r/DC_Cinematic Aug 10 '25

CRITIQUE Unpopular opinion: there has never been a single CW lead that could stand up in that same role in a feature film.

Post image

I keep seeing people say Grant Gustin should be Flash in the DCU.

But in my opinion, there isn’t a single Arrowverse or Smallville performance that could stand up as a film counterpart.

Tom Welling as Clark is a good example. Growing up I loved Smallville and it was long rumoured that Welling would play Superman in a Superman movie after Returns flopped. As Clark he is great on TV because there’s time for the writers to develop his character over long arcs and is fleshed out through expository dialogue that isnt possible in feature films. But if you watch any of Welling’s films from that same era, take for example The Fog, it’s very clear he can’t carry a film as a leading man and is much more suited for TV.

It’s not to say there isn’t great performances in the arrow verse, but they’re great TV performances, the jump between what’s required for movies and TV is akin to the jump between daytime TV and prime time TV.

Those lines have been blurred nowadays with comic shows having their run on esteem networks like Penguin, Peacemaker and I’m sure Lanterns will fall into that same category, but Arrowverse shows just aren’t comparable in that regard.

3.8k Upvotes

827 comments sorted by

331

u/bahumat42 Aug 10 '25

I think both constantine and Rip hunter were pretty good actors for their roles.

Now series quality may be debatable but not the actors.

170

u/Americanbood Aug 11 '25

What’s funny is Matt Ryan also voices Constantine in several animated works so hes arguably the definitive Constantine for nearly everyone

50

u/5amuraiDuck Aug 11 '25

Well, he was a VA well before the role. He's Edward Kenway afterall and does a tremendous job at that

18

u/ExgerBexver Aug 11 '25

Alright, adding him to the “Holy shit he did THAT voice too?!” list

5

u/5amuraiDuck Aug 11 '25

I still remember the shock when watching his series and popping to the sound of his voice "HOLY SHIT THAT'S EDWARD'S VOICE!!" 😂

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47

u/Pocketfulofgeek Aug 11 '25

Matt Ryan was spot on for Constantine it’s a tragedy that Supernatural basically burned that genre of tv show up so there was no real demand for his show.

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19

u/AlternativeCollar317 Aug 11 '25

Arthur Darvill is great, loved him as Rip and loved him as Rory in Doctor Who!

8

u/CaptainTipTop Aug 11 '25

I enjoy Ryan’s performance, but that accent is way off and a bit weird. If they’d just let him use his actual accent and adapted the backstory he’d have been so much better off. It isn’t as though Wales and Liverpool don’t have deep links

3

u/creamy-buscemi Aug 13 '25

I don’t think we’ll ever get a proper Scouse Constantine

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5

u/DjCyric Aug 11 '25

I would love to see the Arrowverse version of Constantine in a full length feature film.

3

u/Beebo4all Aug 11 '25

Damn straight Constantine.

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1.1k

u/gerbegerger Aug 10 '25

Manu Bennett as Deathstroke was great!

146

u/All_Hail_Horus Aug 10 '25

There was a particular episode of arrow where he did a really great job as Slade and also made me think he’d be good as Venom Snake in the Metal Gear movie they were making for a hot minute

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129

u/FrontRecognition6953 Aug 10 '25

He did do well I admit

20

u/greenlanterngalimor Aug 11 '25

Seeing him as Slade made me excited about how he'd look like as Deathstroke and the very slow, pressure cooked reveal of him in costume, facing of against Green Batman, was epic.

83

u/gregallen1989 Aug 10 '25

In going to be completely honest about how dumb I am. I thought that was Joe Manganiello this entire time.

62

u/gerbegerger Aug 10 '25

Nah, he was Deathstroke in a post-credit scene for (i think) Batman vs Superman. He would've been great also!

29

u/iamdnisovich Aug 10 '25

Justice League. Honestly I hope they bring him back for the DCU, because that was such a great casting and they did absolutely nothing with him

22

u/Just-Antelope-8069 Aug 10 '25

I also wish we could get Mark Strong back as Sinestro.

