Fans Rank 10 Best Flash Actors of All Time
The Flash is fiction’s most notable speedster, the character is so iconic that it’s been adapted numerous times both in animated form and live-action projects. Several names carried the mantle of Flash over the last several decades and some have resonated with the audience better than others. Fans gathered on Ranker to rate all actors that were associated with Flash roles in the past, both voice actors and live-action actors and we decided to bring you the 10 best. Let’s go!
10. Kenny Johnston
Kenny Johnston was Flash (Barry Allen) for a relatively short time. He appeared in ‘Justice League of America’ (1997 TV movie). ‘Justice League of America’ is a 1997 made-for-TV movie presented as a mockumentary about the titular superheroes. It was initially intended as a pilot for a ‘Justice League’ TV series, which ultimately did not materialize. Short but sweet, at least he made it to the top 10.
9. Josh Keaton
Keaton voiced Barry Allen and Wally West in several animated projects, games, and direct-to-video movies. He’s been voicing the character for 10 years at this point if you include Wally West into the equation. His most recent project was the ‘Justice League: Cosmic Chaos’ video game and plenty of fans associated him with Crimson Speedster. Have to say I agree with this ranking.
8. Jack Angel
In the mid-1970s, Angel began his voice-over career with roles on the series ‘Super Friends,’ where he voiced Hawkman, The Flash, and Samurai. For that reason alone the late voice actor managed to score relatively highly on the list since plenty of fans grew up with him.
7. Kyle Gallner
Gallner appeared in ‘Smallville’ as Bart Allen aka Impulse in 4 seasons (mentioned in many more). Writer Steven S. DeKnight explained that they had to use the name Impulse for Bart due to a technical request from DC. Despite this, he noted that the audience was still calling him the Flash, making the technicality largely irrelevant. Gallner is not the most iconic face tied to the role, but he was decent enough.
6. Charlie Schlatter
Since the early 1990s, Schlatter voiced various characters across multiple series, including The Flash in ‘Superman: The Animated Series,’ ‘The Batman,’ and ‘Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts.’ The high ranking isn’t as surprising considering his long career voicing the character(s).
5. Ezra Miller
Miller’s carer as The Flash will sadly be marked by his horrific alleged behavior rather than his solid performance as the Scarlet Speedster. Miller played DCEU’s The Flash in several live-action projects, and his portrayal truly did get excellent reactions before rumors and evidence about his troubling behavior started resurfacing.
The actor eventually did get his own standalone movie, ‘The Flash’ but it was boycotted due to the studio refusing to recast the main star – Miller himself. Unfortunately, even if Miller wasn’t so scandalous he would still eventually lose his job as DCEU was “buried” even before the movie was released. Everything aside, Miller was excellent as Flash and that would explain his high ranking, even with all the controversy.
4. Alan Tudyk
Tudyk voiced Barry Allen in two episodes of ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold.’ Tudyk brought a lively and humorous energy to the character, fitting the series’ tone. His portrayal emphasized the Flash’s quick wit and energetic personality.
3. Michael Rosenbaum
Most of you associated Rosenbaum with the role of Lex Luthor and for a good reason, but the actor actually did dabble in voice-acting as well. In the superhero genre, Rosenbaum voiced Wally West (the Flash) in ‘Justice League, ”Static Shock,’ and ‘Justice League Unlimited,’ and also portrayed Kid Flash in ‘Teen Titans.’
In the ‘Justice League Unlimited’ episode “The Great Brain Robbery,” he returned as Lex Luthor when Wally West and Lex Luthor temporarily switched bodies. He was excellently received by the audiences and the highest proof of that is his high ranking.
2. John Wesley Shipp
Shipp starred as Barry Allen/The Flash in the CBS series ‘The Flash,’ which aired during the 1990–91 season. In the 2010s, Shipp reconnected with ‘The Flash’ by being cast in a “mysterious” role on The CW series, which was later revealed to be Henry Allen, the titular character’s father. In the second season finale of ‘The Flash,’ he portrayed Jay Garrick, an alternate universe version of The Flash.
Additionally, Shipp voiced Professor Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, in a 2010 episode of ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold.’ Shipp is by far the most versatile Flash actor when it comes to the live-action portion of the list, and his portrayal is truly legendary hence why his ranking did not come as a surprise!
1. Grant Gustin
You knew as soon as you opened this list who was going to be in the first place. On September 13, 2013, it was announced that Grant Gustin would play Barry Allen in the second season of ‘Arrow.’ Initially, he was set to appear in three episodes, with the final one intended as a backdoor pilot for a potential ‘Flash’ spin-off.
However, the pilot plan was replaced by a standalone pilot, ‘The Flash,’ which premiered on October 7, 2014, with 4.8 million viewers—the highest for a CW premiere in five years. The show ran for nine seasons, concluding on May 24, 2023, with a total of 184 episodes. Gustin also reprised his role as Barry Allen across other Arrowverse series, including ‘Arrow,’ ‘Supergirl,’ ‘Legends of Tomorrow,’ and the web series ‘Vixen.’ Gustin got numerous awards for his portrayal of Flash and he is so far the most strongly associated with the role.
In recent times, fans have been proposing for Gustin to get a role as DCU’s Flash, and in all honesty, we would like to see it come to fruition!
Do you agree with the list? Let us know in the comments below!
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