweaking his personality to be more comedic. The Flash movie is currently in development, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for the Fastest Man Alive.
6 Barry Allen (Young Justice)
Young Justice gives us a unique view of Barry Allen, as instead of being seen as the main character, he’s a mentor. As Kid Flash, Wally West is the main speedster in the series and one of the founding members of the team, so the audience viewed The Flash - along with the rest of the Justice League - as basically overbearing parents.
Barry then found out about his grandson, Bart, in the Season 2 episode “Bloodlines”. It was great seeing all four of The Flashes teaming up in one of the best episodes of Young Justice.
5 Bart Allen (Smallville)
Speaking of Bart Allen, his first appearance as the Flash was on the beloved television series Smallville. Starring alongside Tom Welling in season 4, Bart was an impulsive thief who wanted to show off his abilities to Clark.
Bart quickly becomes friends with Clark since the Kryptonian was the first to be nearly as fast as the speedster. Later in the series, Bart becomes a founding member of the Justice League. Bart then appeared in Season 11, which was a comic series that took place after the finale of the TV show.
4 Barry Allen (DC Animated Movies)
The DC Animated movies are some of the best products DC Entertainment puts out, and their characters are no exception. While Barry is a major part of most DCAU movies, it’s in The Flashpoint Paradox where he truly shines. Obviously based on the comic by Geoff Johns, the movie lets us see a more serious and determined Barry, who is rarely portrayed as such outside of the comic book page.
Barry has been reduced to comic relief in most of his outside appearances, and it's always great to see a studio put out the character we know and love. Watch The Flashpoint Paradox if you haven’t already.
3 Barry Allen (Injustice Franchise)
Injustice truly is an odd universe, as most characters are incredibly worse than their mainstream versions. However, Injustice Barry is almost on par with the main DCU version. Barry still chases after justice, and he wants to believe that he is on the right side. Throughout the events of Injustice, he begins doubting himself more and more.
Once Shazam is murdered by Superman, its enough to send Barry to Batman’s insurgency, and he turns himself in for the things he’s done on Superman’s orders. Throughout Injustice 2, Barry is loyal to Batman and even helps Green Lantern switch to Batman’s side.
2 Grant Gustin (The CW's The Flash)
The CW's Barry Allen is probably the most popular version of The Flash today. Since his debut in 2014, Grant Gustin’s charming adorkable Barry Allen has been a fan favorite and introduced many people to the Scarlet Speedster.
As Barry learns to use his powers and become a better hero, we grow along with him, and never miss a single Tuesday night to get to see the handsome hero wear the red suit. The Flash is now starting Season 6, and we hope there are many more to come because we just can’t get enough of him.
1 Wally West (Justice League & Justice League Unlimited)
While Grant is the greatest live-action Flash, the best Flash outside of comics is Wally West from the Justice League cartoons. Voiced by Michael Rosenbaum, this Flash is definitely the most iconic non-comic version of the character and cemented the character’s personality.
Justice League's West is the reason The Flash is thought to be the comic relief of the Justice League, and he pulls it off really well. He’s basically an amalgam of Barry and Wally, as he is a forensic scientist who lives in Central City. You mix the best of both characters, and you get an icon.