'Crisis on Infinite Earths' might be the end of the road for Barry Allen but 'The Flash' could still go on without him
Big changes are coming to The CW's Arrowverse after 'Crisis on Infinite Earths', the major crossover event of the year. It has already been teased that 'Crisis' will claim the life of at least one of its heroes, with most people betting on Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) being the one who will sacrifice himself for the multiverse. But, despite all the evidence pointing to Ollie being the one to die, we can’t fully rule out the possibility of a certain speedster also meeting a premature end.
Death is a possibility for all the heroes who will be taking part in 'Crisis' (except maybe Batwoman, seeing as her show is just starting out). In the comics, both Supergirl and Flash are killed in the line of duty, fighting to stop the Anti-Monitor and his minions from destroying the multiverse.
It doesn’t help that season five of 'The Flash' revealed a future timeline where Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) inexplicably disappears during an unspecified "crisis". Grant Gustin, while speaking during the San Diego Comic-Con panel for 'The Flash' season six, suggested that the impending sense of doom is what ties all the shows together.
"The Monitor shows up in our first episode," Gustin revealed. "I think our connection is our impending demise... They can keep making the show without me," he said.
While fans were quick to respond that the show wouldn’t be the same without Barry, it's not entirely impossible that the hero could bid goodbye to the show.
Granted, the chances of 'The Flash' killing off its lead character are slim but Barry's death during 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' is a very important moment in the character’s comic book history. Perhaps the crossover might actually feature his death, only to bring him back through some convenient plot device.
We can’t completely reject the possibility of a more permanent end to Barry’s run as The Flash. If it does come down to it, the show can continue without Barry and bring back Keiynan Lonsdale's Wally West to become Central City's new Scarlet Speedster.
It has already been confirmed that Wally will be back on the show in season six for a few episodes at least. If Barry dies saving the multiverse, Wally could take up his mantle in future seasons. That wouldn't be the worst thing, as the character has been grossly underused on the show and fans would love to see him take up the title.
Wally West was The Flash for a whole generation of fans who grew up watching the 'Justice League' animated series and he has proven his worth in the comics over and over again. It would be a shame to see Barry go, but if it means getting to see Wally come into his own, maybe it wouldn't be all that bad after all.
