As a major Flash fan, I’m putting a lot of faith in the CW’s new attempt at a Flash live action TV series. Though I’m excited to see their rendition of the Scarlet Speedster, I’m also really apprehensive. That’s because we know that lots of things can – and often do – go wrong when adapting super heroes to the small or big screen.
Here is a list of my major concerns and expectations.
ORIGIN STORY
Okay, let’s start with the basics. In my opinion, there is no need to change anything from the source material when it comes to Barry acquiring his powers. We should see Barry Allen get doused with lots of chemicals while struck by a powerful lightning, plain and simple.
What would be interesting, however, is if they made Barry try to rationalize the whole thing. He could attempt to determine which chemicals were involved in the lab accident and their relationship to giving him super speed. Also, I believe Barry should constantly be investigating (through his scientific knowledge) different ways in which he could use his powers. There could be some degree of explanation using concepts like phasing, wave-length and relativity.
BARRY ALLEN
I really, really want to see Barry Allen done justice. He should be portrayed as an introspective, intelligent, everyday kind of guy, with a really strong moral compass and sense of justice. I would love to see Barry as a comic book fan and a geek, though I’m pretty sure they won’t go that route. As usual, he should always be late for everything and as viewers we should be able to see his frustration, anxiety and issues with others deriving from that.
Barry should work at a lab as a forensics expert and must be a genius in Physics, Chemistry etc, having acquired lots of detective skills from his work in the force. CSI stuff should play an important role in the show and I believe we should see Barry as an active detective. As a nod to the source material, we could occasionally see him wearing his trademark bowtie and a large, shining ring, though I’m not too sure it would work as the source of his costume (more on that later).
As the Flash, Barry should enjoy being a super hero. He is thrilled to have super powers and is willing to make the most of it. We should see Barry trying to come up with a super hero name and costume and having fun all the way through.
My top suggestions for Barry’s portrayal would be either Peter Mooney or Aaron Tveit, though I’m not really good at casting.
THE SUPPORTING CAST
I want to see Captain Frye taking turns between yelling at Barry and counseling him like a son. I want to see Patty Spivot analyzing a blood sample while giving Iris a cold stare because she’s jealous about Barry and Iris’ relationship. I want to see Forrest munching on donuts and providing comic relief. I want to see Barry’s dad at Iron Heights. I want to see Darwin Elias manipulating people and coming up with horrific plans to destroy the Flash. Catch my drift?
TIME TRAVEL AND THE SPEED FORCE
Time travel needs to be addressed at some point. Maybe not through a cosmic treadmill (I think this would be way too campy), but in some way acknowledged, especially because it would make for great story arcs. Perhaps a good way to introduce the concept is to have Barry receive a visit from Eobard Thawne, through whom he would discover time travel is actually possible through his powers.
As for the speed force, I think Manapul and Buccellato’s approach is way better than previous ones. I would use the new 52 concept, in which the speed force is an actual place Barry can go, and that is the source of his speed. It could also remotely serve the same purpose as Superman’s Phantom Zone: a way to imprison dangerous and powerful criminals. We could have entire episodes set inside the speed force. Can you imagine how cool this could be?
SUPER SPEED DEMONSTRATIONS
Flash’s trademark is his ability to move at unbelievable speed. Therefore, this is a key concept for the series to work. Super speed in all its forms should successfully be translated to a live action rendition through adequate, varied special effects.
As viewers, we should be able to see Flash run incredibly fast and how the physics of his super speed affects the environment. That could be achieved through Matrix-like movements (dodging bullets, escaping explosions, rescuing people etc.) and red blurs spreading all over the place. There should be an adequate balance between scenes where we actually see Barry moving super fast (in slow motion) and the ones where only the result is shown. We should be able to see the Flash running up a building, being in two places (almost) at the same time to fool enemies and using his speed to make life easier – waking up late and still arriving on time, running to the other side of the world just to get some gift for Iris etc.
This would also leave room for cool effects related to speed force use. For instance, can you imagine how interesting (and original) would be seeing Barry vibrating his way through solid objects, performing speed attacks like delivering thousands of punches in a split second and lending or removing speed from objects?
THE COSTUME
Okay, now comes the tricky part. How do you adapt a costume that works perfectly in print to a vehicle where it could look potentially ridiculous? Few people would take a grown man wearing red and yellow tights seriously. We know it’s possible, however, because John Wesley Shipp could do it in the 90s and did not look ridiculous (that costume was awesome).
I kind of feel torn between the classic compressed-spandex-that-jumps-out-of-the-ring attire and the modern approach of the new 52 universe, in which Barry’s suit is kind of a hard armor that assembles itself over his civilian clothes. Either one would be fine in my opinion. However, I do feel the armor approach – especially if it comes in a dark red / dark gold color – would be more suitable for modern day (Iron Man is living proof of that). The armor could come out of the ring, as in the comics, through some sort of nanotechnology, for instance.
THE ROGUES
One of the problems with the old Flash TV show is that it didn’t feature as many rogues as we would like. For the most part, the Flash dealt with common criminals with some twists here and there. I believe that, in order for this new series to work, we should see lots of Flash’s foes, portrayed in a clever, modern way. For instance, make Heatwave a hitman that uses fire based weaponry. Mirror Master could be a scientist working with photonic equipment. The Trickster is fit to be an escape artist, specialized in stealing high prized items for the highest bidder. The idea is to maintain the core characteristics while making those colorful characters believable. Easier said than done, I know, but this is a major aspect in determining the success or failure of the show, and should be addressed carefully.
THE FLASH FAMILY
There should definitely be at least a cameo of Jay Garrick in this, with John Wesley Shipp being the perfect man for the job. Season one could have Garrick as a comic book character (shown in imaginary sequences) who serves as an inspiration for Barry to become a hero. By the end of the season, they could have a cliffhanger showing Jay Garrick actually meeting Barry and asking for his help. That would introduce the idea of parallel universes, a key concept in the Flash comic book.
I believe they should also consider having Wally West as Iris’ nephew. Initially he could be a recurring character and later become Kid Flash – though I’m not certain if that would work out.
Throughout the series, there could also be room for other speedsters to appear, like Max Mercury and Johnny Quick, but I don’t believe they should be overused.
THE TONE
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Flash is DC’s Spider-Man. Barry Allen is an optimist, a beacon of hope. He’s everything but brooding and dark, a tendency among super hero movies nowadays. A Flash TV series should be uplifting and fun, not taking itself too seriously. There has to be a balance between the cheesy/campy and realistic/dark styles.
EASTER EGGS
The ‘Arrow’ TV show is crowded with DC references and hints at other characters. I don’t see why the Flash series should be any different.
One particular thing I would love for them to do (though I believe this to be a long shot) is to actually feature Hal Jordan later in the series, the same way Smallville had Green Arrow to help Clark. Flash and Green Lantern’s friendship is a key concept in the book and would provide us with great storylines. It could also be a starting point for the Justice League movie, in case they are hoping to forget about Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern (I know I am).
There could also be some crossovers from the ‘Arrow’ TV show, with occasionally Stephen Amell appearing as a guest star.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and sound off below as usual!