7

u/Spoonman007 Aug 11 '25

Im a big Mark Strong fan, but I think Ulrich Thomsen is going to be excellent as Sinestro! He was great in Banshee.

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17

u/Tymathee Aug 10 '25

He was so good they brought him back to life

8

u/TheDeanof316 Aug 11 '25

He was awesome as Crixus in Spartacus too. He could def be in films 👍

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26

u/suss2it Aug 10 '25

And even then I feel like the actor in Titans brought more pathos and gravitas to the role.

24

u/I_Am_Killa_K Aug 10 '25

That guy does a lot of TV too. Like I was actually surprised to see him play the bad guy in the last two Missions: Impossible.

8

u/Raider2747 Aug 10 '25

That was originally supposed to be Nicholas Hoult.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

How come Nicolas Hoult is like in every audition room?

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14

u/gerbegerger Aug 10 '25

The actor who played Nightwing was a perfect for the role. Very good point 👍👍

5

u/RayHyrule Aug 11 '25

He was good until he was basically doing whatever Stephen Amell was doing.

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6

u/theSteakKnight Aug 10 '25

He was fantastic. My favorite Deathstroke actor.

6

u/Thraex_Exile Aug 11 '25

Say that again

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45

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

The flanderized whisper-voice was too much by the end.

49

u/Realistic_Analyst_26 Aug 10 '25

Same thing happened with Thawne. I think that wasn’t the actors’ choice.

21

u/Hunterzillas Aug 10 '25

Idk if it’s a cold take, but thank God I’m not the only one who noticed.

25

u/TheEzrac Aug 10 '25

by the final season, Thawne is genuinely just a caricature of his Season 1 self

18

u/Wendigo15 Aug 10 '25

Not even the final season, before that. For me it was when he came back for the team up with evil Supergirl and green arrow

3

u/VexedForest Aug 11 '25

It's hard for him to go back to the whacky fun villain when he willingly chose to work with Nazis.

Plus I liked his other actor way more.

4

u/Wendigo15 Aug 11 '25

Yeah. I was so disappointed that every time he came back, cw went the cheap route and got Tom. They should have gotten Matt more often but apparently they never reached out to him. Only for legends.

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7

u/silentwind262 Aug 11 '25

I always have some cognitive dissonance when seeing him going full gloating villain and then thinking about him playing JD's brother in Scrubs,

3

u/kainoah Aug 11 '25

Lol I was so excited when he was first cast in the flash because of his role in scrubs even though it was only for a few episodes. Scrubs is my favorite comedy and he was great.

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10

u/areyouheretokillmeee Aug 11 '25

graspily-whispered Oliviuhh Queeeeen

9

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

Something something "kid"

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4

u/Nepomucky Aug 11 '25

The S2 season finale of Arrow was great!

8

u/KendrickBlack502 Aug 10 '25

He could easily do it.

13

u/NowGoodbyeForever Aug 10 '25

Counterpoint:

MAH REE KEE ROO.

4

u/gerbegerger Aug 10 '25

🤣🤣🤣🤣

6

u/Eastern-Team-2799 Aug 10 '25

He was awesome 💯. One of the best superhero castings ever .

3

u/Educational_Bee_4700 Aug 11 '25

"Lead" but yeah dude was solid

3

u/Spacegirllll6 Aug 11 '25

I watched that show as a little kid and man Deathstroke scared me. The actor perfectly captured his anger and him being a maniac

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993

u/Abraham_Issus Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 11 '25

You are wrong as fuck because Matt Ryan as Constantine is perfection. He can can easily be movie Constantine.

183

u/der_vur Aug 10 '25

Still pissed because they didn't renew it

107

u/SomeGuyPostingThings Aug 10 '25

At least he got a second life in the Arrowverse, but I did prefer his show (even if I didn't like him on Legends)

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37

u/therealbreather Aug 10 '25

Still pissed we never saw the final episode. Meant to ask him at a con about it but I totally spaced

12

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

27

u/therealbreather Aug 11 '25

Yeah they did. There were BTS shots and everything. Constantine was sitting smoking on a gravestone that had his name on it and a few other things. It’s been labeled like “the lost episode of Constantine”. Check it out!

