Reverse-Flash Actor Tom Cavanagh Saw The Flash Movie, Shares What He Thought Was A ‘Good Call’ For Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen

2023 was a momentous year for the DC Comics superhero The Flash. First, the same-named, Grant Gustin-led TV series ended after nine seasons, and then a month later, Ezra Miller finally got to take center stage as Barry Allen in the also-same-named movie following his appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and both cuts of Justice League (you can stream those DC movies in order with a Max subscription). It’s now been a little over a year and a half since The Flash movie played in theaters, and Tom Cavanagh, who played Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse-Flash, on the TV series, shared what he thought was a “good call” for making Miller’s Barry stand out from Gustin’s.

During a Q&A and FAN Expo Portland (via MrHistorican), Cavanagh, who also played multiple versions of Harrison Wells over the course of nine seasons, shared that he’s seen The Flash movie, unlike his former co-star Danielle Panabaker, who was seated next to him. He had mostly positive things to say about the flick, particularly concerning Miller’s performance, starting with the following:

While saying that Ezra Miller’s Barry isn’t as intelligent as Grant Gustin’s Barry might sound like a criticism at first, Tom Cavanagh found it a refreshing creative choice. Although frankly, Gustin’s Barry wasn’t all that different when he started out as the Scarlet Speedster in the early Arrowverse days. While Miller’s Barry has also been fighting crime for a long time when The Flash movie begins, he’s not nearly as experienced as his TV counterpart. (Side note, let’s not forget that these two briefly spent some time with each other during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover in early 2020.)

So ultimately, Cavanagh saw this characterization tweak as the right move for the DCEU’s Barry Allen. He continued to share his thoughts about The Flash movie thusly:

Although he didn’t outright state it, it sounds like he didn’t find the second half of The Flash nearly as strong as the first half. That includes his indirect mention of the climactic multiverse sequence packed with DC cameos, which was one of the reasons the movie’s CGI was criticized. Tom Cavanagh’s also correct that The Flash’s marketing leaned heavily on Michael Keaton’s Batman, which was surely a combination of Batman’s inherent popularity, how big a deal Keaton’s return to the cape and cowl was, and to draw attention away from the numerous controversies surrounding Miller, who didn’t participate in the movie’s press tour. In any case, Cavanagh largely enjoyed watching The Flash movie, though he’s obviously going to be biased when it comes to his all-time favorite adaptation of the Scarlet Speedster’s lore.

There are no plans for Ezra Miller to reprise The Flash in upcoming DC movies, but given how popular this character is, I find it hard to believe that another actor won’t be selected to inhabit the role in this new DC Universe franchise. As for Tom Cavanagh, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that he got to leave one final mark on the Arrowverse when he played Gordon Godfrey in Superman & Lois’ final season, which can now be streamed on Max.