The CW has found their Barry Allen/The Flash in Glee star Grant Gustin, and we will get to see him evolve from an ordinary man into a superhuman runner during his introduction on Arrow.
Gustin as Barry Allen will first be introduced into Arrow during the 8th and 9th episodes of the upcoming second season. Allen will be a Central City assistant police forensic investigator who travels to Starling City, where Arrow (Stephen Amell) hails, in order to investigate a series of unexplained robberies that tie into a tragic event from Allen’s past. He will be as ordinary as any other character seen on the show to date.
While investigating the case, Allen, a comic book fanboy and big fan of the Arrow vigilante, will end up working with Oliver and Felicity and have no idea he’s stepped right into a more complicated world wrought with danger. It is expected that Allen’s pursuit of justice and what’s right will influence Oliver McQueen’s evolution from vigilante into superhero.
The 20th episode of Arrow: Season 2 will serve as a backdoor pilot to a potential The Flash spinoff series. At some point Barry will have to gain the power of superhuman running speed during “extraordinary events in the world and the characters will react in the same way” as stated by Arrow and Flash co-creator Andrew Kreisberg, and when he does, that will break the unwritten rule of Arrow being grounded entirely in reality.
At the same time, The Flash’s arrival will open the door for other characters with superpowers to end up tangling with Arrow — hopefully to be named Green Arrow at some point in the future — in Starling City. The potential still exists for Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin to end up on the big screen in a Justice League film alongside Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman. Green Arrow and The Flash are, after all, two parts of the team that also includes Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Cyborg, amongst others introduced in the comics over the years.
The eighth episode of Arrow is expected to premiere either Wednesday, November 27, or the following week on Wednesday, December 4.
Source: TV Guide