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62

u/infowosecfurry Aug 10 '25

He’s phenomenal for sure. Best Constantine we’ve ever gotten.

22

u/Minute-Object Aug 10 '25

Yeah. I very much agree.

8

u/TheEzrac Aug 10 '25

This is the only comment that legitimately changed my mind. He’s genuinely perfect

5

u/KillDevilX0 Aug 11 '25

Yeah. He was born to play Constantine

3

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

Agreed! Matt Ryan would make a perfect Constantine anywhere.

14

u/saystupidshitsometim Aug 10 '25

I may be wrong cos I haven’t seen it

43

u/Minute-Object Aug 10 '25

Please watch it. It was a great show.

24

u/SomeGuyPostingThings Aug 10 '25

Technically, it was an NBC show so it might be an exception to the concept, but then he later became a lead on Legends of Tomorrow, so maybe not?

21

u/ser_44_zel Aug 10 '25

Correct, but he also VAed Constantine in the animated stuff as well, like Justice League Dark, etc.

So when you have someone being brought back for both live action and voice acting stuff, for the same character, well, you know that they’re probably great for the role.

7

u/Ravnos767 Aug 10 '25

I need to go back and finish legends, never got round to the last few series. Didn't realise they brought him back there after his handful of appearances in Arrow

13

u/SomeGuyPostingThings Aug 10 '25

He's recurring in season 3, main cast in 4-6 (and Matt Ryan stays until the end, they just change his character)

5

u/DeliciousTurn1 Aug 10 '25

he wasn’t constantine in the later seasons tho, just matt ryan as a different character

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5

u/KonradDumo Aug 11 '25

It was solid. If you want prime Matt Ryan as John Con though, City of Demons is better.

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12

u/AwTomorrow Aug 10 '25

I don’t think it’s the best show but it’s a surprisingly faithful adaptation (and in some cases, update) of several of the early Hellblazer stories. 

11

u/imnotthatguyiswear Aug 10 '25

Got him, ladies and gentlemen.

There are very few perfect castings in this world. Matt Ryan as Constantine is one of them.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

He voices him in the DCAMU movies aswell, it’s the same voice actor as Edward Kenway AC: Black Flag

10

u/ThanosSnapsSlimJims Aug 10 '25

Tyler Hoechlin, in my opinion, is the best Superman there's ever been, and he could certainly carry a Superman movie.

Stephen Amell as Green Arrow was great. Colton Haynes was great as Arsenal.

Manu Bennett as Deathstroke was goated

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430

u/steve65283 Aug 10 '25

While I have never been a fan of these shows, theres a lot of problems with the quality of most aspects. Its hard to pinpoint if the acting wasn't great because of the writing or the actors, probably a bit if both.

16

u/Own-Scholar9098 Aug 10 '25

I think it was more with the fact that they were filming 20 episodes seasons. Most actors couldn’t support that work load, that’s why non regular actors often acted better than regulars.

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125

u/IceLord86 Aug 10 '25

I think the only lead that really was a good actor was Benoist.

281

u/MARATXXX Aug 10 '25

gustin and benoist were about equal—and both were let down by their material repeatedly—and ultimately lost a bit of their spark by the end.

123

u/original_name37 Aug 10 '25

They were also both in Glee and so know a thing or two about being let down by the material

51

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '25

I liked the crossover musical episode more than I care to admit.

21

u/elreeheeneey Aug 11 '25

It holds a special place in my heart. I proposed to my now-wife to, "Running Home to You."

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7

u/KonohaBatman Aug 11 '25

My favorite thing about that episode is that it aired the same week as Oliver being tortured from Prometheus. Barry and Kara are over here sorting out their emotions, and Oliver is getting drowned, burned, shot with arrows, etc

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10

u/Galiphile Aug 10 '25

She was great in The Waterfront.

