10 years ago this month, “The Flash” starring Grant Gustin premiered. It was October 7, 2014. The entire first season was off the charts, but I want to talk about the pilot today. One of the memorable moments in this pilot episode is when Barry runs to Oliver Queen for help after a setback. This was a compelling moment because “The Flash” was the first of several spin offs from the TV show “Arrow” resulting in the so-called “Arrowverse”. In the course of their conversation, Barry says, “I’m just not sure I’m like you, Oliver. I don’t know if I can be some vigilante.” “You can be better,” Oliver replies. “Because you can inspire people in a way that I never could. Watching over your city like a guardian angel, making a difference, saving people in a flash.”
At the time, I had not gotten
into “Arrow”, but eventually – thanks
to the ability to see it on Netflix – I did.
Because of this, today I know that when Oliver spoke of Barry being able
to inspire better than he ever could, he was being modest. The truth of the matter is, Oliver Queen’s
example of selflessness, loyalty, and heroism is inspirational. Not only did he inspire Barry, but many
others as well; in fact, several years later, in season 8 the final season of “Arrow”, Oliver
sacrificed his life to save the world.
There’s another interesting
note on the pilot episode of “The Flash”:
this was the first time we saw a newspaper headline hinting of an upcoming
event called Crisis. The headline read, “Flash
missing vanishes in Crisis”. The date on
the newspaper was actually April 25, 2024. While
this newspaper headline was a recurring storyline, ultimately, this development
was averted. The Flash didn’t vanish in
Crisis, at least not Grant’s Flash.
After a “time flux” changed Crisis from occurring in 2024 to 2019. We learn in Part 3 of the epic crossover
event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Grant’s
Flash was ready and willing to die, but The Flash from another Earth (played by
John Wesley Shipp) heroically stepped up and gave his life to save Grant’s Flash,
and save countless other lives.
Someone wants to ask, “So
what? So it’s been 10 years. What is your point?” I have three points. I’ll call them takeaways. Takeaway 1: Doc Brown, from “Back to the Future” said it best in Part
3 of the trilogy: “Your future hasn’t been written yet, no one’s has, so make
it a good one.” The concept of time
travel in “The Flash” is similar: the
future is not written in stone; it can be changed. Of course, travelling through time is not
real, but it teaches me that if I could communicate with my future self,
undoubtedly, he (or I) would say that choices have consequences, so always
choose to do the right thing, the God-honoring thing.
Takeaway 2: Superman once asked,
“What better role for any to aspire to than hero?” (from “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse”). While I’m not suggesting that “The Flash” is perfect by any means (there
are obvious times the show dipped in quality; I’m looking at season 7 in
particular), whatever craziness he was facing, Grant Gustin’s portrayal of
Barry Allen/The Flash oozes nobility and heroism. Incidentally, the show “Arrow” also had its ups and downs; furthermore, I contend that
Stephen Amell is the best incarnation of Oliver Queen. While I could write a whole blog on the
unsavory and truly repugnant aspects of the so-called “Arrowverse”, I still
submit that this era of superhero stories was absolutely a golden age, with
Amell’s Oliver Queen the leading figure.
Takeaway 3: Jesus Christ said,
“Greater love has no one than this than to lay down his life for his friends”
(John 15:13). Oliver selflessly gave his
life – technically he did so twice in Crisis.
And The John Wesley Shipp Flash gave his life so others could live. I could go on and on with examples,
but the point is these selfless sacrifices are shadows or pictures of Jesus
Christ’s death on the cross for you and me.
He did this out of pure love.
Now, through His subsequent resurrection and ascension to Heaven,
through simple faith and trust in Him, we can have the gift of eternal
life. This is the message that I will
tell until my dying breath.
God bless,
Kevin
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