And The Fandom Rejoiced / The Flash (2014)

This show has had a rejoicing moment almost every episode, impressively enough.

• The CW announced that Season Two of Arrow will introduce Barry Allen, and through him, super-powers in the Arrow universe. But the real clincher is that it's an origin story/lead-in to The Flash's own spin off show.
• Among the main cast is also going to be recent JLA fan-favourite Vibe, and Hartley Rathway, AKA Pied Piper. The latter is: a) being portrayed by the openly bisexual Andy Mientus (who is enthusiastic about the role); and b) is confirmed to be gay just like in the comics. Fan response had been very positive.
• Trailer. Oh yes.
• Captain Cold is confirmed, easing any doubts about Killer Frost replacing The Flash's traditional ice-based villain.
• In a fundamental way, the new series is starting with the Rogues being the villains, rather than being an afterthought in the first series.
• Mark Hamill is reprising his role as The Trickster. What's even better? He'll be featured in an episode with John Wesley Shipp, the previous live action Flash. Even better? "I am your father."
• The announcement that Lisa Snart, Captain Cold's sister who in the comics is the Rogue known as Golden Glider, will be portrayed by (Peyton List) - best known for her recurring role as Jane Sterling on Mad Men. Her actual debut adds to the awesome as she breaks her brother Len and his partner Mick out of prison mid-transit, off-screen at that.
• For those worried that Firestorm - traditionally a Fusion Dance-formed individual - would be just Ronnie Raymond in this incarnation, this seems to have been allayed, as it's been revealed that two other characters who have been the other half of Firestorm will be appearing: Dr Martin Stein, portrayed by Victor Garber; and Jason Rusch, portrayed by Luc Roderique. Hopes that we're getting a truly faithful incarnation of the character have gone way up. And the payoff. Ronnie and Professor Stein fusing intentionally and completing Firestorm, complete with Stein's voice in Ronnie's head, telling him what to do, was met with plenty of excitement.
• The first time the Speed Force was mentioned by Thawne.
• Grodd being teased, confirmed, and then killing some people.
  • Grodd and Reverse Flash WORKING TOGETHER.
• The revelation that time travel is a thing- specifically Barry was there the night of Nora's murder. It gets better: Afraid that "Out of Time" was going end on a depressing note? The fact that it ends with Barry going back in time fixes that.
• "Harrison Wells" true name being Eobard Thawne, Professor Zoom's name in the comics.
• Barry and Iris finally sharing The Big Damn Kiss before Barry instantly changes into his suit right in front of Iris to run off and save the city from the tsunami.
• Captain Cold is now taking his first steps towards being a Noble Demon like he is in the comics.
• Barry calling Captain Cold and associates his Rogues Gallery.
• Gideon nearly name dropping the Justice League by saying that Barry is "a founding member of -" . In the promo comic for ''The Trap'' Gideon actually does gets the word Justice out.◊
• Cisco showing his admiration for the classic Flash suit.
• Iris finally manages to find out Barry's the Flash. And she did it on her own, through some detective work and realizing that the shock the Flash gave her before leaving was the same one Barry gave her while in his coma. And then you get in to how she reveals this: after spending the first few minutes of "Grodd Lives" trying to deal with this information, she just straight up appears at S.T.A.R. Labs to let them know. Even better, this scene ends Act I of the episode.
• The newspaper article that Eobard Thawne keeps consulting from 2024 was written by Iris West-Allen.
• Grodd's full appearance where he was absolutely terrifying. And he's voiced by David Sobolov as well.
• "Rogue Air":
  • Eobard uses the Flash costume ring. Now, he used it already as a key to his secret Reverse-Flash costume closet, but we see him use it as its used in the comics: storing the costume inside the ring itself and letting it rapidly expand so he can put it on in super-speed. Its awesome to see what was once a goofy 'could only do it in the comics' concept like that, used seriously in a live-action adaptation, and actually look like it would work.
  • There's something else, although it probably won't be named as such: Flash, Arrow, and Firestorm teaming up to stop the Reverse-Flash. Or as it's known in the comics - Justice League.
  • A minor Easter egg: a Ferris Air airport was shut down because one of its test pilots disappeared. We may be on the way to something greater...
• In Fast Enough we see glimpses of:
  • Jay Garrick's iconic helmet.
  • The Flash Museum.
  • And of course, the long awaited Killer Frost.
  • We also get confirmation that Cisco received metahuman powers in the particle accelerator explosion.
• If the helmet of Jay Garrick isn't enough, there's the confirmation that Season Two will include more speedsters, including the likes of Wally West. Given that fans have been anticipating Wally's arrival since before the show started, this is pretty exciting news. Helping matters is the fact that Jay is heard in the SDCC reel, warning Barry of impending danger.
• There's been confirmation that Tom Cavanagh will return for Season Two, as the Harrison Wells of Earth-2. Eobard is still long dead.
• A new speedster (one with a black suit and a trail of blue lightning) is shown during the SDCC 2015 reel, running through Central City, with the very end heavily suggesting he's the new villain: Zoom is Coming.