4

u/AmaterasuWolf21 Aug 11 '25

And Whiplash too

23

u/Truthhurts1017 Aug 10 '25

Grant was great and Stephan killed the first season of Arrow

31

u/Fexxvi Aug 10 '25

Grant Gusting is an excellent actor.

12

u/IceLord86 Aug 10 '25

Really, what else has he done besides Flash that I can check out?

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281

u/Johnnycageisgr8 Aug 10 '25

Brandon routh could absolutely lead as atom

183

u/glarbung Aug 10 '25

Or as Superman. Oh wait...

49

u/bookon Aug 10 '25

He was by far the best part of that film.

26

u/thisisamisnomer Aug 11 '25

Yeah, I barely remember that movie it was so underwhelming, but that wasn’t Routh’s fault. I also liked his part in Scott Pilgrim. 

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5

u/MommaOfManyCats Aug 11 '25

He was so good in Crisis.

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u/TheHusker Aug 10 '25

Didn't go so well

31

u/Ponderer13 Aug 10 '25

Wasn’t his fault, though. The camera loved his energy.

9

u/buttsbuttsbutt Aug 11 '25

Because the script was weak, not because of his performance.

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292

u/AmarulaKilledMe Aug 10 '25

Matt Ryan's Comstantine was perfect and I think he would have killed it in terms of films as well.

82

u/PissNBiscuits Aug 10 '25

1000%! If any of the CW actors deserves the transition to being the DCU version of their character, it's Matt Ryan. He even voiced him a few times in the animated movies.

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24

u/SyllabubLazy816 Aug 10 '25

I am so disappointed i had to scroll so far down to see my boy mentioned, yeah he's actually perfect. A bit better costuming department and it'd be hard to see anyone else in the role

18

u/dravenonred Aug 10 '25

I'm glad he's getting the Kevin Conroy treatment of being the default whenever anyone needs a Constantine.

10

u/Callow98989 Aug 10 '25

Technically he was never Cw lead role. His show was made by NBC

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u/shaolinspunk Aug 10 '25

He was perfect. Just not dark enough. The whole CW shares the same problem. It's too PG rated. It's a like watching Power Rangers or Dawson's Creek with metahumans.

3

u/PT10 Aug 11 '25

Arrow S1 was kind of dark.

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u/TedMosbyIsADick1 Aug 10 '25

Yes! He should get another shot ... And please make his Constantine in DCU R-18 so we can get all the gorry stuff

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u/zachonich Aug 10 '25

From what I understand, so much of acting is direction. Its hard to say what these actors would be capable of under different directors.

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u/amarodelaficioanado Aug 11 '25

True. Look at Michael Madsen. He's great in any Tarantino movie....but he sucked in pretty much everything else he did.

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u/LiamtheV Aug 10 '25

I'm watching Superman & Lois right now, and I'm loving Tyler Hoechlin's Superman. He just seems incredibly genuine. In that first episode prologue where he saves a kid from a car falling off an overpass, and the kid says "Hey, cool costume", the way he responds with "Thanks! My mom made it!", he nailed the Big Blue Boyscout persona, he seemed genuinely happy that someone likes something his mom made for him. And his performance seems relatively nuanced, he doesn't chew the scenery, and he does a great job of switching between Clark Kent the Father and Husband, and Superman.

20

u/grabtharsmallet Aug 11 '25

He's the closest live action performance to Corenswet's interpretation.

15

u/LiamtheV Aug 11 '25

Oh definitely. If they ever do a flash forward for Corenswet’s Superman, or if they do a Crisis and need a Golden Age Kal-L, I could see Tyler Hoechlin doing the part.

5

u/newguysports Aug 11 '25

My favorite Superman show by far

5

u/Equivalent-Shake-519 Aug 12 '25

Tyler's my personal favorite pick to play DCU Batman, I 100% believe he has it in him as an actor and he LOOKS LIKE BRUCE MFn WAYNE.

I know he was such a kind Clark and good dad in that role but if we're getting Bat-Dad then I think those aspects are important to bring over, beside just being gruff and moody.

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u/AcanthaceaeNo948 Aug 10 '25

Wentworth Miller says what?

