While The Flash film is getting all the attention lately as DC fans get closer to its release, The Scarlet Speedster is also crossing another major milestone on television this week. After nine seasons and 184 episodes, The Flash CW series is finishing up its decade-long marathon. As such, Season 9 was one big celebration of the series with a ton of legacy guest stars from across the DC Multiverse popping up. This included Stephen Amell who played Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow on Arrow for eight seasons in addition to all the crossovers on its spin-off series The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Supergirl. Amell’s Emerald Archer started the dubbed “Arrowverse” after all and, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the beloved actor has reflected on his time with DC.
The Flash Didn't Fail His City
Since The Flash is the final series in the Arrowverse to end, the main focus was on the fastest man alive. It’s fitting since Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen aka Flash spawned from Arrow in its second season’s two part Christmas episode. That was originally going to be a backdoor pilot for the series before The Flash received a traditional pilot. Amell explains that the grand scope of Barry’s origin would need more time to develop. The goal at the end of the day was for The Flash to allow the universe to expand into the Justice League. As Amell put it, “And that's precisely what they did. They followed through on that. I mean, I think DC gets a lot of s--- for not building this interconnected universe. I just think people need to look at what they did on TV.”
Amell also had nothing but praise for Gustin saying, “I know I'm being effusive but when he got on set, he just had that energy. I think back to the very first time that Oliver and Barry interacted, I think that I found something in the character by working with Grant that I hadn't discovered before.” The DC star would point out that his brutish hero was a man of few words, especially when compared to Flash’s dialogue and heavy science background. This made Gustin’s job a unique challenge with the actor even changing the way Amell approached Oliver, stating:
“When I go back and I look at the first season of Arrow specifically, it's a very difficult watch for me because they very much wanted Oliver to be this removed, suffering-from-PTSD figure, this solitary figure, and it wasn't until later seasons that I feel like I fully realized what I could do with the character. Whereas to me, it feels like Grant came in just fully formed, which is super impressive.”
Amell also talked about the first time he shot on The Flash which was the previously mentioned pilot episode. The scene where Oliver gives Barry his iconic superhero identity ended up being one of his favorite scenes he shot with Gustin. His other favorite was the bar scene from the “Elseworlds” crossover which was then paid homage to in Oliver’s final Arrowverse appearance in this last season of Flash. Amell reminisced:
“I told him [Eric Wallace, the showrunner of Flash] that my favorite scene that we ever shot in a crossover, aside from my favorite scene in the pilot, was when Barry and Oliver had a drink at the bar. And he wrote this beautiful scene of the two of us sitting there having a beer [for Oliver's return in season 9]. If you go back and you really pay close attention to the dialogue, it's pretty much verbatim what I said to him in the pilot of The Flash. That was a really neat full-circle moment.”
The previously mentioned Elseworlds crossover was also the first time both Flash and Green Arrow interacted with Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman and Ruby Rose’s Batwoman. “I remember it for my first appearance on The Flash. I remember it for the first time Oliver and Barry get to interact with Superman for the first time and Supergirl”, Amell said and continued on, “I mean, come on. That's me feeling like a kid, dream come true. And then Grant and Melissa [Benoist]and I going to Chicago to shoot the scenes for the introduction of Ruby Rose as Batwoman was a pretty unique scenario.” When asked how he felt knowing that Flash is the finish line for the Arrowverse, Amell simply replied, “Great”. He would go on to say, “I'm glad that we could be a small part of it. Maybe they should have changed the name, since I was done.”
A Bittersweet End to the Arrowverse
Even though fans knew the Arrowverse’s fate for a while now, it’s still hard to believe this amazing era for DC is coming to an end. Arrow changed the landscape of television with The Flash elevating the superhero genre on the small screen to its maximum potential. While there were a lot of keys to this universe's success, Amell and Gustin were the heart of it. Their chemistry and clear love for one another propelled the Arrowverse through thick and thin. No matter the quality of the episode, crossover, or season, you could always count on this pair of heroes to save the day in grand fashion. Many fans grew up on this expansive universe and shows like Flash were their gateway into the comic book medium. That’s something many shared universes can’t say.
When Does The Flash End?
The Flash’s series finale premieres tonight, May 24, at 8 PM ET on the CW. While DC fans prepare many boxes of tissues, you can read Amell’s entire EW interview on their website. You can also watch the promo for Flash’s thrilling series finale down below.