• Michael Ironside is playing Captain Cold's father.
• The Flash suit is confirmed to be receiving the classic white Chest Insignia for Season Two, moving it closer to the comic book design.
• Jesse Quick has been cast for Season 2. Now all we need is Bart and Max Mercury and the Flash Family will be together on screen.
• In The Flash of Two Worlds, they recreate the iconic comic cover from the comic of the same name.
• King Shark's unexpected cameo in the fourth Season 2 episode was very well received by fans, who hope to see more of him and other animal-themed villains after seeing how the show has handled him and Grodd.
• Cisco now has his own cool Metahuman name. what is it? Vibe.
• Atlantis exists, and Jay claims to have a friend from there.
  • Adding to this there was a Deleted Scene from Season 1 where Joe mentions Barry went to Amnesty Bay to investigate a "man who can talk to fish."
• When Grodd is sent to Earth 2, he comes across a familiar location: Gorilla City.
  • This is especially funny since due to Grodd's revised origin for the show, fans never thought that they'd see Gorilla City since it was a pretty ludicrous concept to begin with. Just further proof that the creators are embracing the inherent wackiness of DC Comics.
• Barry asks Cisco and Wells to reverse engineer the ring used by the Reverse-Flash to store his suit.
• Cisco vibing Kendra accidentally to see her standing there, wings flared in full Hawkgirl costume.
• Cisco mentioning recent sightings of a man with wings, which Caitlin laughs off as ridiculous. Fans are very quick to understand they're talking about Hawkman, who's looking for someone in particular...
• The buildup to Velocity Nine, suggesting that characters like The Rival or Johnny Quick may appear in the near future.
• The Flash is going to fight three members of the Rogues, consisting of a notorious Prison Breaker, a gladiator and a Jedi/The Joker? Awesome. Bonus points for fighting Captain Cold near Christmas.
• Four words: Wally is finally here.
• In 2x11, only the second episode following the winter break, Matt Letscher will return as The Reverse-Flash. Also we find Jay's counterpart is Hunter Zolomon.
• And it looks like we'll be heading to Earth-2 in the episodes following that.
• Crossover. With. Supergirl.
  • With the news that Supergirl is making a Channel Hop to the CW, fans who enjoyed the crossover can rejoice some more knowing that future crossovers are more likely now (due to no longer having to work them out between two networks).
  • Indeed, it was quickly announced that a crossover between all four Arrowverse shows would be happening in December 2016.
• Welcome to Earth-2 had several moments of fandom rejoicing:
  • In the portal we get a glimpse of not only Supergirl but also of a certain scarred cowboy bounty hunter and a ring with an 'L' on it.
  • We also get a look at a different Green Arrow who is set to appear in Legends of Tomorrow.
  • Ronnie's evil Earth-2 counterpart is called Deathstorm.
  • On Earth-2 Barry's phone there are three names: Hal, Diana and Bruce.
  • Earth-2 Deadshot showing up was impressive, even if he was the opposite of his usual self, simply because it showed that the writers are willing to stick it to the WB and DC heads who keep throwing Executive Meddling their way.
• In King Shark, not only do we get a return of the titular shark man, but we also see bits of Wally's intellect at work; making a super car. This helps hint at something that Wally West has been known for and could potentially lead to him becoming the Flash's partner.
• In Vs Zoom Iris confiding in Caitlin that she's in love with Barry
• "Back to Normal" has Wally thanking the Flash for saving him and declaring he's not going to waste the opportunity given, while Harry :decides to create a new Particle Accelerator Explosion to get Barry's powers back, which will likely create new Metahuman. Both of these at least indicate we'll be seeing him with speed by next season.
• "Rupture" ends with Wally and Jesse getting hit by the dark matter wave, meaning that they're almost certainly getting their powers by the end of the season. In addition, Henry mentions that "Garrick" was his mother's maiden name, perhaps hinting that Jay is Real After All.
• "The Runaway Dinosaur" sees the episode ending with after nearly two entire seasons of build-up, one of the DC Universe's most iconic couples. Alongside the likes of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Diana Prince and Steve Trevor and Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, finally become real, the Coupling of Barry Allen with Iris West.
• "Invincible" gives us the appearance of Earth-2 Laurel Lance with an actual screaming superpower. The rejoicing is because it serves as an Author's Saving Throw not only for the unpopular decision to kill-off Laurel late into Arrow Season 4, but for all the alleged character mishandling/mistreatment that she's been getting since the Arrow Season before it to be sort-of rectified with her appearance. As the doppelganger has traits that is more in-line with the comics Black Canary, a proper iteration of the character maybe coming to the Arrowverse soon.
• "The Race of his Life" gives us John Wesley Shipp as the real Jay Garrick. Given some fans were hoping he'd play Garrick before he was cast as Henry Allen, this is a nice treat.
  • There's also the possibility of season 3 including the Flashpoint storyline which many fans expected would happen at the end of Season 1.