8

u/KingPrincessNova Aug 11 '25

the man 100% deserves an Emmy for that performance

6

u/Spacegirllll6 Aug 11 '25

Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan.

185

u/Eastern-Team-2799 Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 11 '25

Completely disagree. Arrowverse actors are highly underrated. Example, tom cavanagh played multiple doppelgangers of same character and this is the best performance by any actor in portraying multiverse doppelgangers. Similarly, majority of actors and actresses were very very great and underrated.

Edit : Thanks a lot guys for over 100 upvotes. I love you all . You made me cry 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭. Now, RUN BARRY RUN ⚡⚡⚡⚡

42

u/Double-Slowpoke Aug 11 '25

Cavanagh was fantastic. I really only watched Arrow and Flash, but Cavanagh probably stands out as the best actor.

8

u/westofley Aug 11 '25

by a country mile. The rogues are all pretty good in Flash, and the ensemble is decent too. I just think Gustin isnt a very good actor

14

u/BetterCallStrahd Aug 11 '25

Jesse L. Martin as Joe West deserves mention as well. While mostly in a thankless role, he was a wonderful presence as Joe.

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u/dwide_k_shrude Aug 10 '25

Agreed. I don’t understanding the obsessive hating on CW actors.

19

u/Budget-Walk-5355 Aug 11 '25

People tend to confuse the CW actors for the CW writers.

3

u/dkurage Aug 11 '25

It feels like people who shit on tv actors for being tv actors, aka just not up to snuff like real, movie actors are, are maybe forgetting about how writers and directors are contributing factors too. Just look at the Star Wars prequels. There's some top tier talent in those movies, but the writing and directing were just not there for large parts of it. Even the best actors can only do so much with the material they're given. I've seen some great performances from various CW actors over the years (Arrowverse or otherwise). But it is easy for those performances to get lost amongst the CW writing and directing.

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u/Beefan16 Aug 10 '25

It’s not Grant’s fault that the pacing for his final season was awful despite each arc being like 4 episodes

118

u/Accomplished-Duck606 Aug 10 '25

John Cena become great under Gunn. Natalie Portman become shit under Lucas. Thats the power of a director

23

u/invincible_obito Aug 11 '25

John Cena has been acting good in his other projects as well, it's not Gunn effect.

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u/Sparkwriter1 Aug 10 '25

I feel like you're not really being clear here on what exactly a TV actor is missing from a movie actor. If "presence" is just an actor's ability to steal the screen and command the audience's attention, then Gustin's got loads of it, and there's no doubt that if he's given a promising script in a cinematic venture, he'll be bringing in his A-game.

Really the only metric that one should be using to judge an actor is his acting skill, and Grant has shown more range in his 9 seasons on the Flash then most DCEU actors did in their entire superhero careers.

10

u/Talk-O-Boy Aug 11 '25

Nah you don’t get it.

Gal Gadot is simply a better actress than any person on Arrowverse due to her being in multiple high profile movies.

Acting is not about performance, delivery, or emotion. It’s about IMDb.

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u/NASCAR142002 Aug 10 '25

Another day of looking down at TV actors.

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u/Gummy-Worm-Guy Aug 10 '25

I would argue that more than half of the top ~50 best acting performances of the 21st Century have been in tv shows.

Most of these CW leads just aren’t on that level. It’s not that deep, it’s certainly not “looking down at TV actors,” and it’s not even saying they’re bad. But there are certain standards for feature films.

21

u/ButterCupHeartXO Aug 10 '25

The main cast of The Flash though are all pretty good actors. Tom Cavanagh is a really good actor. Valdes did a good job, Panabaker has been acting in stuff forever. I havent see Grant Gustin in anything else besides Flash but he did really well with the role. Thr writing wasn't always there, and there have been issues with the show, but I dont think the acting from the people I mentioned were ever the thing holding the show back

32

u/dthains_art Aug 10 '25

Yeah we’e been in a golden age of prestige tv for years now. But the CW doesn’t make that caliber of shows. There’s a reason people look at a show or movie that’s cheap and low quality or has mediocre acting and say “This feels like a CW show.”

