With The Flash ending in Season 9, it’s worth remembering how the show started, with the Pilot proving that both the Flash and the Arrowverse would work on TV. The storytellers were smart enough to make the show distinct from Arrow, but not so much that it didn’t feel like the same world.
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Grant Gustin first appeared as Barry Allen in a two-part episode on Arrow, ending with the lightning strike. The first episode of The Flash retcons this a bit, allowing enough time before his fateful accident to introduce the characters. Arrow was a gritty series that introduced a limited number of super-powered individuals during the second season. The Flash copies this tactic, using the particle reactor explosion at STAR Labs as the show’s metahuman engine. Unlike Oliver, Barry starts with a team, including Harrison Wells, who is eventually revealed as the Reverse Flash. The Pilot foreshadows this brilliantly, with Wells first negging Barry out of being a hero and then knowing exactly what to say to help him use his powers. It’s subtle because the story is a simple comic-book adventure, complete with a dead rogue at the end of it. Only the Pilot is so much more because viewers can see the formula that spawned a universe with over 700 hours of story.
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The Flash’s Pilot Episode Is the Template for the Arrowverse
Upon rewatching The Flash’s Pilot episode, it’s clear it becomes the template from which the Arrowverse was born. The episode introduces the character, the ensemble and the situation. A villain acts up, threatening a member of the ensemble. Then, a hero is born. Yet, the show needed time to establish Barry’s abilities and why he cares about stopping the “bad” metahumans. It’s high-concept sci-fi, with the added element of shared continuity.
The most valuable player in The Flash is Jesse L. Martin as Joe West, and his scenes with Grant Gustin sell the emotional stakes. John Wesley Shipp, TV’s first Flash, also shines as Henry Allen, Barry’s father. Barry’s then getting to know Caitlin, Cisco and Wells. Being able to confide in Joe about his powers anchors the series until the storytellers finally put Barry and Iris together. Barry’s need for a father figure is also a huge part of his character arc early on. Wells is a surrogate father, too, which makes his betrayal have that much more impact.
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As an episode, the Pilot works as it needs to for someone stumbling onto The Flash, unaware of the other series. Stephen Amell often shows up as Oliver Queen, technically making the Pilot of The Flash the first crossover episode. The context of their conversation is clear enough for new viewers, showcasing that Barry and Oliver have a friendly relationship, where he tells Arrow to wear a mask. For fans of Arrow and DC Comics, however, this moment is as big as Nick Fury asking Tony Stark if he thinks he is the only superhero in the world.
Arrow’s Single Scene Established a Shared Universe Better Than Any DC Movie
Warner Bros. wanted a big-screen answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they got one on The CW. The annual crossover episodes were always challenging to create, requiring more time to film than a typical one-off. The last one, Crisis on Infinite Earths, outshines even Avengers: Endgame, beating Marvel to the multiverse and honoring past movies and shows. It all begins with a single scene on a rooftop where Barry Allen asks Oliver Queen if he has what it takes to be a hero. That conversation did more to establish the world than any Arrow versus Flash action sequence would’ve done.
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In the last episode of the Red Death storyline on The Flash, Batwoman mentions Supergirl and her sister Alex as her frequent brunch companions. The show can get away with this because of the early, frequent crossovers with Arrow characters, including John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. In the Pilot, it’s just Oliver and Barry chatting. The conversation reveals so much about their relatively new relationship. Barry will always look up to Oliver, in this case, resulting in justified hero worship. Oliver knows Barry’s potential, and he celebrates that instead of reacting with jealousy or suspicion. This moment allows DC Comics fans to imagine a whole League of heroes sitting around a table at a Hall of Justice, just like they get at the end of Crisis.
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The Flash’s Pilot proves that audiences are sophisticated enough to understand how it all fits together. It worked to draw viewers to the other series, spawning a universe where deep-cut characters like Wild Dog and Vixen appeared in many seasons. The Arrowverse created the most successful DC shared universe on a TV budget. All because The Flash made viewers believe a man could run.
