When The Flash premiered in October 2014—the second project of the CW’s ambitious plan to expand its own superhero cinematic universe—its first episode ended with a bold declaration: not only would the series still be running in a decade, it would have grown enough to take on one of the most iconic stories in DC Comics history, Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Ten years later, on April 25, 2024, we have reached that significant date—and surprisingly, The Flash was somewhat correct, with a few minor discrepancies.
As The Flash delved deeper into the time-bending antics of the Speed Force over the years, that memorable premiere teaser evolved—who penned the tale twisted, at times it disappeared, at times it remained, and then, of course, the show actually altered it again when it decided to advance its timeline and tackle Crisis on Infinite Earths in 2019, with Barry disappearing in crisis five years earlier than anticipated.
This evolution reflected how The Flash was continuously striving towards that initial bold statement, which it ultimately encapsulated over its lifespan. Arrow initiated the CW-DC universe, undoubtedly, providing the foundation and dramatic storytelling that propelled it to becoming the premier superhero universe on television. But it was The Flash that elevated it to new heights: it was there that its creators fully embraced the superpowered aspect, the esoteric strangeness that, at the time, was still uncharted territory for superhero adaptations.
This embrace paved the way for stories that delved into all the comic book craziness on the small screen—not just influencing Arrow to expand into something beyond its original scope—but also setting the stage for a universe of shows. Without The Flash taking the lead, there would be no Supergirl, no Legends of Tomorrow, no Black Lightning, and Batwoman. The network wouldn’t have had the foundation or confidence to bring all these series together, and more, to adapt Crisis on Infinite Earths at all, let alone five years earlier than envisioned.
Yet, in a way, the series’ prediction still came true. A decade after its premiere, The Flash has concluded, wrapping up in May 2023. Likewise, the CW-DC universe as a whole—every show in that continuity has, in recent years, met its end, except for the adjacent Superman & Lois, a series that aimed to continue the legacy of the CW-DC shows before it but was actually distinctly separate from them. Even that series is now approaching its conclusion. In 2024, the Flash is still missing—and there’s a crisis at DC as it reevaluates its cinematic plans for future TV and film projects in the DC universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran. The Flash movie finally debuted last year, with the Ezra Miller-led film bidding an awkward farewell to an era of DC filmmaking that largely faded away during the prolonged period of revisions and delays—a period long enough for The Flash to sneak in a crossover with Grant Gustin’s cinematic counterpart along the way.
In a time-bending twist, that initial bold prediction was simultaneously refuted and proven true over the strange, wild 10 years it took to reach this point. Perhaps that’s the most fitting way to mark a crisis after all this time.
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