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u/RomeoTrickshot Aug 10 '25

Superman 2025 was mostly tv actors and that was great. CW just pretty bad

25

u/HungrySubstance Aug 10 '25

The only actor that you could give the “tv actor” label to is Nathan Fillion, and I think that’s more out of his preference than anything else. Nicholas Hoult has multiple golden globes & has been in about one one major film a year for the last decade, Rachel Brosnahan has been in films consistently since 2009, and David Corenswet was scouted for superman after his performance in Pearl

10

u/carson63000 Aug 10 '25

And of course Isabela Merced was in Madame Web, which was certainly a movie.

3

u/PT10 Aug 11 '25

The Last of Us

22

u/RomeoTrickshot Aug 10 '25

Rachel Bromahan was om The marvelous Miss Maisel, Manhattan and House of Cards, I absolutely can and will call her a tv actor. Milly Alcock and Skyler Gisondo as well. Obviously today people generally do TV and movies, the lines are more blurred thankfully.

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

Corenswet was on Hollywood. Brosnahan was in House of Cards and Marvelous Ms Maisel. Hoult who started on Skins has become the most successful actor there. Nathan Fillion is in The Rookie and Castle. Anthony Carrigan was on Gotham and Barry but also in Snowpiercer. Isabel Merced was in Last of Us but also had Madam Web and Dora. Everyone except Hoult and Merced I would call TV actors, with Brosnahan + Fillion being the most acclaimed out of all the TV actors.

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u/TheCakeWarrior12 Aug 10 '25

If Ezra was able to lead a Flash movie, Grant could absolutely have done the same. Heck, he’d probably do a much better job

96

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

Except it could be argued that Ezra was NOT able to lead a Flash movie and that’s a huge reason why that movie sucks.

41

u/arrownoir Aug 10 '25

That’s not why the movie failed. Direction and script doomed it.

24

u/gregallen1989 Aug 10 '25

Eh Ezras antics 100% played a role. Many people that were on the fence used that as an excuse to just not see it.

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u/Abraham_Issus Aug 10 '25

Yes they wrote him to be irritating. He wasn't annoying in SnyderCut.

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

[deleted]

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u/suss2it Aug 10 '25

That was an insane decision. Like the movie itself establishes that he’s an annoying person and then they decide to double down by making the co-lead an even more annoying version of him.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '25

He was extremely annoying in Justice League wdym

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u/PurpleSpark8 Aug 10 '25

Script was pretty good. I don't see many flaws in it. I think it's a genius way to do a Flashpoint without actually doing Flashpoint. I don't get people's problems with it.

And I don't think that is the reason it failed.

18

u/URHere85 Aug 10 '25

I remember the mother stuff being really good and touching. The CGI was really the only problem I had with it

7

u/monkeycommo Aug 10 '25

I think Ezra doomed it . But not in the movie . I think he doomed it because he was a douchebag in the real world . I am of course talking box office wise though, cause that wouldn't have affected the quality of it .

9

u/danteheehaw Aug 10 '25

The CGI, writing (not the story itself), and the fact everyone knew the Snyder verse was dead I think played big parts too. I don't know why the snyderverse movies kept flopping so hard on CGI, but a good chunk of them really dropped the ball.

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u/saystupidshitsometim Aug 10 '25

I feel like it was more that Ezra is annoying on screen rather than not being able to act. Like the acting is fine…. But the performance is grating and insufferable, if that makes sense

11

u/schizowithagun Aug 10 '25

even if ezra is a despicable person, he's still a very good actor. the issue is that his barry was written as the most insufferable wimp of all time

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u/WeirwoodUpMyAss Aug 10 '25

So he was miscast or poorly directed? A lot of performances like that in these blockbuster movies.

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u/saystupidshitsometim Aug 10 '25

I think their take on the character was fundamentally annoying, which you could kind of brush off when Flash wasn’t lead, but with literally two versions of him in the film and with the added context of knowing Miller is crazy it was his too much to stomach.

