The following contains spoilers for the series finale of The Flash, "A New World Part 4," which aired May 24 on The CW.
While the series finale of The Flash saw three new Speedsters introduced, leading man Grant Gustin revealed that he had another idea about how the show could have ended -- one that uses a fan theory with a link to Barry Allen's origin in the comics.
Gustin talked about said idea while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, bringing it up after discussing why he liked how The Flash ended. "It was a fan theory I saw online about Barry sacrificing himself to the Speed Force and becoming the lightning bolt that struck him in this full circle moment," he began. "I thought it was cool, and I remember I talked to [showrunner] Eric [Wallace] about it and he was really set on Barry and Iris having a happy ending. He didn't want to see Barry have a hero's death the same way Oliver [Queen/Green Arrow] did [on Arrow]."
The actor went on to say he was glad that Wallace didn't use his idea, as doing so would have "taken away from Oliver's sacrifice if we also had to see Barry make that same sacrifice at the end of Flash," due to the Emerald Archer foregoing his life for the Fastest Man Alive and their fellow Arrowverse heroes in Crisis on Infinite Earths. "Looking back on this, I'll really appreciate that that's how Eric wanted to finish things," concluded Gustin. "After everything that we've all been through and how consistent Barry and Iris were as a couple, it finishes with them being happy and starting a family and Team Flash moving into the future together. I think it was the right decision and fans will enjoy that."
The Decision to End The Flash
This isn't the first time Gustin delved into his notion to have the Flash die in the final episode and the fan theory that inspired it. He previously brought it up during a fan Q&A session, commenting that he always wanted Barry to die "a hero's death in a way," though Wallace was opposed to it.
Additionally, Gustin discussed why he chose to end The Flash before a 10th season. According to Gustin, while many people wanted the show to get 10 seasons, as far as he was concerned, the cast and crew "did 10 years," mentioning that he was cast as Barry in 2013 and The Flash ended in 2023. "We had done everything we needed to do, the characters were in a good place, and we had reached the conclusion," he finished.
Source: Entertainment Weekly