    • Now confirmed - the first episode of the third season will be called "Flashpoint," though how long this storyline will last remains unknown for now.
• It has now been confirmed that Wally will become Kid Flash in season 3 - complete with official photos of him wearing the classic yellow and red costume.
• The season 3 San Diego Comic-Con trailer, especially for those who are upset at Barry for his habit of haphazard emotional reactions or who are simply intrigued by the Flashpoint storyline and want to see how well this Barry would take it after what he did at the end of season 2.
  • The trailer is almost entirely focused on the Alternate Timeline created by Barry saving his mother from Thawne, heavily implying that at least a good chunk of the season will be dedicated to it, and Barry's delusion that he's home free because his parents are alive is quickly cracked by differences in his personal life even before the world unravels.
    • Cisco is the richest man in the country and Caitlin is his assistant at STAR…no, Ramon Industries, but both are incredibly pompous, don't know Barry or the West family, and Cisco is outright dismissive towards both Barry and Wally.
    • Iris vaguely recognizes Barry but the Wests don't have much of a history with him, and Joe is less than pleased with Barry for acting like they're close.
  • Wally being Kid Flash is set in stone through his appearance in the trailer against a black-suited speedster, who was later confirmed to be The Rival.
  • Matt Letscher gets to dish out a version of Eobard Thawne's famous "The Reason You Suck" Speech against Barry, not only condescending calling the new timeline Flashpoint in-universe, but also delivering this awesome line as Barry walks away:
  "NOW WHO'S THE VILLAIN, FLASH!? NOW WHO'S THE VILLAIN!?"
• The announcement that Dr. Alchemy and Mirror Master would be villains in Season Three.
• In August 2016 it was revealed that in the back-half of the 2016-2017 season, this show and Supergirl (2015) would finally have the long-awaited Musical Episode, as a two-part crossover between the two shows (presumably to air on consecutive nights). For the cross section of Glee/DC fans, this is something years in the making.
  • Then there's the fact the freaking MUSIC MEISTER is set to be the villain of the crossover. Even better, Darren Criss has been cast to play as him. Glee fans, rejoice! They're singing together on TV again!
• Set photos show that the Earth-3 version of the Trickster looks almost identical to a pallet-swapped Joker, meaning that fans will finally get to see Mark Hamill play his iconic role in live action.
• The third Mid-season finale trailer shows Jay teaming up with Barry.
• Interviews prior to Season 3 had the writers teasing Grodd returning as a major player, only to get shunted aside with the Savitar and Alchemy announcements later. And then, one of the "future articles" Team Flash reads in 3x10 is about a Gorilla invasion...
• The announcement in March that the Big Bad for Season Four would not be an evil speedster, made fans very happy since all the evil speedsters Post-Season One have made the show feel stagnant.
• Sometime between now and 2024 (hopefully sooner), Barry will get the iconic gold-and-red suit.
• In season 4, it is revealed that Gypsy's father Breacher will appear. Who will play him? Danny Trejo!
• Season 4 also announced a new addition to the semi-regular cast: None other than Elongated Man himself! Played by Hartley Sawyer.
• Barry and Iris are getting married in the crossover of Season 4. Which is called Crisis on Earth-X. Needless to say, the fandom lost their minds.
• After Season 3 ended with many fans worried that the DC Extended Universe had once again forced an Arrowverse character off the board, Season 4 wastes no time assuring us that Barry actually is back, and isn't going anywhere.
• Ralph Dibny acquires a much better suit and his nickname Elongated Man in "The Elongated Knight Rises".
• The news that Iris would be temporarily be suiting up - in an episode that seems to pay homage to Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman as well as the fact that Iris had a speedsuit in the comics - was met with near-universal excitement.
• The beloved Neil Sandilands would return as DeVoe at the season finale.
• Katie Cassidy had a role on "Fury Rogue".
• Accelerated Man returns in . "Therefore She Is".
• There was some excitement when the Season 5 trailer showed that Barry would use "the Flash ring".
• In "The Death of Vibe" when discussing various heroes that tried to capture Cicada Nora mentions "The League" among them. Clear proof that the Justice League will one day exist in this world.
• Bart Allen / Impulse is finally appearing in the 150th episode of the series. He will be portrayed by Jordan Fisher.
  • Nora West-Allen is also returning for the 150th episode
• Season 8 premieres with a special Crossover event that will bring in other Arrowverse characters for a whopping 5 episodes, easily making this on par with Crisis on Infinite Earths (2019). Among the characters that will appear will be Ryan Wilder in her first crossover appearance, Sentinel appearing after Supergirl (2015) wraps up, Ryan Choi making his first appearance since the Crisis, Brandon Routh returning to play The Atom after leaving Legends of Tomorrow and last but not least is... Black Lightning making a return!
• Season 9 brings back Batwoman, Nia Nal, Oliver, Diggle, and the Reverse-Flash one more time!
• Eddie Thawne finally returns from the dead, and becomes Cobalt Blue, as many fans theorized and hoped.