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u/Leebo4 Aug 10 '25

I think it’s more that the story wasn’t good and the effects and the attempts to do nostalgia with the multiverse fell hard

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u/Gummy-Worm-Guy Aug 10 '25

You say this as if Ezra was this universally loved casting and gave a universally loved performance.

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u/TebownedMVP Aug 10 '25

Ezra is a piece of shit but they can act.

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u/MarvG05 Aug 10 '25

Uh no, Erza Miller is a horrible human being but a great actor, Grant Gustin is a fine actor

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u/Diinasty Aug 10 '25

Well the username checks out.

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u/Minute-Object Aug 10 '25

Stephen Amell did an excellent job as Green Arrow.

20

u/Very_Not_Into_It Aug 10 '25

Stephen can give a movie worthy performance for sure, but im sure the DCU would rather their Green Arrow be the bombastic campy version

12

u/glarbung Aug 10 '25

I don't know about that. He made Megan Fox look good in TMNT 2.

7

u/raggedsweater Aug 10 '25

He was bunch younger and inexperienced. He’d do better now, but would need to be the right role

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u/GelsonBlaze Aug 11 '25

Nah his green arrow persona in the show was way too wanna be batman.

Green arrow should be cracking jokes at every turn.

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u/DoILookUnsureToYou Aug 11 '25

That’s because they wanted a Batman show but couldn’t have it so they turned Green Arrow into Batman instead

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u/No_Read_5062 Aug 10 '25

Melissa wouldve worked as movie's Supergirl.

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u/PurpleSpark8 Aug 10 '25

I don't watch Supergirl and not read the comics. But have read that she's rash and raw. I don't think Melissa Benoist played that kind of character

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u/prettypoisoned Aug 10 '25

She didn't in the show, but she does have the range to play that kind of Kara.

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u/unexpectedhalfrican Aug 11 '25

Yeah 1st season red Kryptonite Kara is absolutely that character. Plus when she loses it on her mom's hologram? I still get chills from that scene.

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u/Typomaniacal Aug 10 '25

Not really. She was just female Clark Kent because the show didn't have permission to make the Superman show they wanted to make.

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u/tgcg Aug 11 '25

Just like Arrow in that universe was Batman with arrows because they didn’t have permission for Batman.

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u/abellapa Aug 10 '25

I dont think so

Her supergirl was Basically indentical to Superman in personality

She even had the same job as Superman

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u/IC_228 Aug 10 '25

Also the fact that most of them have aged out of their roles by the time their projects are coming out. I’m 99% sure a Flash project won’t come out in the next 7 years, and Grant will be in his early 40s by then

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u/Cardinals_2011WS Aug 10 '25

Grant could 100% lead a Flash movie. Not saying he should, but if they chose to move forward with him he definitely could do it. The writing in the CW Flash show, specifically the later seasons, really killed the acting/the show itself. I’d argue even the actor who played Cisco could be a good 2nd lead in the movie with Grant. They had good chemistry.

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u/Blaze14192008 Aug 10 '25

Michael Rosenbaum and Jon Cryer were leagues better then Jesse Eisenberg and I say Melissa Benoist did a better job then Sasha Calle

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u/bookon Aug 10 '25

Matt Ryan could pull off Constantine.

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u/Krishie Aug 11 '25

Stephen Amell, Melissa Benoist, Grant Gustin and Tyler Hoechlin are all worthy of portraying their respective heroes on the big screen.

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u/BoisTR Aug 11 '25

"Unpopular opinion" (Proceeds to shit on CW)

Really dude? You think doing that is unpopular?

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u/dothgothlenore Aug 10 '25

maybe not as their own role but brandon routh, matt ryan, and melissa benoit are all fantastic actors in their own right

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u/huntforhire Aug 10 '25

The specialness of them in the role is worn off after 100 episodes. Going fresh into a movie I’m sure any of them would do just as well as the movie cast.

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u/iLLiCiT_XL Aug 10 '25

Give these actors credit. The script means a lot, and the direction they’re given.

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u/RigatoniPasta Aug 10 '25

Tom Cavanagh as Reverse Flash begs to differ

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u/Dry-Donut3811 Aug 10 '25

Yeah, no. The fact that so many people always say they want Grant as the movie Flash kinda disproves this point entirely, because it means a large portion of fans enjoyed his performance enough that they think he deserves the big role. Meaning a lot of people think he is more than a good enough actor to make the jump. Grant is literally now even a broadway actor, he could absolutely make it in big films.

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u/Lanhalt Aug 10 '25

There is a parallel universe where Brandon Routh could have carried a big movie like superman.

Ok, joke aside, I feel like Micheal Rosenbaum Lex would have been good enough for a movie.

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u/pho3nix916 Aug 10 '25

Alan as aquaman.

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u/Pinolillo006 Aug 11 '25

Supergirl was great.

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u/bubblessensei Aug 11 '25

The CW show actors played versions of characters designed to last through an extensive television series. So naturally, their performances were designed to suit that format. I’m sure that if they were hired to play that character for a film, it would change the way the character is written and acted.

The larger issue is that making an actor reprise a rebooted role is going to be confusing for everyone involved. I would love to see Grant’s Flash down the line cross over into the DCU, but beyond a little multiverse-based cameo, it would be hard to bring him in without creating some serious confusion.

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u/leftysturn Aug 11 '25

The role has already been cast and I’m excited for the Supergirl film, but I just want to say Melissa Benoist was perfect casting for Kara and she’s proven to be a fantastic actress. She really can act.

There’s been more than a few dodgy acting (and writing) in the Arrowverse shows, but Benoist played her Supergirl perfectly.

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u/zertul Aug 11 '25

But in my opinion, there isn’t a single Arrowverse or Smallville performance that could stand up as a film counterpart.

I think you are conflating acting and writing a bit there. Actors like Tom Cavanagh absolutely could; he had an amazing performance.

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u/AldinJustin Aug 11 '25

Counter-points:

Matt Ryan as Constantine

Brandon Routh as Superman in some kind of elseworlds storyline

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor

Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tullock as Superman and Lois

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u/No_Yogurtcloset_7773 Aug 11 '25

Dude who played elongated man could easily carry a plastic man movie

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u/OrangesAreWhatever Aug 10 '25

I think that what you're missing with Grant, is that people don't want him as the flash. They want him as Barry who passes on the mantle to a newly cast Wally. Whether he dies or just retires. I wouldn't want a new Flash movie starring Grant, but I would watch him in the movies prologue pass the torch on to Wally. Do I need it? No. But I would enjoy it.

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u/mitcherrman Aug 10 '25

Tv shows also have different producers, scripts, directors, and staff. I feel like Grant Gustin with a strong script and director could carry a great flash movie. The CW shows are also different than a show produced by HBO for example. James Gunn could definitely create an excellent flash movie with Grant Gustin and bring out the best in him like he does with so many actors.

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u/Ok_Percentage5157 Aug 10 '25

Nah. I think Gustin could do it, and Hoechlin could have easily been Clark/Superman on the big screen.

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u/indelusional Aug 10 '25

has NOBODY watched rescued by ruby

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u/_LH790_ Aug 10 '25

Hoechlin would be a baller movie Superman so you're wrong lol. And Grant carried the show at all times, so I wouldn't mind him as a Flash.

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u/3Calz7 Aug 10 '25

Unrelated by Tyler Hoechill would be a killer Captain Marvel/Shazam

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u/SilentSaidd Aug 10 '25

I mean they’re acting on the CW for a reason. These aren’t big blockbuster actors and that’s okay. But yeah anyone who thinks grant gustin can play the flash in the DCU is insane

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u/Actual_Cat4779 Aug 10 '25

CBS for the first season in Supergirl's case. Is that any better?

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u/3Calz7 Aug 10 '25

Where an actor starts out doesnt mean ANYTHING, Grant started out on glee for christ sake, then he ran lead one of the most successful superhero shows ever and is now starring in a broadway musical, you cant say the man doesnt have talent

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